My medical school tenure was bookended by news of loss. In the early days, when I spent my time in a lecture hall, I listened to somber faculty announce that a resident had died by suicide. I remember sitting near the back of the room because I had come in late, and while the administration’s […]
I’ve Matched – Now What?
Now that us fourth-years are matched and many have completed their medical school rotations, we are entirely free! I finished my last elective last week, and have a mixture of feelings – triumph, joy, pride, excitement, and nervousness. Triumph and joy at completing medical school, pride for matching into my number one choice for residency, […]
Visual Aids in Patient Education
I have witnessed numerous encounters where physicians take into account the cognitive load theory and humans’ finite capacity to process. In the outpatient setting, several times a day the physician I was working with would pull up Google to search up images to show patients what exactly was going on with their condition, what certain […]
Physician-Patient Communication
I believe one of the communication gaps in physician-patient interactions is a result of physicians focusing on the disease, rather than the patient with the disease. It is no surprise that the same disease can affect patients across the spectrum very differently, and understanding how the problem affects each individual patient’s life is essential to […]
Perspective from the Surgical Patient’s Side
These past few months have been mentally, emotionally, and physically tolling for me as I dealt with a Baker’s cyst that was refractory to aspiration x 2 and conservative treatments. I ended up having to undergo knee surgery for it, and was amazed by all the things I had missed serving on the provider side, […]
Let’s Talk About Key Skin Care: Part Two
I mentioned in part one that there are a few key ingredients I look for in my cleansers, moisturizers, and serums. I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding skin care and watching informational videos from board certified dermatologists so I thought this would be a great time to share since skin care is so […]
Let’s Talk About Key Skin Care: Part One
I’ve been doing a lot of research regarding skin care and watching informational videos from board certified dermatologists so I thought this would be a great time to share the top 3 staples in my skin care routine. Keep in mind, this is just basic information and what works for me. If you really want […]
My First Vacation of Intern Year
Finally, finally, finally, I took my first vacation of intern year, and I can’t tell you how glad I am that I did! I desperately needed a break. Having all the major events in my life cancelled and starting residency straight away didn’t leave much time for relaxation or any fun. I decided to visit […]
Let’s Talk About Health Equity
Let’s talk a little bit about health equity and my experiences related to health equity. First of all, what is health equity? In a report designed to increase consensus around meaning of health equity, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provides the following definition: “Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity […]
Diversity—What Do You Bring to the Table?
If you were to ask any one person in a room, I bet you that everyone would have a different definition of what diversity means to that person—some along the same lines and for others, maybe not so much. Something I think we should all think about, however, is what types of diversity do we […]
