This post is by no means a way to complain or to gloat. On the contrary, this serves as an encouragement to anyone reading to take time for yourself, to pamper yourself once in a while, and to find a way to recharge your batteries regularly. The advice to recharge was first heard during orientation…
Category: Residency
An Open Letter to the Boards
Dear Boards, Well, our last twelve months together have been a mixture of emotions, ups and downs, lessons, pain, and maybe one or two victories. I first heard the horror stories about you during first year of residency, but at that point I (along with my peers) was just trying to keep my head above…
Remembering Atticus and India Arie
In the age of electronic communication sent within milliseconds, keeping in touch with friends and family is always accessible. Our devices have become extensions of our beings, as vital as our own pulse. This has vast benefits, from the simple joy of sharing thoughts and photos to the amazing impact on politics, the fate of…
My Crescent City Connection
Kindargarten, 8th grade, high school, college, medical school. Today is graduation day #6 for me and probably #7 or higher for many of my colleagues who have also completed masters programs, PhDs, and perhaps even another career altogether before embarking on a life in medicine. It is unreal to think that three years have passed…
BRCA: Beyond the Pink Ribbon
In recent weeks, much attention has been given to a topic that previously had not crossed the minds or conversations of most of the general public: prophylactic mastectomy. It was not until a figure known world-wide chose this course of action for herself that the preventative measure became common knowledge. All of a sudden, everyone…
Beauty & Morbidity
It has been several years since I last looked at pathology slides under a microscope, identifying the different cells and patterns that constitute normally functioning organs and understanding mechanically how structure dictates function. The specialized myocytes of the heart contract in an interwoven manner to orchestrate a contraction. The glandular cells of the thyroid secrete…
The Dangers of Uninformed Autonomy
“There is a dignity in dying that doctors should not dare to deny.” [ Anonymous] Today, a patient I have been helping to take care of died. I and the medical team knew that she would die soon, but for the past 18 days, we have been sticking little bandaids on various components of her…
Thug Kitchen Puts the Rough in Ruffage
I often find it challenging to eat a well-balanced, healthy meal on a consistent basis. The excuses of long residency hours and an erratic work schedule contribute to this the most, for when I am on lighter rotations, packing lunch most days of the week and planning meals ahead of time seems easy, enjoyable, and…
Lessons from (other people’s) faith
“God has no religion.” Mahatma Gandhi Approximately one week into my elective in Palliative Care, I am learning to bite my tongue when it comes to discussions on religion and faith. My own religious persuasion has evolved and devolved over time, and I cannot pinpoint any specific game-changing factors in the process. What I do…
Yellow
Whenever we admit an especially nice patient to the hospital whose diagnosis seems worrisome and somewhat elusive, we assume the worst — cancer. Of course this has no scientific basis whatsoever; it is simply the experience that all of us have collectively had throughout our training. Such is the case with a patient I admitted…
Three
Being a medical student in North Philadelphia and then going on to residency in New Orleans have shaped my view of medicine and the vast injustices people face. Most of my clinical rotations in medical school dealt with the underserved and uninsured population. These are hands down the most challenging patients to treat for reasons…
pen . paper . storm 