Tag: medical school

  • Do You Want to Be a Doctor?

    Do You Want to Be a Doctor?

    “I want to be a doctor.  How do I do it?” As a teenager, I was very shy and very awkward.  Talking to strangers was a painful and anxiety-laden task, and I didn’t like to talk to strangers any longer than necessary.  So when a pediatrician asked me, at a routine office visit, if I…

  • Abba

    She wouldn’t stop crying, so I picked her up before realizing that the diaper was wet.  The sun was setting and the room was dim and quiet, disturbed only by the peripheral noises of the hospital hallway and the sound of her distress.  I gingerly held her up, setting her flat on the bed, and…

  • A Reflection on the Anatomy Lab

    Originally delivered March 1, 2007 at the Anatomy Lab Memorial Service. In preparing for this reflection, there were many sensations that came to mind: the dryness of dread in my mouth on that first day of lab, the sharp snap of latex gloves, the lingering smell of disinfectant on my hands, the gritty knot in…