Journeys in Medicine

Posted on Categories My Story, Post J-1 ExperienceTags , , ,

Coping with Personal Grief as a COVID-19 Physician

By Dr. Kumar Ashish

We’ve lost so many lives over the past two years. As a physician working at a hospital since the beginning of it, I have witnessed the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This global crisis has resulted in worldwide lockdowns, the economic collapse of countries, and universally rising mortality and morbidity. Although the first wave of the pandemic came with the most uncertainty, it was the second wave that resulted in the most personally disruptive time of my life. It brought a multitude of issues to my home country, India. Due to a lack of resources, the healthcare system there collapsed under the pressures of the second wave.

Continue reading “Coping with Personal Grief as a COVID-19 Physician”

Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, Cross-cultural Experience, My StoryTags , , , ,

A Survivor Mindset in Times of Peace: A Lebanese Experience

By Dr. Ahmad Mahdi

Six months into my medical residency, I have grown more comfortable waking up earlier than usual and at colder temperatures. I have learned to embrace procedure and operate on a regularly irregular schedule. Today on my way to work, I watch the fog clear and feel my pulse synchronize with my pace.

Continue reading “A Survivor Mindset in Times of Peace: A Lebanese Experience”

Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My StoryTags , , , ,

Discovering a Passion for Pediatric Rheumatology

By Dr. D. Sofía Villacís Núñez

Following graduation from medical school in Ecuador, I was determined to pursue pediatric training in the United States. After two hard years of study, while practicing medicine in an underserved community in my home country, I matched in a large pediatric residency program in Miami.

Continue reading “Discovering a Passion for Pediatric Rheumatology”

Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My StoryTags , , , , ,

Marching Towards Greatness in Residency

By Dr. Sandipan Shringi

THE BACKGROUND

I am Sandipan Shringi, MD, a final-year resident in Internal Medicine at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. I am originally from a small town in India. My path towards medical practice began when I was 16 years old. As you will learn, my journey as a physician began dangerously and has taken unexpected paths.

Continue reading “Marching Towards Greatness in Residency”

Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, Cross-cultural Experience, My StoryTags , , , ,

Human Connections That Travel Oceans

By Dr. Umer Farooq

The COVID-19 patient did not speak English, so we communicated using a translator phone. He taught me a few words and sentences so that I could ask simple questions to other patients who shared his native language. “I can’t breathe” were the last words that I could understand before he was intubated. I wondered if he ever imagined that his last words would be spoken to someone who did not speak his language. Did he imagine that he would be taken care of in his final days by someone born thousands of miles away?

Continue reading “Human Connections That Travel Oceans”