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Journeys in Medicine: An ECFMG Blog

Tag: India

Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My StoryTags , , , ,

Caring for Cancer Patients During a Pandemic

By Dr. Santanu Samanta

“Doc, which C is worse for me… cancer or coronavirus?” Many patients asked this question. The anxiety of a new cancer diagnosis, waiting to start treatment, and then suddenly news of a pandemic changed everything for all cancer patients. Bewildered, some patients would hesitate to come to the hospital while others would try to hide their viral symptoms to prevent interruption of treatment. COVID-19 has presented varying challenges to all health care professionals, and being a resident physician involved in caring for cancer patients has its own unique difficulties.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Cross-cultural Experience, My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , ,

Doctors with Borders

By Dr. Uttara Koul

The past eight months have been a summation of the five stages of grief:

                    • Stage 1: Denial – there’s a viral outbreak? Hmm. It won’t reach us.
                    • Stage 2: Anger – why aren’t people taking the lockdown strictly? Why is everyone hoarding toilet paper?
                    • Stage 3: Bargaining – a vaccine will be released any day now, right?
                    • Stage 4: Depression – all social engagements are postponed indefinitely. So many people have lost their lives! This is heartbreaking!
                    • Stage 5: Acceptance – this is the new normal.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , , ,

Is Self-Care on Your To-Do List?

author headshotBy Dr. Shreya Doshi

“You are a bright, grown-up girl now, almost 15-years old. You must take ownership of yourself and your body and look after your physical, mental, and emotional health. Eating healthy food, making healthier choices, exercising even if just for 30 minutes, and reaching out to the therapist again will go a long, long way.” This is the kind of advice I was giving my teenage patient last week during continuity clinic, and the kind of advice I am sure you give out too, no matter what specialty you are in. However, sometimes it feels hypocritical. As a resident physician, I wonder how many times a week do you give advice to your patients that perhaps also applies to you?

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories Clinical Training Experience, My StoryTags , , , , ,

Uniting as Doctors in NYC During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Dr. Jinendra Satiya

December 2019, the month a mysterious viral outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China, will be forever remembered as an important moment in history. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our lives, and strained the healthcare system and economy like never before. At the heart of the pandemic in New York City, we faced the worst. Originally from Mumbai, India and a Grant Medical College alumni, I moved to New York City for chief residency after completing my Internal Medicine Residency from JFK Medical Center, University of Miami. In this blog I describe my experience as an Internal Medicine Chief Resident working in New York City, sharing the difficulties encountered and the lessons learned.

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Author Journeys User4Posted on Categories My Story, Words of WisdomTags , , , ,

Persevering from Humble Beginnings to Cutting-edge Medicine

By Dr. Kumar Ashish

I grew up in a modest family in rural India, watching people in the underprivileged strata of the society suffer from diseases that could have been easily treated if they had access to state-of-the-art healthcare. Experiencing the devastating consequences of health issues firsthand left an indelible mark in my mind. That lasting impression and a lifelong fascination with science is what led to my passion and ambition for medicine.

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