medical students
Highs and Lows of Surgery: Juice Boxes on my Surgery Rotation
By Hannah Case The first two years of medical school, I found myself fighting with an inexorable desire to be in the operating room. Surgery seemed alluring; addictive almost, yet I fought its appeal. I began convincing myself that what I surely desired was to go into pediatric hospital medicine. It wasn’t the hours, the sore feet, the years of training, the personalities, nor the competitive nature of the field that led me to adamantly deny my love for surgery: it was a subconscious fear that I could not survive the long hours of operating. After all, what is a surgeon to do if their blood sugar plummets, their continuous glucose monitor (CGM) alarms, and their hands begin to tremble as they’re delicately suturing? Surgery was my first clerkship of third year. I recall the week leading up to my first day, during which I met with my endocrinologist and...
A Future Female Surgeon and Daughter of Immigrants
How a future first-generation surgeon carries her parents’ strength and courage By Scarlett Tohme I am a native New Yorker, in one of the truest senses of the label—I am a daughter of immigrants. I grew up in Bay Ridge Brooklyn and Staten Island and studied and worked in the “city” (Manhattan). Everyday, I am surrounded by the beautiful language and culture of my parents at home and the vibrant neighborhoods of NYC outside of it-from listening to the angelic voice of Fairouz on the cassette player and eating my favorite Syrian foods like manaeesh and kibbeh bil sanieh, to learning about the lives of New Yorkers from Richmond Town to Washington Heights. I am a first generation Syrian-American, navigating my life with different cultures and learning how to interconnect my parents’ heritage with the heritage that I am creating of my own. There were of course challenges for my...
Code Blue
By Rachel Salinas The first code blue that I ever witnessed was called on my grandfather during my third year of medical school. He had been in the ICU for seven weeks after there were unexpected complications during his coronary artery bypass surgery. I remember as the world stood still while the code team worked. I held my grandmother’s hand while every last effort was made to save his life, and I was the one who told the team when it was okay to stop. It was a moment that greatly affected me and has changed my entire approach to medicine. At the start of this year’s rotations as a third-year medical student, I was taken aback at the number of code blues that were being called each day. One day in particular, I counted over 15 during my 10 hour shift. I asked my resident if this was normal,...
Picking Between Surgical Specialties as a Medical Student
By Alyssa Brown “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Pediatric geneticist was my answer from high school through the first weeks of medical school. I had shadowed twenty physicians before medical school that ranged from surgical to non-surgical and specialized to primary care. I had stuck to wanting to be a pediatric geneticist. I loved genetics in high school and college. I liked working with pediatric patients, so I thought it would be the perfect field for me. My second week of medical school, my anatomy professor pulled me aside and asked if I was interested in surgery. I responded that I hadn’t thought about it. She said she would email a few surgeons to see if they would mentor me. By the next week, I was in the lobby of the children’s hospital nervously waiting to meet a pediatric surgeon. She floated in, and I...
Tips for medical students, residents/fellows, and junior attendings looking to network in the surgical community through social media
By Jaina Lane & Tishina Tittley Networking is an important aspect of professional development. In a typical application season, medical students work hard to form connections with attendings, residency program directors, and other medical students in order to find their ideal residency home. Similar skills are needed for residents applying to fellowship, fellows looking for their first jobs, and current attendings looking to move into different and/or more advanced leadership roles. Unfortunately, due to the unforeseen circumstances that COVID-19 has presented to all of us, medical students through junior attendings now struggle with establishing the same professional relationships. Unable to interact directly with potential colleagues (e.g. current residents/fellows, potential coworkers), they may find it more difficult to assess their proper “fit.” This issue is confounded for many medical students applying this year as they also can’t do away rotations at programs they are most interested in and are missing out...
Announcing the 2020-2021 AWS National Medical Student Committee
By Cheryl Zogg From a simple sign at a national conference to a thriving organization with thousands of members around the globe and key collaborations with many of the world’s leading surgical societies, the Association of Women Surgeons has grown into an influential organization that continues to touch the lives of women surgeons throughout their careers. In few places is AWS’s influence more evident than in what the organization has come to mean to its medical student members, the women surgeons of tomorrow. Following the most competitive application cycle in the Association of Women Surgeons National Medical Student Committee’s history with more than 140 applications for 22 roles, it is my extreme pleasure as the incoming Committee Chair to introduce the 2020-2021 National Medical Student Committee: Hailing from 7 countries, 17 US states, and 7 different AWS regions (not counting the Regional Representatives, who themselves come from 11 of 12...
The Distance Between Two Worlds
By Alyssa Brown I want you to think of your first love. Close your eyes, and think of them. Mine was a blonde-haired nerdy linebacker on my college’s football team. I remember the heartbreak of him moving 14 hours away. We broke up when he moved—a common story for many of us. I was starting my senior year of college and applying to medical school, and he was getting his Master’s in Physics. Whenever I was sad about the breakup and listening to “our song” (Rollercoaster by Blink 182), my best friend Marlee always said, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” While our paths diverged and we never reunited, I’ve always liked the sentiment of the phrase. If you are wondering why you are reading about first loves on a surgical blog, I get it. I didn’t think the sentiment would apply to medicine. I think many of us have...
Tips and Tricks for Surviving COVID-19 as a Medical Student
By Camila R. Guetter During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students are facing many changes in their education and schedules. Lectures turning into a virtual format, cancellation of clinical rotations, and closure of exam centers, to name a few. We understand how all these changes can make students feel anxious and stressed. Although as healthcare workers we all recognize and support the need for social distancing and other measures to flatten the curve, it is completely valid to feel frustrated and anxious as your plans constantly change. These are definitely unprecedented times. As a result, we are all facing the need to reinvent ourselves and adapt our habits, goals, and expectations to the situation. In this article, I want to discuss how this is especially true regarding medical education, and how medical students across the United States and around the globe are having to adjust their daily study routine and figure...
Thank You Without Ceremony
By Francesca Voza Just a few weeks ago, I was preparing for the biggest event of my life: celebrating my medical school graduation at 42 years old. Moreover, I am about to embark on the exciting adventure of becoming a surgeon. I wanted this to be a firework of joy, shared with whoever would be happy for me. When obtaining my high school diploma in 1997, I departed from my hometown of Fort-de-France, Martinique, a small dot located in the Caribbean Archipelago. My plan was straightforward: Join my sister studying in the capital city of Paris, France Work hard to pursue medical studies Become a physician Care for patients Little did I know that severe mental illness would suddenly hit both my little brother and my father back home. Despite the query and the feelings of worry, fear and guilt, I remained focused on my studies. Nevertheless, my selecting exam...
#WhyIAWS: Calling on all medical students (MD/DO/MBBS) pursuing surgery
By Ashley Choi As I reflect on the past three years of being a part of the AWS National Medical Student Committee, I am blown away by how much I have grown personally and professionally. One thing is clear: AWS has given me much more than I can give back. It has gifted me with my tribe. Who we are: The “Med Student Committee” is a 20 person committee with every position grounded in leadership and service. We have specialized roles to ensure that tasks are completed in a short period of time, including Research Coordinator, Resource Development Coordinator, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, Social Media Coordinator, Mentorship Coordinator, and 11 Regional Representatives who together manage 80+ AWS chapters worldwide. At the end of the day, we all work together to be a resource to our colleagues in need. What we do: I want to share some of the work that...
