A Healer Stands

centuries later, a novel pandemic strikes. All is different except the sacrifice of our providers as they rise to the challenge of battling the disease at hand. The unamed healer stands day and night in the hospital, street, and nursing home, ready to face the unknown to provide aid and to comfort. When one healer leaves for the day, another takes their place; thus, alwaysa healer stands.

An Isolated Consciousness of Hopelessness

Thoughts swirl in mind on spinning stool, Sitting still here is hard to do.

In a world full of phones of intelligence, With a remarkably virtual presence, There’s no shortage of things to think about here, But also, not a whole lot for me to do. Social media notifications, emails galore, Bing, ding, a ring, and a ring, lighting up a phone they sing.

There’s an inundation of instant gratification, But an emptiness remains, what is going on in my brain?

Loneliness may be soothed with a song or a verse, A depressed kind of feeling with a memory of mirth. Friends are not just on Facebook but in a real world around you,

Struggles hidden behind posts when help is needed the most.

Pictures posted, likes and loves, scrolling and scrolling, This life still goes on whether you’re moving or not . There were places to go, and so much to be done, BUT suddenly, a virus puts a stop to things… Things were remote, but now somehow, they’re remoter.

Things were virtually remarkable, And now, they’re remarkably virtual. Zoom here, Zoom there, You can Zoom most anywhere.

But you’re still in your pajamas, And your hair looks bananas.

That’s okay, I’m muted and unseen. Attending a meeting here, a friend get-together there, All from one seat, all from one station, Without even using my imagination. When virtual presences and meetings are over. I sit again with my thoughts and mull them over. Thoughts come like bubbles, They inflate, then they float, And if not caught for a single instant, They might just pop and sprinkle some soap. Sometimes they race, sometimes they’re slow, But they’re always coming, always going. Finding home within the brain, They spring into ideas. A lightbulb flashes, then crashes; New ideas are born from its ashes. Shifting and drifting, constantly sifting, Ideas emerge, as do solutions. They are sown in trial and grow in challenges unseen, Through a whole lot of trouble grows one magic bean. A magic bean grows high into the clouds, Climbing through the atmosphere, high above. It rises above the pandemic pandemonium, It rises above our collective isolations and fears.

It might be encapsulated in a prayer, then a plan; But whatever it is, great ideas emerge from times such as this,

And the future we hope for is one not to be missed.

- Samuel Schotten, OMS-IV, MSUCOM

I will not let medicine destroy my life.

I feel guilty for even saying it. I have dreamed and prayed about going to medical school and becoming a doctor for my entire life but now that I am here, I have an evolving perspective on things.

There are many things that make a fulfilling life - friends, family, traveling, and experiencing new things. This does not mean a life without the stressors of scholarly activities. In fact, a fulfilling life includes writing about your passions, networking at conferences, and volunteering in the community. Writing encourages reflection, networking creates a community of like-minded friends with similar passions and goals, and community service give you purpose and allows you to meet new people. These activities coupled with support from family and friends give me purpose. This is a life worth living for.

Striking the delicate balance of life and medicine is the key to having the best life in medicine possible. The rigors of medical school can impede your ability to lead your life the way you want to. It’s easier to let medicine control you than it is for you to find a way to take control. Having long hospital time commitments, studying the days and nights away, and living in a constant state of stress and worry can dominate your life. The lack of sleep you get becomes intimidating at times because it is not just a one day problem, it is a chronic problem that will follow you the rest of your medical career. You need to set healthy, realistic boundaries with yourself. You can love both parts of your life but feel discouraged at times. You are allowed to feel this way.

Developing balance has never meant more to me than it does right now. I value all parts of my life: my blooming medical career, my other personal life, and my scholarly endeavors. I have never strived harder for balance in my life than at this moment. The transition from classroom to bedside has been an incredible experience but also very wearing and worrisome. I have a reinterpreted concept of balance that is ever-evolving from this transition period.

The challenges of transitioning from books to bedside actually competes with the unbelievable dilemmas that are faced with the coronavirus pandemic. I didn’t think COVID-19 changes could really compete with anything, but this does. It is challenging to learn to flow with and love the punches life throws us but it is in our journey of success and failure that allows us to become the best version of ourselves possible. I have always believed “It is the journey, not the destination that makes a story great” and nothing has reigned more true at this moment. If you spend your 4 years of medical school and many additional years of residency focused entirely on medicine and become neglectful of everything else, you have created a serious problem for yourself. You have created an unfulfilling life.

I will not let medicine put a pause on all the things that make up a great life. I’m taking control.

I am creating balance.

- Brittany Ladson, OMS-III, MSUCOM

Covid-19 Reflection

You want to look away from the television screen, but you feel as though you can’t. Treading the fine line, it’s about maintaining the balance between staying informed and staying hopeful how do you do it?

- Megan Carrillo OMS-IV, MSUCOM