Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Quiet, Thashali Anthony

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

According to theatrical superstition, saying “Macbeth” in the theater when you aren’t actively performing or rehearsing foreshadows impending doom. In a similar way, in the hospital, its own production of sorts where medical staff is under pressure to perform, it’s the "Q" word. We all dread the "Q" word and are vexed with anyone who dares say it. Yet sometimes wandering the hospital during night float, I often feel a profound sense of "Quiet." The word is typically associated with a lack of it, but I find there is a certain peace with being alone with one’s thoughts. Residency can …

Contemplation, Nayda Parisio Poldiak

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Before embarking on a busy workday, take a moment to appreciate the sunrise. Living near the beach is a privilege that reminds me that you can find the calm necessary to face the demands of your role as a division research director through a few minutes of meditation during your commute. The footprints in the sand symbolize the work accomplished with residents, faculty, and staff the previous day. The pier represents the strength of remaining stable even amidst turbulent waves, which symbolize the ever-changing requests and priorities. The rising sun embodies self-energy and excitement for another day, knowing that “above …

Cârța Monastery, Barbara L. Gracious

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The Cârța Monastery, a former Cistercian monastery, is pictured here from one of its sides, conjuring the romanticism that is beloved in medieval ruins. The photo was taken on a sunny fall afternoon in the Țara Făgărașului region of Romania in southern Transylvania. Cârța Monastery was started around 1202 by a group of Cistercian monks from Egres Abbey in the then-kingdom of Hungary. Cistercian architecture is considered some of the most beautiful of the Middle Ages, and walking the grounds of the Monastery indeed evoked a profound sense of gratitude, awe, and peace in the shadow of its beauty that …

Covid: The Sound Of Silence, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

COVID brought its toll of deaths. Something the human race has not experienced in recent times. Something almost unimaginable in the modern world! But having joined a new hospital and moved to a sleepy old town, COVID gave me a sense of solitude I have not experienced for eons. There are times you wonder at the endless ocean in front of you and communicate with your inner soul.

Resilience, Nicholas D'Angelo

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

On one of the busiest parkways, in the midst of a spring drought, despite the lack of soil a sunflower blooms. This tiny beacon of hope represents the enduring spirit of humanity managing to struggle through this recent global pandemic. For me as a program director, it conjures to mind my graduating family medicine residents. Due to COVID-19, they had to pull extra shifts in the hospital, flip patients in the ICU, and witnessed death on an unprecedented scale. Despite this adversity, they continue to grow professionally, thrive individually, and show the world their sunny smiling faces.

Locked Within, Ambrosia Washington

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

In this work, Locked Within, I examine my relationship with Western and alternative medicines, exploring how both areas can provide holistic treatment when used together. Seen here through the medium of photography, my illness relates to common experiences in Western medical care. Through images that consider themes of time, choice, faith, the effects of illness, the medical gaze, and health as a commodity, this series provides commentary on medical experiences and the influence of the American healthcare system.

With a nod toward scientific documentation, this photographic study documents my journey toward health. The element of typology in my work forms …

My Heart, Mina Bhatnagar

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

A poem expressing a daughter’s love for her father through their shared passions for cardiology and medicine.

Visual Representation Of Cultural And Collegial Collaboration, Afsah Ali Hussain

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Our colleagues are those on whom we not only rely to help us with patient care and advocacy but also to establish a meaningful and collaborative relationship. The connection between comrades of different departments and specialties facilitates a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in treating a variety of maladies, and we quickly find ourselves ardently discussing our own life struggles, achievements, woes, and joys with those whom we once considered strangers, which only demonstrates the steadfastness of our professional and collegial relationships. However, for a holistic approach to the discipline of healing, the interconnectedness of other subdisciplines needs to …

F-1, John H. Washington Iv

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This photograph was taken in 2016 in rural South Texas as a part of a series called Americana, which explores the idea of rural America and its values in spite of a narrative that paints rural regions as bleak and desolate. The owner of this truck pointed it out as an example of reliability, pride, and perseverance—all attributes that were apparent in his community.

Building Hca Bridges, Lorraine Fugazzi

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

On June 28, 2021, the incoming residents reported for their first day of orientation at HCA Florida Westside Hospital (HFWH). This GME program is a joint venture and requires the same level of commitment from HCA Florida Northwest Hospital (HFNWH). As a new employee, I was immediately impressed with the residents, leadership, and staff. Everyone was relaxed, excited, attentive, and cooperative. I met people from all over the world, from different religions, and of different sexual orientations. The following day the same group of residents attended orientation at HFNWH and the leadership and staff were equally impressive. I went home …

Tattoos In Medicine, Marcus Ibrahim

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

I am a second-year family medicine resident with a rather large arm-sleeve tattoo. As you can probably deduce by reading the title of this editorial, it will focus on how tattoos in healthcare may be perceived by others. My goal is to illustrate some of my perspectives, opinions, and experiences regarding making my tattoos visible in the clinical setting.

Chrysalis, Nafisa Choudhury

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This poem explores the experience of being an Asian American care provider and civilian, growing up and trying to mesh together culture with “fitting in” and suffering racism from other individuals and patients. It was inspired by the March 16, 2022, shootings in Atlanta and discusses the origin of hatred and racism/xenophobia. What I hope this conveys is a glimpse into the shared perspectives of many Asian American and Pacific Islanders and describes the optimism moving forward as we begin to tackle these issues.

The Lake, Ashton L. Stahl

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Shuffling along on an early fall morning in Germany, I looked out onto this lake and felt a sense of peace. The rolling fog weaved through the trees, caressing the floating vessels and kissing the calm water. The sight eased my soul in those early hours. I smiled as I bade farewell to a place I had only yet begun to know, hoping one day to return to that quiet shore.

Golden Hour, Christoffer A. Amdahl

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Art is a vital part of the human experience. We spend so much time completely immersed in the biological sciences in medicine, which explain how we mechanically operate, looking at various neurological theories and various pharmacological therapies. However, there is not a discrete science that allows for the shared perceptions of emotions as much as the arts. A painting can immerse the viewer in a myriad of different feelings from the artist in a way that language and numbers simply cannot comprehend. The arts are not only important, they are a necessary component of being human that allows us to …

A Vista Of Kahana Bay, Haryashpal Bhullar

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This is a picture of Kahana Bay in Honolulu, HI I took when I was visiting my friend stationed at Tripler Army Medical Center last year. Like me, he is a Psychiatry resident and I had not seen him in over a year, so meeting him was quite meaningful to me as we had so much more to talk about. Having this vista behind us while we climbed and shared stories made for one of the best hikes of my life. I often look at this photo and realize the freedom we had to fly to all sorts of beautiful …

Building Fly Boys—Replica Of A 1939 Barrelback Wooden Runabout, Michael G. Flynn

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Attention to detail, persistence, and striving for perfection...but never quite achieving it. These are attributes I put into my career as a researcher and are remarkably similar to the skills I apply to boat building. What you see pictured are thousands of imperfections that, I humbly assert, coalesce into something extraordinarily beautiful.

Corona, Syed Anjum Khan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

We all are witnessing unprecedented pain and suffering, enduring unsurpassed tribulations. As a doctor working in an intensive care unit each day, I carry the burden of my patients and their families, my coworkers, my own family and friends. I never think about myself, the burden on my soul.

Yet I believe there will be a better tomorrow. A new day, where COVID times will be remembered with tears in our eyes yet a comfort in our smile that it’s past.

Cachexia, Following Flowers, Sinéad O'Bryant

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This poem explores a similar experience I once encountered working with an oncologist, as a patient learns about the recurrence of cancer after being in remission. The situation struck me as I felt the stir of human sadness and courage, and I would like to dedicate the poem to those living with cancer, who face the trepidation of their daily lives with bravery. What I hope this writing demonstrates is the depth and complexity of emotions felt by both patients and their physicians in times of bad news and expresses the beauty that underlies a strong and genuine patient-physician relationship.

A Moment Of Peace: An Artistic Representation Of The Influence Of Healthcare On Social Disruption, Nafisa Choudhury

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

This original pen-and-ink artwork features a lily on the water symbolizing peace. As war, distrust, chaos and coups wreak havoc throughout many developing nations, healthcare workers and public health officials should be encouraged that we do in fact have a part to play in managing the human health affected by the disruption. Health work can provide a zone of comfort, spread solidarity and understanding, and manage the human toll of war. Healthcare workers have major roles in peace-keeping efforts as a result of these determinations and their impact on peace should be acknowledged and lauded. We hope that as we …

Movement In Stillness, Shalini Chaliki

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

These images feature the Lower Antelope Canyon which was originally called Hasdestwazi, a Navajo word that means “spiral rock arches.” After hundreds of years, monsoons, winds, and flash floods eroded the slot canyon into the geological wonder that it is today. It enchants tourists and engulfs visitors as it flows around them in every direction. Just east of Page, Arizona, the massive sandstone formation is sacred to the Navajo Nation for its representation of Mother Nature’s many gifts and the passage to time; it is also a reminder that things are larger and greater than ones’ self. While these photos …

We’Re All On This Spaceship Earth, Nancy Si

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

The photo features the geodesic sphere at Epcot, Disney World in Orlando, FL. Inside the dome, there was an iconic ride called “Spaceship Earth”, which has since been shut down for refurbishment. This photo was taken November 2019, approximately 6 months before it was shut down. Much like how the ride emphasized the progress that human civilization has made in the last several hundred years and hopes to make in years to come, the current pandemic has shown us how far we have come in the medicine and other STEM fields. We hope only to do better and be better …

Still Learning: Covid Through The Eyes Of A Medical Student, Alexis Strahan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

As a first-year medical student when the COVID-19 pandemic found a foothold, I felt an overwhelming amount of emotions that accompanied the pandemic’s spread. Fear, although a reasonable choice, was not the first emotion that I experienced. In fact, it was a general feeling of paralysis. I had not six months prior taken an oath to commit my career and life to the service of the public’s health care needs, yet I could provide little more than the textbook knowledge of biochemistry or genetics from my first semester of learning. My hands felt unarmed and unskilled for the fight. What …

Covid-19 With Congruent Affect, Mitchell Thomas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Music is a vehicle of capturing an individual’s experiences: a new beginning, a broken heart, complete joy, and even catharsis. Before deciding to embark on my path in medicine, music was my interest. Creating music is my therapeutic method of relieving stress, providing a productive outlet when coping with my stressors, and allowing me to focus on becoming a better student doctor. It has carried me through tough times and continues to do so. This instrumental song I wrote represents how I felt as a second-year medical student going through the COVID-19 pandemic; from being isolated in a state away …

Nicaraguan Homeowner Showing Gratitude For Concrete Flooring As Part Of A Public Health Mission Trip, Breonna Kinnison

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

I’m Bree Kinnison, a fourth-year medical student and aspiring psychiatrist. When I’m not studying, I enjoy painting using acrylics. This painting depicts a very fond memory of mine. After completing the medical portion of our mission trip in Nicaragua, we began our public health portion. Along with fellow students, I laid concrete flooring in this woman’s house. For all 76 years of her life, she had never experienced anything other than a dirt floor in her home. Traditional dirt flooring in Nicaraguan homes is responsible for many preventable illnesses. When shown the final product, she reached out and hugged the …