Creative Writing Commons^™

Balance, Nafisa Choudhury

be Still

As the COVID-19 pandemic grew into a frightening monster to be reckoned with, medical professionals throughout the world had to address a question within themselves: where does the balance lie between our duty to heal and our personal obligations for our individual health and safety?

As personal protective equipment shortages, long work hours, and hospital overflow wreaked havoc on the medical systems nationwide, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel were plunged into uncertainty and were almost wholly unsupported in this ethical dilemma. Our duty to treat and our obligation to treat the community around us does not often directly conflict …

Rhythm, Divy Mehra

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While clinical medicine is an intellectual creative art form, surgery is a performance art form. The composure, precision, grace, focus, and command needed to execute a procedure to perfection is not so different from that which is needed to execute a musical performance. The parallels are magical.

Seesaws And Spheres, Samantha Sostorecz

be Still

No abstract provided.

The Tight Rope Walk Of A Medical Student, Bhargavi Madhu

be Still

When I think of Balance, I thought of my life as a medical student. It is similar to a tight rope walk where we are walking the line of medical school, aspiring to become physicians while trying to balance school, a family life, hobbies and eventual work life. It is important to find the right balance in order to not face burn out, something that is seen all too often amongst medical professionals.

Teamwork In Medicine, Ananna Kazi

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This photograph demonstrates a group of medical students participating in a team building activity of stabilizing a balance board. A few of the students had their eyes closed while other helped them navigate their ways. This activity prompted the students to work as a team to complete the activity successfully and efficiently. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, this fun activity not only taught the students the importance of teamwork to have a balance at work, but also gave an opportunity to be emotionally balanced, away from work and studies.

Eustress, Becky Li

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Medical school proved to be one of the most challenging times for me to find balance. This past year in clinical rotations is when I especially found myself teetering to an higher degree of stress as I found myself overthinking and questioning my competence. Now having overcome the peak of this challenge, this composition serves as a snapshot and reflection of one of the most challenging but rewarding times.

Journaling: A Practical Approach, Taniszahera Momin

be Still

No abstract provided.

Balancing Medical School With Life, Katie Lamar

be Still

A poem about the trials of work life balance in medical school.

Balance And Baking, Idarabasi E. Akpan

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The piece is a personal perspective of how engaging in hobbies can help one find balance and peace. It is about discovering my love for baking and how baking has shaped my life as a person and a medical student. Baking puts me in a somewhat meditative state that grounds me and makes me feel connected to the world at large and to my needs in particular.

I Think I See It Now, Orestes Hadjistamoulou

be Still

Clean lines. Hot tea. Triangles. Am I missing anything? Be balanced! Do some yoga, make a checklist; you need balance right? Maybe, but no thanks, not right now.

Turning off some alarms. A bad movie with great friends. A long walk with no destination.....now we're talking. Balance is messy, it's what you need to feel whole again when life picks us apart.

Tug of war with my dog, Tennessee hot chicken sandwiches, I think I see it now--the balance that is.

So please, let's put on some loose pants and find reasons to laugh, and yes I suppose some yoga …

Restoring Balance, Daniel R. Villanueva Toby

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As a medical student who has received half of their education during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to portray the internal struggle of medical providers in trying to care for the sick and disabled. A great deal is expected of doctors in this day and age. That stress of expectations versus the innate desire to help others led me to write this poem.

The Asymmetrical Balance Of Medicine, Tabitha Xia-Zhu

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The Asymmetrical Balance of Medicine is a visual representation of my life as a medical student. Asymmetrical balance in art is defined as a design that has different visuals on each side, but each side holds equal visual weight (e.g. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh).

Although the journey to practicing medicine is a long-term commitment that requires many sacrifices, making time for my loved ones and hobbies has kept me grounded both in and out of school. This balance will continue to be important as a physician. I believe that a capable physician can integrate their academic knowledge …

Work The Heart, Train The Brain, Monica Sciturro, Jenna Knafo

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No abstract provided.

For We Sought Perfection In Their Divinity, Ligia Pinto

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Medical school is a tiring and arduous challenge that feels like it asks for more than one can give sometimes. And with this past year, the pandemic has left its mark on all. This poem is both a warning and a kind reminder, to myself and those who need it, that while we strive towards our "sun", we have to give ourselves time to breathe, time to rest.

Pulling Out Of Afghanistan, Suzanne Riskin

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This piece was written on a casual day at work when there was not any particular event happening. I realized how much of an impact a decision made so far away from home could have on my personal growth as a medical educator.

From Dean Elaine Wallace, Elaine M. Wallace

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No abstract provided.

Dr. Janet Roseman Halsband, Editor, Janet L. Roseman

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No abstract provided.

The Path To Balance, Snigdha Ila, Pallavi Velagapudi, Vishal Ila

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No abstract provided.

Balance, In All Things, Justin S. Straughan

be Still

This poem is a vent for the inherent frustration felt from trying to find a career in and bridge the transition between politics and medicine. It reflects a stubborn determination to not give in to critics' "never-enough-ism" while also trying to be open to improvement and not give in to pride nor cynicism.

Volume 5, Nova Southeastern University

be Still

No abstract provided.

A Balance Of Compassion: Fighting Inequality And Creating Access In Medicine, Ananna Kazi

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This article describes my passion for using compassion to fight inequality and creating access in medicine.

The Chimera: Multiple Selves, Conflicting Desires, And Fluctuating Power Relations In Qualitative Research, Su Jung Um

The Qualitative Report

In this article, I (re)constructed and (re)presented a dialogic inquiry among my chimeric selves engaged in a study which I conducted from 2013 to 2017 to examine teaching experiences of graduates from a social justice-oriented preservice program. I interrogated the roles of my different, disparate, and discontinuous selves in the research process – as a former teacher, a former instructor of my research participants, a researcher with particular academic and political opinions, and as a foreigner working toward a doctoral degree from/in a U.S. higher education institution. In this article, I demonstrated how my chimeric selves with conflicting desires and …

Invasive, Aysia Stephens

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

The Bride, Zack Jacob

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

Director's Note

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

Sunset Sail, Meme Sharp

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

Drowning Through The Beat Of The Drum, Breanna R. Brady

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

A Stop Along The Way, Ferran Rivas

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

In A Galaxy Far Away, Courtney K. Ma

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.

Balloon Artista, Angelica Zadak

Digressions: Literary & Art Journal

No abstract provided.