Medical Humanities Commons^™

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 …

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.

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

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No abstract provided.

I Think I See It Now, Orestes Hadjistamoulou

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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 …

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.

Journaling: A Practical Approach, Taniszahera Momin

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No abstract provided.

Balance, Nafisa Choudhury

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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 …

Seesaws And Spheres, Samantha Sostorecz

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No abstract provided.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Balancing Medical School With Life, Katie Lamar

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

The Tight Rope Walk Of A Medical Student, Bhargavi Madhu

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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.

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.

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.

Balance, In All Things, Justin S. Straughan

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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.

The Current, Scott K. Heysell

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Demographics, Activities, And Environmental Factors Impact Burnout In A National Survey Of Emergency Medicine Residents, Nicole Battaglioli, Tim P. Moran, Simiao Li-Sauerwine

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Burnout in emergency medicine and in residency training has been well-described. The impact of demographic, individual, and programmatic factors on burnout have not previously been determined in a national survey of emergency medicine residents. This study aimed to identify personal and environmental factors impacting resident burnout in a national sample of emergency medicine residents.

Methods: A prospective Emergency Medicine Resident Wellness Survey was administered in 2017. We surveyed respondents on demographic, personal, and environmental factors; each respondent also completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey. Linear regressions were used to identify variables associated with the Maslach Burnout …

The Complicated Path To Wellness, Jennifer Reese, Martin Huecker

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Wellness Review 2020, Part 2, Brian Ferguson, Martin Huecker

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article comprises Part 2 of the Journal of Wellness review of 2020 wellness literature (July – December). In this review, JWellness editors continue the goal of offering a cohesive summary of recent publications within the wellness domain. We summarize new science and resilience initiatives published outside of JWellness that seek understanding of either burnout and its prevention or thriving in the medical community.

Methods: From the interval of 01 July – 31 Dec 2020, PubMed was queried for empirical research studies, review articles, and editorials in accordance with the following algorithm: an article was required to …

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 …

The Crossroads Of Wellness And Second Victim Syndrome: Identifying Factors That Alter The Pathway Of Caregiver Recovery Following An Unanticipated Adverse Patient Outcome, Kimia Zarabian, A. Katharine Hindle, Ivy Benjenk, Anita Vincent, Jamil M. Kazma, Benjamin Shambon, Raymond Pla, Eric Heinz

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Second Victim Syndrome (SVS) describes the phenomenon in which a caregiver experiences a traumatic psychological and emotional response to an adverse patient event or medical error. Using quantitative survey analysis, we aim to better understand the personal factors that affect SVS development and recovery.

Methods: Caregivers at a small urban academic medical center who had experienced an adverse patient event in the past six months were invited to take part in this institution-wide, voluntary, quantitative, cross-sectional study. Three surveys were administered; the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory (HRLSI) was used as a surrogate to measure stressful life events. The …

Celebration Of A Milestone, Komal M. Patel

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A first-year osteopathic medical student, Harsh Patel, has dreamed of starting medical school for as long as he can remember. This is a photo of him at his White Coat ceremony at NSU.

Volume 4, Nova Southeastern University

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No abstract provided.

From Dean Elaine Wallace, Elaine M. Wallace

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No abstract provided.

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

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No abstract provided.

Girl On Piano Keys, Bhargavi Madhu

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Celebration is the loudest and greatest form of expressing honor and appreciation. The best way to show love and appreciation for life is through celebration! Girl on the Piano Keys was a painting I gifted to a friend on her birthday. She spent that day at a hospital recovering from an episode of sickle cell anemia. Despite the suffering she was undergoing due to the disease, she would always treat everyday like it was her birthday.

A Celebration Of Progress, Reena Patel

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No abstract provided.

Finding Will In Despair, Dhruti Hirani

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This essay is about the author's emotional journey as she discovered what celebration means to her.