MINDFUL(L)

Jodie (c2020) writes an exceptional poem/creative piece reflecting on her time sitting in on a group mindfulness session facilitated by a therapist; during her recent Psychiatry rotation.

RPP Adaptation – MF1

During the year that I worked, I had a few days off here and there due to the structure of my contract. I volunteered at a hospital, with the knowledge that I won’t be able to spend as much unfettered time with patients as a medical student, and eventually, as a physician. There is one […]

A Match

“Please be aware that most stem cell donors and patients never meet.” The Guide for Potential Unrelated Donors, OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. Canadian Blood Services. There’s a message on the machine when I get home from work. A red and flashing number 1. A rainy Thursday in May. I slide the […]

Dr.

He called me “Dr.” — I am no doctor. Did he not hear me introduce myself as just a medical student? I open his chart full of tabs and labels — but to me it is an angry mess of half-filled forms. Drowning under drug names, I barely have the sense to register that his […]

Comfort Measures

From the moment we are born, We are dying— But it doesn’t seem to matter Until someone gives us a reason to doubt We will wake up tomorrow. Then we are afraid to fall asleep, Every blink feels like a kiss of lidocaine (2%, with fear) Are we still breathing? (For how long?) In that […]

On Dying

A university student takes a picture in front of the fall foliage with a peace sign and a gleeful smile during his weekend hike Depending on what colour the leaves are, if they’re on the trees or on the ground how long they’ve been there His picture speaks of the dying process […]

Order

What is it about a messy house What is it about skipping the gym for one day What is it about not talking to him at the time of night you usually talk to him What is it about missing lunch yesterday What is it about not showering in the morning What is it about […]

Once More

It drips down my throat Warm Familiar Unbroken Drops of Ambrosia It is my answer Drowning Smudging Washed-out Grey days It holds me Gently Sinking Quietly My last refuge I wake Bright lights Sharp corners Scattered glass I trudge Back To the real Living Rhythm I insist This Will be the day I breathe But […]

Never Take Them for Granted

Anatomy is a cornerstone of medical education. As such, thousands of medical students have passed through anatomy labs over the past decades and centuries. During my second week of medical school, I had the privilege of stepping into the anatomy lab for the first time. Saying that I was overwhelmed, would be an understatement. My mind […]

What is Wrong with Me?

What is wrong with me? I wake up and I am more tired than the day before. I can feel my body getting thinner and weaker and I don’t know why. I start getting confused sometimes and I can see it is tough on my family. What is wrong with me? I came to the […]