Please Stop Saying Thank You
You are so soft / in voice and touch, / gliding through / the mines that are set in
Clinical
Resident Physician Contributing Writer
University of Washington School of Medicine
Bridget McNulty is an intern with the internal medicine residency program at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Her main interest lies in the intersection between medicine and psychiatry. She's been writing poetry and short works of fiction since her angsty teenage years. She enjoys karaoke, horror movies and doing stand up comedy on random weekday nights.
Flying
I have always wanted to fly / but they wouldn’t let me / until I signed a contract / built on blood and tears
Croquet in the Tall Grass
The grass grows tall outside my uncle’s home — he only cuts it when we play croquet. He blazes a crisscrossing trail through the sea of weeds to form a maze-like playing field. We push the white wickets into the earth, grab the mallets, and drop the balls to the ground.
The Patients That Deserve the Most Act the Least Entitled
“How are you doing this morning, Mr. Tracy? Sorry we’re running late. You’ve been waiting an hour.”
9/31, Code Status: Full
I’m supposed to be able to explain this. / The details to paint a picture. / But it’s too much, and I don’t want to relive it.
Siloed Departments, Yet Grain From the Same Field
Early in intern year, I reached out to residents in other departments who were part of my patients’ care in the hospital. In an effort to redirect my thought patterns, I asked them how and what drives their interaction styles and their medical decisions.
Survey Says: A Resident Physician Surveys Women in Medicine
I wanted to know how other females in medicine felt on the subject of misogyny in medicine. I compiled a survey with 10 questions and space for comments. I used SurveyMonkey to create it, shared it publicly across social media, and trusted that only those who identified as female would complete it. The results are as follows.
GI Janes: Women in Medicine
We offer unique perspectives from three women at different levels of their gastroenterology careers.
Perspectives of Women in Orthopaedic Surgery on Leadership Development
Over the past 50 years, the demographics of medical school graduates in the United States has changed dramatically with the number of women (47%) almost equaling the number of men in 2014. However, the Association of American Medical Colleges reports that out of all the sub-specialties, orthopaedic surgery has the lowest proportion of female residents, instructors, assistant, associate, and full professors.
From Transphobia to Charlottesville: The Health Impact of the Tweeter-in-Chief
On July 26, President Donald Trump released another polemic tweet informing the public that “the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US military,” citing the “tremendous medical costs” that transgender individuals pose to the health system.
Lessons in Medicine, From the Car Dealership
I distinctly remember my drive to the hospital for the first shift of my residency five years ago. It was a night shift, a fact that only added to my trepidation. My brain bounced frantically back and forth among a random assortment of topics of which I lacked, I felt, sufficient knowledge, but which knowledge I felt sure I would imminently be called upon to use in a critical situation.
Rewriting
“And your socks, too,” I said / She stooped to reach her feet / And the liner of the exam table crinkled and popped
Resident Physician Contributing Writer
University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Michael is a psychiatry intern at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. He is interested in pursuing a fellowship in child psychiatry and a career in academic medicine. When not seeing patients, he enjoys cooking, writing, rock climbing, and playing with his three cats.
