The Children Are Worth It
In the 3rd grade I made a declaration,
regarding my future occupation —
I would one day be a physician,
specifically, a pediatrician!
Tag: Art in Medicine
Contributing Writer
University of Florida
Melissa went to medical school at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. She is currently a PGY-1 at the University of Florida Pediatrics Residency Program. She is not quite sure where she will end up after residency but has thought a lot about pursuing fellowship training in infectious disease. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys going to local parks and farmer’s markets with her husband and baby. She also enjoys reading sci-fi, writing letters to her awesome pen pal (her 8-year-old nephew), and Facetiming friends and family.
For Whom We Cry
For the baby who’s been battered and bruised / and for the adolescent already multiple times abused.
The Room in the Corner
Still lungs. / Silent heart. / Time of death: 2:40.
Milestones
Wrinkly face and wonky head; I support your wobbly neck. No matter the emotion, you respond with a cry.
A Tale of Two Worlds
It was the most joyful of times. It was the most horrific of times. A week before my first child was born,
an act of terror occurred on the other side of the world.
Well Child Visit
Hello, come in, / and welcome to peds clinic! / My attention is on you / for the next 20 minutes.
Yearning for Better Opportunities at Home
Home became a dark / place, and I miss the feeling / of warmth on my face
The Life of a Medical Student: A Photo Essay
During my medical school journey at the University of Maryland, I created this photography series as an introspective representation of my experiences and to portray some of the unseen challenges and realities of medical training that, for example, are not seen on “medfluencer’s” pages — some feelings, experiences, and stories I wish I would have known prior to embarking on this career path.
Levity
At the turn of every corner / I will be found out / You will see / The fraud in me
The Newborn Perspective
Don’t you forget the first day of life, / You had turned upside down / And a tight slap upon your backside / Even to get you to breathe!
Along the Road: A Perspective on Medical Training in a Pandemic
It feels odd to have family members in the hospital regularly again. My patient’s wife approaches cautiously; for a second I pretend not to see her. She looks like she wants to talk and I’m afraid she wants good news I can’t give, promises I can’t make, and time I don’t feel like I have. She wants time to tell me her loved one’s stories.
Stargazer
Graduation gown: shiny, matching cap / She looks up / With aspirations
Resident Physician Contributing Writer
Cleveland Clinic Children's
Alex is a resident in child neurology at the Cleveland Clinic. She received her Bachelor’s in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh and her medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is a reader of science fiction, a drinker of bourbon, a neuroanatomy nerd and a dog mom, in no particular order.