In this episode, I talk with Ani, a third year medical student from St. Louis interested in community engagement, tennis, and boba. We talk about his experience in medical school so far and the challenges of navigating a robust learning environment while also undergoing difficulties outside of the hospital - from a FOOSH (or a fall on an outstretched hand) to a car accident. We talk about how to deal with the stressful and sometimes amusing challenges that happen during clinical clerkship year. We share our experiences finding amazing support in the medical community while sharing similar struggles with mental health and the importance of taking breaks in medicine, whether sought out or forced upon you, and learning to discover what success means for you. 

In this episode, I talk with Samantha, a fourth-year medical student applying into family medicine. We talk about her initial interest in neurosurgery and her research on the deaths of patients with brain tumors. During medical school, she took a gap year to pursue research and a certificate in epidemiology and this time allowed her to reflect on her experiences throughout medical school and decide to choose a career in family medicine. She has had many incredible experiences in medical school including serving as editor in chief for the Michigan Journal of Medicine, being involved in ethics and working towards becoming a certified clinical ethicist. We talk about the challenges of medical school, dealing with competition and comparing yourself to others, and how to handle failure, rejection, and ultimately persevering in the face of difficulties. She offers the sage advice of approaching failure as an experience as opposed to one’s identity.

In this episode I speak with Jacqueline, a third year medical student about the experiences that brought her to medical school. She studied art history in undergrad and worked in the art world in New York before eventually deciding to pursue becoming a doctor. As a child she was diagnosed with ALL and we talk about this experience of being sick for herself and her family and the changes it wrought in her sense of identity and her physical body and how it sparked her interest in oncology. We talk about what it's like to care for a patient who reminds you of yourself or who shares a similar diagnosis/journey as you. Jacqueline offers a unique perspective of what it's like to experience illness and how it can change the trajectory of your life. 

In this episode I talk with Gabriella, a second year medical student, just starting her clinical clerkship year. We talk about her interest in mental health that began with her experience having a sibling with an eating disorder as a kid and that has continued through her own experience with mental illness. We talk about our shared experiences of having anxiety and panic disorders as medical students and dealing with mental health stigma in medical school and the field of medicine. She offers great advice on how to care for oneself mentally and how to extrapolate from your own experience to benefit and care for your patients. 

In this episode, I talk with Grace, a second-year medical student. She talks about her experiences shadowing prior to medical school that helped her realize her drive and passion for medicine. We talk about the take-aways and lessons learned during the first year of medical school and the excitement of starting her first clerkship on psychiatry. Grace has had opportunities in the past to work on curriculum development during undergrad and we talk about the importance of incorporating the perspective of the learner in developing medical school curricula. She also talks about her work in healthcare consulting prior to medical school and how this helped her better understand the physician perspective and clinical decision making. 

In this episode, I talk with Melis, a first-year medical student, about her experiences prior to medical school. We talk about her struggles during undergrad and her eventual diagnosis of ADHD which brought clarity to her understanding of herself. She notes the impact of our work and learning environments on our mental health and wellbeing and the importance of choosing and shaping environments that support us. Through misdiagnosis and lack of mental health resources, she describes the struggle of trying to receive a correct diagnosis of ADHD and receive the right medication for her. We talk about the benefits and costs of medical diagnosis and treatment and what its like to live with a chronic condition. We talk about the limitations of the culture of medicine and how to find happiness and fulfillment within a demanding career. 

In this episode, I talk with Kenzie, an amazing fourth-year medical student interested in integrative medicine, mindfulness, and psychology. We talk about her experiences that sparked her interest in holistic aspects of health and medicine and how her experiences in medical school shaped these interests and her passion in women’s health and OB/GYN. She has found ways to bridge holistic ways of healing into obstetric care through a research project bringing musical therapy to antepartum patients. We talk about the ways in which mindfulness can help one deal with and process the emotions of healthcare and being a medical provider. (Of note, Kenzie was my first interview that I recorded and therefore the audio unfortunately is not the best. I apologize but I hope you can still enjoy my wonderful interview with Kenzie!)

In this episode, I talk with Eman, a fourth-year medical student applying into internal medicine and one of my good friends from medical school. She talks about her experiences adjusting to the field of medicine, and her interests in critical care and medical ethics. We talk about the loss of her grandmother during medical school and the ways in which we as medical students are sometimes ill-prepared to deal with the murky territories of grief, death, and dying. 

In this episode, Blake, a first year medical student, tells me about his journey as a patient having a life-threatening and chronic condition as a child. He talks about what it's like to become a medical student at the same institution where he was hospitalized as a kid. He is a great example of how personal illness translate to more empathetic care for future patients. 

In this episode I talked with Sam Grewe, a second year medical student, about his journey to medical school. Sam was diagnosed with cancer of his leg as a child and we talk about his experience of being a patient and ultimately how he chose to have his leg amputated in order to become cancer free. He has since become a world-class athlete, competing on the U.S. Paralympic team - even traveling to Tokyo during his first year of medical school to compete. In this episode, Sam explores what it was like to be a patient at such a young age and how his experiences as a kid led him to medicine.