During my time with hospice, I was able to learn a lot about what it truly means to die a happy death. I enjoyed the enlightenment on this topic and its importance in applying it to my own life. Along the way I have gained a variety of lessons that I wish to implement in … Continue reading “The Value of Life and Death”
School: Swarthmore
A new understanding of biomedicine
The notion that death and old age are beyond our control, and that sometimes we need to let go sounds archaic– Of course, it does. We live in a world that is highly technocentric, and the thought that “we are all going to age and die one day” has lost its value. This value loss … Continue reading “A new understanding of biomedicine”
A new side of medicine
When I first learned about Hospice and what it entailed, I experienced a range of emotions. At first, it was something I very much was interested in doing, until others started to refer to the emotional burden it would entail. That was when my interest turned into apprehension, especially as those around me casted doubt … Continue reading “A new side of medicine”
The Importance of Hospice Care Experience for Pre-Meds
In the past, I have spent countless hours volunteering in the hospital and working as a medical scribe. I would constantly be surrounded by patients, but have never been able to truly connect with any of these individuals. I would only see them once or twice before they would be discharged. Therefore, when I saw … Continue reading “The Importance of Hospice Care Experience for Pre-Meds”
Putting my voice into it: lessons from 2022
The first solo visit I had with Hannah*, I couldn’t get a word in. Literally. It was a Saturday morning and, after some confused wandering through the facility’s winding halls, I arrived at the open door of my patient. She was napping, or at least I thought she had been when I arrived. As is … Continue reading “Putting my voice into it: lessons from 2022”
Reflecting on Passage
Over the past 6 months, I have experienced an entirely new side of medicine and healthcare. Through the connections I formed with my hospice patient, as well as group discussions and reflections throughout this period, I have gained invaluable experience and insight that has allowed me to develop my professional and personal skills. Moreover, my … Continue reading “Reflecting on Passage”
Changing My Perspective
Before I started my journey as a hospice volunteer, I was already set on the idea of medical school. I wanted to learn how people’s bodies worked, how disease affected them, and how I could save them. In a way, I guess you could say that I had a bit of a savior complex, as … Continue reading “Changing My Perspective”
With Compassion Comes Empathy
Volunteering for hospice during the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted several realizations about American healthcare as a system and myself as an individual. Initially, I wanted to interact with patients due to a shadowing experience in oncology and hematology. The physician leading the cases for that day spent time with the patients, not only going over … Continue reading “With Compassion Comes Empathy”
How I’ve Grown
While I have not had the experience of interacting with any Hospice patients yet, I know that I’ve learned a lot just from replying to the prompts and completing the training. Prior to this year, I never gave much thought to dying and the moments leading up to it, but now, I’m aware. I’m aware … Continue reading “How I’ve Grown”
Lessons that I learned from the program
The journey to medicine is often misleading. Medical schools recruit based on grades, research experience, and MCAT scores. This emphasis on scores and science more often than not makes pre-med students overlook other crucial aspects of medicine such as taking care of dying patients. As a premed student, I want to become a doctor and … Continue reading “Lessons that I learned from the program”