Improve Life Intern,

Amy Wen

“Illness in doctors: a source of expertise, not a sign of weakness,” written by Erene Stergiopoulos, is a personal piece about being both a medical student and a cancer patient at the same time. She is able to understand what it truly means for doctors to ask their patients to put their health first, and is a better doctor for being able to understand both sides of the doctor patient relationship. Her article breaks the public belief that doctors have to be “superhuman” robots and that illness is a sign of weakness and inability to keep up. She humanizes doctors and demonstrates that sickness cannot be avoided in order to urge medical students and doctors to seek help when they need it and not hide it simply to put on a strong façade for their patients. This article showed me that it is not the end of the world to show flaws and that people should make the best out of them and use it to their advantage. Working while being ill simply makes doctors stronger.

Faye Reiff-Pasarew, in her article “I’m a young, female doctor. Calling me ‘sweetie’ won’t help me save your life,” published in The Washington Post, discusses the view of women in the health profession. Women are often not considered “real doctors,” and instead automatically assumed to be nurses. Some patients do not take women doctors seriously as they reject their help or advice, while asking for a male health professional to treat them instead. This article is a wake-up call to all these patients to demonstrate that all doctors have the same skill set and goal: to treat their patients. As a woman interested in the health profession, this article is extremely empowering and encouraging for it shows that all women doctors should not be treated any differently and should be respected just as much as men.

“Bronx Hospital Shooting: What We Know and What We Don’t Know,” an article written by Sarah Maslin Nir, reveals details about the recent shooting at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center on June 30th, 2017. Dr. Henry Bello had arrived at work with a rifle hidden under his hospital coat, fatally shot a female doctor in the chest, wounded 5 others, and then lit himself on fire before shooting himself. His medical license had expired back in 2016 and he had a criminal record for sexual harassment. This situation calls to attention the lack of security in hospitals for a rifle was allowed. Furthermore, this shows that the hiring process for doctors must be reviewed and adjusted to be more detailed for a criminal with an expired medical license was hired. Overall, this article demonstrates to the public that the health system must be more secure and updated.

Art by Amy Wen

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Amy Wen

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