The PNWU Health Blog offers insight and first-hand accounts of life here at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
It includes contributions from current and former PNWU medical students, physicians and various members of an ever-expanding community aimed at highlighting care for the rural and underserved. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or ideas, or if you’d like to pitch a blog idea of your own, please contact us at publicity@pnwu.edu.
I had just graduated from Gonzaga University and was working in neurosurgical research in Seattle when a life-changing opportunity arose.
Joined by a team of amazing medical providers, I was given the opportunity to help provide care for hundreds of children in Morales, Guatemala through a local Washington organization, Healing the Children.
Read MoreWho are our future physicians?
Are they poor or wealthy? What are their home communities like?
For many medical school hopefuls, socioeconomic status can be a determining factor when deciding to apply. From college onward, the preparation for medical school is time-consuming and expensive. From classes to MCAT preparation, the path to medical school takes its toll on students financially and emotionally.
Read MoreEncompassing and profound was the observation that I made that day, which will certainly persist well beyond my training. This observation in one word, is respect.
As I walked to the stage and stated my name during my White Coat Ceremony, I felt respect for myself. For as long as I can recall, my parents had taught me to have this respect and to live my life making choices that reflected it.
Read MoreDoes the phrase “I’ll do it tomorrow” ring a bell? How about “there’s not enough time now, I might as well not start”?
Don’t feel bad if you’re nodding along right now. You’re not alone, fellow procrastinator. In all honestly, I say phrases just like those on a daily basis.
They never seem to be in relation to playing basketball or hanging out with friends. I can’t recall a time when they surfaced during an internal debate over watching television or browsing social media. Instead, they only seem to surface when I have work to do.
Read MoreI felt so safe sitting back and watching everyone else write things for the PNWU blog. I could rest comfortably knowing that each piece published represented a unique perspective from a trusted member of our community. Their stories were great, and I didn’t feel I had much to add to the storytelling that was occurring. That was until now.
I feel I must share a recent experience, not only because I feel it is blog worthy, but because it had a profound impact on me.
Read MoreMedical school is hard.
It’s physically and mentally demanding and, as a medical student, it’s hard to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Through my experiences with medical school, however, I’ve learned an invaluable lesson: there is life outside of the book pages and lecture notes that fill our minds.
Read MoreFew people are lucky enough to be completely vulnerable.
I bet you reread that sentence. Don’t feel bad; before I became a medical school student, I would have had the same confused expression on my face as you likely do right now.
As a society, we associate the word “vulnerable” with weakness, helplessness, and inadequacy. Most of us put on a façade of absolute strength every day. We hide our insecurities, struggles and stresses to a certain degree. Why?
Read MoreThe Mariners win! The Mariners win!
Oh how I wish we could say that... At least we had fun!
Read MoreI’ve been struggling a lot recently with keeping track of who I am.
This might sound dramatic - it’s not. Becoming a medical student has created the challenge of maintaining a sense of “me” like nothing I’ve ever experience before.
On top of my academics, I’ve become swept up in the excitement of being involved in a myriad of clubs, volunteering, research, and student government activities. While all of this has been incredibly rewarding. I seem to keep running into the same question at the end of my busy day: how do I stay Sarah?
Read MoreI am wasting the time of the emergency room staff. Please stop me.
This is not the blog post I intended to write. Instead, I intended to write about the how emergency rooms should be used for LIFE THREATENING emergencies only.
I wanted to talk to you about the sniffles of children, the coughs and wheezes of heavy smokers and the ever-urgent complaint of “I need a refill” that echo in emergency rooms across the country.
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