The Honor Walk
One life ended, three were saved, and countless others were forever changed.
Slide on a surgical mask and slip into some scrubs as third-year PNWU medical student Anne Keeling takes us on a journey into the operating room for what quickly became one of the most impactful experiences of her young career — procuring the organs of a donor.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 120,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for a lifesaving organ, and sadly, more than 21 people die each day waiting for a transplant.
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What Happens When You Forget?
When second-year PNWU student Mary Bradsky left home for medical school, she had no idea that it would be the last time her favorite person in the world would know her.
The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 5.8 million people have Alzheimer's disease in the United States. Tearing through the haziness that accompanies such a staggering statistic, Bradsky shares the story of her grandma’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, illustrating the devastating effects of the irreversible brain disease.
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Walking a Tight Rope in a White Coat: What a Year of Medical School Taught Me About Balance
As a husband and a father of two, PNWU second-year student Ashton Dyck is often asked: “How do you balance medical school and family time?”
In his PNWU Health Blog debut, Ashton reflects on his first-year experience, offering insight into one of the most challenging components of the medical student experience: embracing and maintaining a balance between life and medical school.
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I Held Our Whole World In My Hands
“I held a brain in my hands today,” muses second-year medical student Annika LaVoie, diving right into her first appearance on the PNWU Health Blog.
Join LaVoie for a journey through the mind — and the mind of someone holding “the mind” — and see how one osteopathic medical students’ insatiable curiosity and boundless excitement is leaving us all in good hands.
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Strength In Vulnerability: How a Terminal Diagnosis Defined My Medical Pursuit
How do you stay positive when you know someone’s cancer is terminal? For PNWU medical student Polly Wiltz, that question — and many more — became a defining factor in her quest to become an osteopathic physician.
In one of our most soul-stirring blogs to date, Wiltz examines the loss of her beloved uncle and, in the process, redefines resiliency by revealing the power of vulnerability.
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Learning to be Okay with Asking
In her first appearance on the health blog, medical student Cassidy Johnston examines her experience at Sundown Ranch, a drug and alcohol treatment center just a short drive from our campus, and offers insight into the importance of asking the right questions — even if they’re difficult to ask.
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10 Tips To Help You Nail Your Surgical Rotation
As PNWU second-year medical student Aubrey Euteneuer scrubbed in for her first case as a surgical first assistant, a lifetime of dreams seemed to be coming true. With that, however, came a lifetime’s-worth of anxiety.
Reflecting on her experiences, Euteneuer offers 10 pieces of advice to medical students preparing to enter into their surgical rotations.
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More Than Skin Deep
The word “dermatologist” is often associated with Botox injections and superficial beauty treatments. As a medical assistant in a dermatologist’s office, second-year medical student Jenna Seeley quickly saw beyond that common misconception, coming face-to-face with the social stigmas associated with skin disorders.
In her first appearance on the PNWU Health Blog, Seeley takes readers on a journey through the experiences of three patients whose lives were dramatically shaped by their skin disorders, illustrating why dermatology is so much more than a skin-deep branch of medicine.
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A Brush with Death: My Introduction to Steven-Johnson Syndrome
Second-year PNWU medical student Jorge Parra still vividly recalls the moment he was introduced to Steven-Johnson Syndrome. Frantically rushed out of his high school by his mother, he quickly found himself alongside his family, absorbed in the horrific mystery of the rare disorder that threatened to take the life of his sister.
New on the PNWU Health Blog, Parra reflects on those distressing moments, and educates readers on a skin disorder that affects 1 to 2 million people each year.
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The Sweetest Reward: Life as a Father in Medical School
Five years ago, a single phone call changed PNWU medical student Christopher Walker’s life forever: he was going to be a dad.
As he prepares to enter into his second year of osteopathic training, Walker — now a proud father of two — reflects on the moments that surrounded that momentous call, and offers insight into the challenges and rewards of life as a father in medical school.
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