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.
“Did I need to bring a lunch? Should I grab my pocket notebook? Can I look up information on your phone?”
In her first appearance on the blog, Justine Lawson provides eye-opening insight into life as a medical student on rotation. From seemingly-insignificant worries to mind-altering revelations, Lawson’s narrative journey is an astute and engaging peek into the roller coaster ride that defines the third-year of medical school.
Read MoreAs a new medical student, Cassidy Johnston felt incompetent in a sea of 144 of her supposed peers. They all seemed so different — so smart, so prepared. They all seemed to have experience in the healthcare field; she had experience as a waitress.
Now in her second year at PNWU, Johnston reflects on those days of self-doubt, illustrates how she found her place as a future physician, and encourages her fellow medical students to reach out if they’re ever feeling overwhelmed or out of place.
Read MorePNWU medical student Darrel Phong was elated to learn that one of his third-year medical school rotations would take place in the very emergency department that had inspired his love for emergency medicine. Years earlier he’d occupied the space as a scribe. Now, standing in the space that had played such a massive role in carving out his life’s path, he could almost feel the the memories of the life-altering environment evolving around him.
In his first appearance on the PNWU Health Blog, Phong describes how his rotation experience served to reinvigorate his passion for emergency medicine and repave his path toward becoming a compassionate future-physician.
Read MoreAfter completing her first semester of medical school, PNWU’s Kristen Gavin sat in awe, reflecting on all that she had already managed to learn. As a new semester rapidly approached, she found herself wondering how much more she was capable of learning. When will it get easier, she thought.
Now a second-year student, Gavin uses her first Health Blog appearance to answer that question for her former self: It doesn’t get easier, she insists, we just get better.
Read MoreBefore starting medical school, Hannah Sodergren found herself on the receiving end of one piece of seemingly agreed-upon advise: develop good habits.
Already an avid weight lifter, Sodergren seemed to be in a perfect position to make the most of that advise and roll right into the new adventure. Soon, however, she found herself overwhelmed with the conflicting demands of school and life. Now a second-year osteopathic medical student, Sodergren uses her first blog appearance to offer her own advice: in order to develop good habits, you must also develop a balance.
Read MoreIf the advice in second-year medical student Phil Hasenbalg’s PNWU Health Blog debut seems undeniably sound, credit should go to not only him, but to his wife — who is also a PNWU medical student.
A former Master of Medical Sciences (MAMS) student at Heritage University, Hasenbalg spent a year watching his wife live out their shared dream of attending osteopathic medical school. Now having transitioning into the role of medical student himself, Hasenbalg uses his rare perspective to offer insight and advice into overcoming the relationship challenges that accompany the intense undertaking of medical school.
Read MoreThroughout her first year of medical school, PNWU’s Ciara Gorman tried countless things to get into an academic groove. In the midst of discovering that “school groove,” however, she lost sight of the things she needed outside of school.
In her first appearance on the PNWU Health Blog, Gorman discusses how defining her non-negotiables has helped her to achieve balance in a time shaped by momentous challenges and constant change.
Read MoreIn the midst of one of the year’s most challenging academic stretches, Catherine Le’s blog provides insight into how the second-year PNWU medical student learned to overcome the immense stresses of medical school and maintain focus on her own mental health.
Read MoreOn the heels of Giving Tuesday, second-year PNWU medical student Travis Nash illustrates the power of giving to others, especially in times of personal stress.
In illustrating his own experiences, Nash paints a picture of how the struggles of life -- especially during medical school -- will help him to become a better physician, and can help us all to become better people.
Read MoreAs a medical scribe, Kathleen Lucier overheard a conversation between two male colleagues that made her question her place in the medical field.
Now a second-year medical student, Lucier reflects on those early impressions of the medical field, examining the playing field for women in medicine and explaining why we still have a long way to go.
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