Cinnamon, Sugar, and Saline

Immersed in the mouth-watering wonders of sprinkles and confectioners sugar since she was a little girl, PNWU OMS II Anastasia Bernhard offers readers an escape into the gentle hum of her KitchenAid mixer, and explains how she finds peace at the bottom of the mixing bowl.

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Anastasia Bernhard
Decreasing Stress, Increasing Production: How I Found Time in Med School to Make My Health a Priority

As the demands of medical school mounted, PNWU student Hanna Mackie couldn’t seem to find time for anything but school. Frustrated and overwhelmed, she wished there were more minutes in the day. Soon, however, she realized that more time wasn’t the solution. Instead, what she needed was a break.

Now in her second year, Hanna shares her secrets for achieving balance and finding happiness as a busy medical student.

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Hanna Mackie
Growing Awareness: PNWU Movember

As the calendar rolled into November, a collection of PNWU students and staff members put down their razors to raise awareness in rather unusual way.

PNWU Marketing Coordinator Paul Bubluski visits with Movember participants to learn more about their month-long commitment to facial hair and, more importantly, their passion for men’s health awareness.

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Paul Bubluski
No Bones About It: Why I Decided to Become a Bone Marrow Donor

As he passed through the halls of Pacific Northwest University, a sign for bone marrow donations caught the eye of second-year osteopathic medical student John Rosasco. The process seemed simple enough, and after a cheek swab and a couple of minutes worth of paper work, he was on the list and on his way.

A few months later, when he received a call explaining that he was a match for a 62-year-old leukemia patient, that simple step of signing up became a monumental moment in Rosasco’s medical education.

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John Rosasco
Little Lady Edith and Katrina Curled Into a Ball

Working as a nursing assistant, second-year student Richard Arroyo learned quickly that his job, above all of the duties that came along with it, was mainly to fulfill the needed role of ‘loved one’ for many of the patients he cared for.

“We try to maintain dignity as our bodies wither,” Arroyo explains. “I know that elderly patients need guidance through this transition. Perhaps more importantly they need the peace of mind of belonging.”

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Richard Arroyo
The Problem With The Black Robe

As a college student juggling his studies and a side-job, John Andrew’s schedule began to overwhelm him. When he got a job working from home, that hectic pace slowed, but so did he. Soon, wrapped in the comfort of a bath robe, he slipped into a cycle of stagnation that quickly spiraled into weight gain and bad habits.

In a blog perfectly timed for the calorie-dense holiday season, Andrew details his gradual decline into immobility, and explains how a return to an active life has ushered in a better life altogether.

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John Andrew
Boot Camp to Battle Ready: How The First Year Of Medical School Changed Me

Working as an EMT in Seattle, PNWU student A Chittenden was proud to tell her coworkers that she’d been accepted into medical school. When doctors started responding to to her excitement with “are you sure that’s what you want to do,” however, she began to worry. Soon, overwhelmed by the demands of her medical education, she began to panic, and even considered quitting all together.

Now in her second year, A reflects on the hardships that she experienced in her early days at PNWU, offering extraordinary insight into the overwhelming life of a medical student.

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A Chittenden
"I'm Sorry" - How Losing My Mother Shaped My Approach To Care

When second-year PNWU student Ryan Erdwins lost his mother during his sophomore year of college, a piece of his world was ripped away. From that loss, however, he learned one of the biggest lessons of his medical career. Read how one medical student is turning a heartbreaking experience into a gift that he can share with those he will one day treat.

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Ryan Erdwins
Who Are You?

What you enjoy, what rejuvenates you, and gives you life, is essential to who you are. As a future physician, PNWU second-year student and SGA Executive Vice President Josh Stanfield examines how we defines ourselves, and beautifully illustrates what can happen when we lose our purpose.

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Josh Stanfield
On Falling Out of Love

I’ve known that I want to be a doctor since I was four years old. However, the years in between that decision and now have taught me one thing over and over again: when confronted with the reality of a situation or experience you’d been anticipating all your life (like medical school or marriage), the reality is seldom what you expected.

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Charly Jensen