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.
In her first appearance on the PNWU Health Blog, second-year osteopathic medical student Magdelene May offers readers a glimpse into one of the most complex challenges facing healthcare workers: dealing with death.
“While we learn a lot in medical school, we do not learn that logic will not armor us against emotion.”
Read MoreOften overwhlemed by the many demands of life as a medical student, PNWU OMS II Rebecca Bolla found herself on the receiving end of one repeating piece of advice: just relax! Unfortunately for her, “relaxing” isn’t exactly her favorite pastime.
In a quest to discover some attainable stress-relieving strategies, Bolla describes how one off-beat conversation helped to uncover relief in routine.
Read MoreEntering into her in-patient rotations at a VA hospital in rural Oregon, PNWU OMS IV Kiana Vakil-Gilani was especially nervous. Despite it being her chosen specialty, fears of being typecast as an unreliable middle-eastern female medical student lingered in her mind.
On her first day, all of her fears came to life in one patient interaction.
Read MoreIn honor of the Gold Humanism Honor Society’s Solidarity Week For Compassionate Patient Care, which aims to promote the importance of a strong bond between people who are patients and people who care for them, PNWU OMS IV Victoria Kent shares the story of a harrowing medical experience that reinforced her the importance of humanistic care, and taught her that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay.
Read MoreWalking out of his standardized patient encounter — which aimed to help him to practice and improve his clinical and conversational skills for an actual patient encounter — PNWU OMS II Jared Darlian felt great. Upon re-entering the room to receive what he was sure to be a great report, however, his mental celebration was abruptly cut short.
Now, as he continues on the path toward developing his care-giving skills , Darlian offers insight into what he’s learned since that early encounter, offering a rare glimpse into a medical students’ constant journey toward self-improvement and growth.
Read MoreFor much of her life, the R-word was just another careless expression. Then she met Caleb, a young man with special needs, and saw the devastating impact the three-syllable utterance could have.
In her first appearance on the PNWU Health Blog, PNWU Developmental Club President Sarah Tucker challenges readers to consider the power behind their vernacular, and offers a simple solution to help curb the perpetuation of the stigma behind developmental disabilities: just stop saying it.
Read MoreAfter taking some personal time to discover a balance between being goal-oriented and self-fulfilled, second-year PNWU osteopathic medical student Sarah Cain offers readers valuable advice on how to be complete.
“In ‘the end’ — which implies your end — all that will matter is that you felt meaningful to yourself.”
Read MoreSitting with his wife in Seattle Children’s Hospital, second-year PNWU student Ryan Ostler was faced with a decision that would forever shape his world. In one of our most touching blogs to date, Ostler explains how one of life’s most incomprehensible nightmares — and all of the interactions he experienced throughout the process — pushed him to become a medical student.
Read MoreAs if transitioning into life as an osteopathic medical student wasn’t enough, PNWU OMS II Boone Rhinehart also entered into the world of fatherhood in the summer before he started at PNWU. Reflecting on his journey, Rhinehart offers tips and insight into how he helped his newborn son reach a series of developmental milestones while maintaining his hectic medical school schedule.
Read MoreDespite her young age, PNWU OMS III Thida Myint is already well on her way towards accomplishing her life goal of visiting every continent. Now, with over 30 countries worth of stamps in her passport book, Myint shares some tips on exploring the world solo.
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