Consistently demonstrate compassion, respect, honesty, integrity, accountability, altruism, prudence, social justice, and commitment to excellence in all professional and personal responsibilities.
From the Page to the Bedside has been one of my favorite experiences during medical school. It is an extracurricular course, with the option to pursue an advanced competency, that focuses on the study of literary works that engage with issues of illness, treatment, and medical ethics. The group meets monthly to discuss a work chosen by the session leader, either OSUCOM faculty or medical students. There is a visual of a session below. I’ve always enjoyed reading, but I found that during undergrad the amount I read dramatically decreased. I expected to see the pattern continue during medical school and thought that participation in Page to Bedside would give me the motivation to read something other than a textbook and my notes from time to time. It ended up being that and so much more!
The discussions I’ve had with my peers during Page to Bedside have greatly impacted the type of physician, and person, I strive to be. They have made me think more critically about my own actions, my own biases, the lives of other people, different ways of viewing situations, and overall, just being more open to different views and arguments from all sides.
The first session I attended had a supplementary reading from Atul Gawande titled “The Way We Age Now.” (Full article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/30/the-way-we-age-now) A passage that really stood out to me I’ve placed below.
While at the time I was unsure of what specialty I wanted to pursue, it really made me consider and evaluate how I interacted with older patients. Was I asking them the right questions? How could I get a better sense of what their life is like? I should be asking them about their feet and what their social life is like. While it may take extra time, it can have a huge impact on their lives. I now consciously make a choice to take extra time with geriatric patients that I come in contact with. Is there any way we could make their life a bit easier by adjusting medications? These people have lived long, and sometimes very difficult lives, and they deserve to be treated with the utmost respect. We need to be caring for the whole person and not just treating their blood pressure.
Another session that greatly impacted how I approach my career and overall life is a session from the summer of 2020. It was led by Dr. Ray Bignall who chose Medical Apartheid for the discussion. I was somewhat aware of the unethical tortures and abuse of Black people at the hands of the medical community, but I didn’t know the full extent. As a future obstetrician and gynecologist, I was especially impacted by hearing about James Marion Sims. Again, I was somewhat aware of his monstrosities, but Washington exposed me to the true horror of his actions. When doing more research after reading the book, I came across an interview with Dr. Kameelah Phillips.
https://www.today.com/health/racism-gynecology-dr-james-marion-sims-t185269
She is an Ob-Gyn who refers to the Sims speculum as the “Lucy.” This instrument is used to repair vaginal fistulas. It was developed by Sims, but Lucy was the enslaved woman he tortured and experimented on in order to develop the instrument. While we cannot erase the actions of Dr. Sims, I feel it is my responsibility to be aware of how we got to this point in medicine, and what individuals had to go through in order to get us here. In my future practice, I plan on recognizing the instrument as Lucy and educating my colleagues who may not be aware.
Because I enjoyed attending Page to Bedsides sessions so much, I decided to apply to be a student coordinator for the course. As part of my role, I attended and participate in every monthly group discussion. I also keep track of student attendance and participation. This has required me to send firm emails to my own classmates, reminding them to submit their reflections prior to class and that they need to be well-thought-out and not just a short paragraph. Holding my peers accountable was a new role for me, however, this experience has prepared me well for residency when I will need to need to have a discussion with my co-residents about their professionalism as a chief.
I have learned so much from reading and discussing readings at Page to Bedside. It has shaped how I interact with and view situations both personally and professionally. In order to continue this during residency, I’d like to start a book club with my co-residents or with my friends from medical school at other programs. I’ve used Instagram to compile book recommendations from social justice organizations, reproductive organizations, and ob-gyn physicians that they deem “required reading” for those in the medical field as well as ob-gyn specific books. Over the course of my first year, I’d like to coordinate at least two meetings with my colleagues, near and/or far, to discuss one of these works. Hearing about other individuals’ experiences with these topics will help me to continue to grow as both a physician and person by broadening my world-view, being more accepting of new/different situations and ideas, and building on the professionalism values that I have focused on during medical school.