Student Voices of COVID-19
Artwork
Newton's first law of motion states that an object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a force. Since the moment I decided to pursue medicine, I feel like I stepped onto a vector moving forward at constant velocity. Given the fast-paced nature of a medical curriculum, we must do our best to keep up with this momentum that is slowly bringing us towards this goal. The prolonged break from hospital rotations and standard curriculum many of us experienced due to COVID felt like a disruption to this process. While I am now slowly regaining my footing in clinical rotations, I often wonder if my pathway to medicine would have looked different had COVID not acted as a disrupting force.
Sara Twadell
FAU Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Class of 2022
Each evening, I finish my day in clinic and walk to my car. If I’m lucky, I catch the sunset on my way home. At any other time, I would have stopped to admire the fading sunset sky – the reds, oranges, and blues blended amidst the clouds. At any other time, this view would have brought me a sense of peace and comfort. However, these days the hazy clouds only remind me of lungs ravaged by COVID-19, ground-glass opacities which have swallowed the sky. This pandemic has reshaped how we view the world, literally and figuratively, and will leave us in a haze for some time to come.
Kelly Chen
University of Alabama School of Medicine
Class of 2022
The poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, "The New Colossus," states, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Like Lady Liberty, healthcare workers have bravely adhered to this principle of taking in, helping, and protecting those in need, in particular those "yearning to breathe free" and to survive COVID-19. COVID-19 has shown to have a more amplified negative impact on marginalized and more vulnerable portions of society. It is my hope that we will, as a nation, embody the spirit of this poem to help those most affected, the tired, and the poor, boldly don our masks and use hand sanitizer as Lady Liberty is here. We will make it through this together.
Rachel MacAskill
Baylor College of Medicine
Class of 2022
A physician walks away from her daily scene- a giant looming virus and waves of darkness. As medical students, we strive to help our teams while exhibiting a strong aura for those around us. I want to walk away from this experience as a better health professional. Beauty and strength is found now, in our current.
Anna Rogalska
UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2021
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many of us have returned home to be with our families. We are fortunate to be able to spend these unprecedented times with our loved ones. We are fortunate to be safe at home. But is that true for everyone? Does home always mean safe? No. Not for everyone. Since the lockdown, cases of domestic violence have escalated globally. Countries such as the USA, Canada, France, Argentina, Singapore and Bangladesh (to name a few) have all reported spikes in domestic violence during the current pandemic. Amidst one public health issue, surged another. For all the voices going unheard, let’s be their voices. Let’s spread awareness. Let’s be there for one another. We are all in this together.
Nadiha Noor Chelsea
Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
Class of 2022
The character in the red dress is a metaphorical representation of those who are asymptomatic or allowing the release of the coronavirus (purple bubbles) by not following proper protocols. These viruses then flow to the back of the painting where the bloom lies, representing the introduction of the infection to a healthy blooming society. While alone, the amount of bubbles released is small, in large groups, this release of the virus is far too great of a burden to the bloom, which will cause its eventual destruction. Each one of us, much like the character, stands on a vine originating from the central blooming field, as we are all a part of the greater society. Therefore, if the bloom or society were to be harmed, so would we. Because of this, it is important we come together during these hard times to preserve, protect, and prevent further damage to the bloom, our way of life, by following proper protocols and stopping the propagation of the virus.
Florentino Saenz Rios
University of Texas Medical Branch
Class of 2021
Times are trying and we're all feeling vulnerable. We're boxed in in chaos from all directions. In such times, it is so easy to forget to smile. Just like the prongs that carry oxygen, or life, from outside to within, a smile brings life outside from within. This art is a reminder for us to take a moment to smile and realize that the time might seem difficult right now, but it is just 'time' and it will pass by.
Mandeep Guragai
Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
Class of 2022
Lungs. They allow us to breathe deeply and provide us with life; yet, their dysfunction can lead us to our demise. Before this pandemic, I presumed belongings, people, time, and abilities – ranging from traveling to hugging friends to simply breathing – to be available without much question. With the impacts of COVID-19, however, many are struggling to breathe, let alone even ponder surrounding themselves with family members or proceeding with their daily activities. Some now consider the bare essential to life, breathing, a potentially unattainable gift. Those of us in the medical field have the opportunity to assist patients who are experiencing reduced lung function, which may be impeding their access to life. It is our duty to support patients afflicted with COVID-19, suffering from shriveled health, and aid in their re-blossoming - one breath at a time.
Avnee Nulkar
University College Cork, Ireland
Class of 2021
Medicine is difficult. At times, it involves a life devoted to helping others at the expense of our own wellbeing. Finding purpose in the chaos of it all can be challenging. During these extraordinary times, burnout is at the forefront. Its darkness is creeping into our hospitals and plaguing our frontline workers. From working long hours, minimal personal protective equipment, and uncertainty to when the madness will end. More so now than ever before, we need to unite. We need to support each other, we need to be patient with each other, and most importantly, we need to mind our own wellness for a change.
Leah Komer
University College Cork, Ireland
Class of 2021
This is a visual representation of the resilience that we so gracefully carry within us. COVID-19 has imposed many hardships on each of us, both physically and psychologically. Despite the many wounds that we carry, we continue to witness acts of selflessness, service, and support during these times. And we continue to rise each day and do the best we can, whether that is checking in on a friend over a phone call, volunteering, working, or simply making it through a long and lonely day. Just as this painting shows, our hearts may weep, but they continue to beat, each day and night. A Weeping Heart stands for the resilience within us all.
Ramesha Ali
University College Cork
Class of 2021
Our frontline workers are not only battling one of the deadliest viruses we have seen in decades, but simultaneously dealing with insufficient resources, rumours of hoaxes that put them in danger, protestors who refuse to stay home, profound exploitation by their government and hospital administration, and most significantly the PTSD, anxiety, and depression that comes with trauma. Make no mistake, they are experiencing trauma, and to think of the inevitable psychological toll is harrowing. Let’s remember that in addition to being heroes, our front line workers are human. They too long to hug their child after a long, difficult day of work. They too need to grieve after watching a patient die alone. They too miss the human connection that has been taken from them by their PPE. And they too are just as scared of this virus as we are, if not more.
Megan Murnane
The Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
Class of 2021
The first day of my Internal Medicine rotation was also my last. The anxiety and uncertainty I felt walking out of the hospital that day has only grown and deepened over time. We have been inside for weeks, with no end in sight, flooded by news reports and personal stories of suffering and pain.
As medical students, we are expected to be productive and to use our time wisely. Like many others, I am caught between my desire to grow as a physician-in-training and my difficulty adjusting to this new normal. I want to build my knowledge, exploring medicine with a renewed vigor and depth, so that I can be ready to return to the clinical world. But I think it is essential to take a step back while we are at home, to breathe and find ways to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that we hide away.
I have been creating art and music to cope with these uncertain times, and I encourage others to also do what they love, in the hopes that it brings them some peace.
Alia McKean, MPH
Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2021
Trees communicate their needs and send each other nutrients via a network of latticed fungi buried in the soil. A forest is a cooperative system, using resource transfers, defense signaling, and kin recognition to thrive. I find the revitalizing global cooperation during this pandemic akin to what trees do for each other in a forest to survive. We must work together to come out of this pandemic stronger and better.
Karisma Gupta
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Class of 2021
Before medical school, I worked as an x-ray technician. During that time, I had a variety of experiences observing mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU which helped inspire this work. Although there is nothing glamorous about invasive airway management, there is something beautiful contained in the fact that these series of actions are humanity’s best attempt at saving our sick and infirm. I think in this way simple objects like the laryngoscope blade can actually represent the best parts of people.
Steven Gerrish
Tufts University of Medicine
Class of 2023
Screens have become my greatest constant. They have become a cornerstone for maintaining contact with my loved ones, for completing my first-year studies, for trying (and failing) to feel some semblance of control and value during the pandemic. What has been most difficult about the whole situation is my inability to directly alleviate this rising crisis, due to both institutional/government policies and my own lack of time, already overwhelmed as I am by my coursework. I have been volunteering with student-led COVID-19 initiatives, both local and national, but even then all I’m doing is merely looking at screens over and over again.
Ha D.H. Le
University of Utah School of Medicine
Class of 2023
This image illustrates a physician passing her stethoscope into the outstretched hand of her patient, superimposed on an artistic interpretation of the COVD-19 virus structure. I drew this illustration to highlight the importance of collaborative efforts between clinicians and patients, which are central to success in combating the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the rough times we are facing, this illustration reminds us that by working together, we can support each other through this crisis.
Leela Breitman
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Class of 2021