55-Word Stories Archive
Following the example of University of Washington, UAMS is making our Medicine and Meaning page a place to share our collective stories as we TOGETHER go through this strange time. These emotions of fear, anxiety, frustration but also of collegiality, courage and hope, have the potential to enhance our sense of belonging to a great healthcare institution. Knowing that others are going through similar emotions and share our humanity is helpful and can have a significant and lasting positive effect for all.
The rules, as stated in the 2000 JAMA article by Sheetz and Fry are as follows: to tell— preferably in 55 words exactly—a story that helps us to understand, or to appreciate, something about a patient or about the practice of medicine. Pieces may be shared anonymously.
If you are interested in sharing a short reflection (55 words or fewer – poetry or prose or mix) about how the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted you to understand, appreciate, or process something about the impact, response, or practice of medicine and healthcare at this moment, email your 55-word text to medicineandmeaning@uams.edu.
We invite ALL members of the UAMS team to contribute across all professions and roles.
55 Words Archive
OSCE
Smile and knock — enter when permitted.
Shaky and washing my hands.
“What brings you in today?”
Just Fine
I worried…. despite her insistence that she was “just fine.” And now my heart aches with things unsaid.
Dependable, Like the Tides
They come, in shifts— through side entrances, private doors…. most
wearing comfortable, expensive shoes, color-matched pants and tops
squeezing-in last minute family talk, world business…. on cell phones.
Appalachian Apathy
“What will it do, kill me?”
Said a wearied coal miner
Who caught me eyeing the tobacco smoke
The Power of One
Europe’s been burning, Pakistan is drowning, but I’m only one person, so how can I make a difference?
Humble and Proud
I cannot transplant your heart.
I cannot cure your cancer.
I cannot stop death.
But,
Disclosures of Life
I haven’t seen death. Formaldehyde nostalgia. Different specimens.
Organisms are human.
Cold Hands
Just go in and out of the patient’s room
Don’t let anyone know you are nervous.
The Story of One
On top of the overgrown milkweed, a single monarch
butterfly searches for a bloom, or nibbles on the leaf, or
perhaps deposits one egg.
Practicing Medicine During the Pandemic
I sit in the back office seeing patients through a video camera, safe.
If Only Coronaviruses Could Talk
I imagine myself visiting a lab. While there, I probed into the psyche – if there ever was one – of a coronavirus.