In his last Stanford Medicine Unplugged piece, a soon-to-graduate student reflects on his time in medical school and his time writing for Scope.
Author: Steven Zhang
What needs to be said about mental health in medicine
A soon-to-graduate medical student talks about the challenges of studying and practicing medicine and encourages doctors-in-training to ask for help when they need it.
A medical student’s thoughts on Match Day
Steven Zhang shares his insights on Match Day, when medical students across the country learn which residency program they've been matched with.
Instead of Instagramming medical school, let’s reverse it
Behind the lens and filters of Instagram is the truth about how hard it is to actually do medicine, and what Instagram doesn't exactly showcase.
In breaking bad news, the comfort of silence
In this piece, a fourth-year medical student shares a recent patient encounter and what he's learned about breaking bad news to patients.
Getting better: A patient is more than a collection of numbers
In this Stanford Medicine Unplugged post, medical student Steven Zhang reflects on the importance of remembering that a patient is more than their "numbers."
From the Scope archives: Learning how to learn medicine
Medical trainees, writes one student, are like glorified breathing-and-walking medical dictionaries. But, given their knowledge will ultimately help patients, that's okay.
Judgment is not within our jurisdiction: A challenge for physicians
"Of all the four pillars of medical ethics," writes this med student, "perhaps the most difficult one to uphold is justice, the obligation to treat all patients equally and fairly."
In medicine, luck matters
In this first-person piece, medical student Steve Zhang argues that medicine is intractable and unpredictable, and luck plays a larger role than one might think.
It’s when, not if, computers come for medicine
Future physicians may one day be practicing more as overseers rather than decision makers, argues Stanford medical student Steven Zhang.
From hand-washing to cancer detection: Why the pace of medicine is just right
Should research findings be moved to the clinic as soon as possible or should things move more slowly for patient safety? A med student explores the issues.
In an era of ever-changing medical knowledge, starting medical school from scratch
Dedicating a year to research, a Stanford medical student comes to terms with temporarily falling behind the constant flood of medical information.
The last thing to do before graduating medical school
There is an exhibit currently on display at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art titled “Standardized Patient” by Kerry Tribe. It’s a seventeen-minute, cringe-inducing …
In medicine, every decision matters
Every Tuesday at noon, the pediatric oncology team skips their usual lunch plans and gathers for tumor board. Unfortunately, it’s as grim as it sounds …
The unwritten curriculum of med school
They say to avoid going to the hospital during July, which is when the newly branded doctors start working after receiving their medical degrees a …
The proper way to die
Certain details in this entry have been omitted or changed to protect the identity of the patient. One of my patients is on the verge of …