The human side of medicine—lessons from a student-run clinic

Abstract

In this narrative account, I describe my first experience as a medical student volunteering at a student-run clinic in Galveston, Texas. I witness the stark contrast between medicine in the classroom and medicine in the clinic. This article explores the importance of clinical exposure in learning about the human side of medicine from the perspective of a medical student.

Keywords:

• Compassion
• empathy
• medical education
• person-centered care

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Michael H. Malloy, MD, MS, for his help reviewing and editing my manuscript. I would also like to express my gratitude to John W. Davis, BA, and Meghan M. Mallya, BS, for their thoughtful comments on this essay.