Lessons from COVID-19: The Perspective of an International Medical Student Back in the United States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2020.527Keywords:
COVID-19, pandemic, patient care, healthcare, medical studentAbstract
As current medical students, we are in a unique position. Although we possess some medical knowledge, our hometowns may require a medical diploma to provide clinical aid in the fight against COVID-19. However, upon arrival from my medical school in Ireland to my home state of California, multiple community-based opportunities to assist patients were discovered. While medical students provide community care, we can also observe our surroundings, learn from the current situation, and deduce methods of improving patient care and healthcare systems, with hopes of preventing such repercussions if a similar pandemic were to occur in the future. This experience piece aims to express shifts in a medical student’s perspective amidst COVID-19 and explicate potential ways in which the American healthcare system can improve.
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