Why it's so important for medical students and physicians to write and share their stories

"I wrote a 55-word story in solidarity with my medical students and colleagues I had invited to share their lived experiences during COVID-19 on our Stories in Medicine blog. I wrote out of a need to "unmask" the guilt and angst of some of my colleagues and myself who, though practicing physicians, do not find ourselves directly on the front lines during these tumultuous times. Rather, we are dismayed to alternate between waves of anguish and guilt. Anguish for the suffering of our brothers and sisters in places like New York and New Orleans. Guilt, for not being shoulder to shoulder on the front lines. Guilt, because we are able to do things to take care of ourselves and our families in ways others are not. Our hearts break for our colleagues and families, their patients, and the families of their patients. We can only try to imagine a small portion of what they have gone through and will go through in the aftermath." Jennifer R. Hartmark-Hill is a family physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Confessions in the time of COVID-19." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/confessions-in-the-time-of-covid-19.html)