The goal of the Humanities and Wellness Committee (HWC) within our residency program is to build community and to give trainees creative outlets that help nurture the whole resident. The HWC organizes weekend and evening events as well as holiday-themed activities held during noon conference. This year, the committee wanted to host a creative writing contest for the residents to express themselves. Three faculty judges reviewed the entries and awarded gift cards to the top 3 writers.

“All genres were welcome,” HWC co-chair and third-year resident Grace Alexander, MD, said. Entries were not limited to writing about medicine-related subjects, but many chose examples from their working life. Some looked to medicine in general and others their patient interactions during their time in training. Some chose poetry, both long and short forms. Others chose personal essay, while still others chose the lens of science fiction.

Ashten Sherman, MD, a third-year resident and HWC member, said it was “a joy” getting to read the residents’ thought-provoking submissions. “I thought it was a great opportunity to watch residents express themselves in an open and safe environment amongst their peers.” She said that the honesty in the work and its inspiration in recognizable reality “made it easy for everyone to connect to the pieces in their own way.”

“Writing is a great way to process what we see every day, especially as clinicians early in our careers. The goal of this event was to help us reflect on the important roles we have for both our patients and community.” James Burton, MD, HWC co-chair and third-year resident, said. “Any kind of creative activity can be a helpful way of expressing emotions instead of keeping them boxed up. We hope for this to become an annual event.”

We are honored to present some of the submissions from this year’s contest here.