Volume 19
November - 2020
By: jonathan Warren, md
Cover: a night in the desert
A brisk, cold night. The wind rustling amongst the bushes. Critters scurrying about. And an absolutely clear sky and stars above. Spending the time with these magnificent trees that can grow in only 45,000 square acres of this planet I felt so at peace, so calm, and so lucky. The 3 hours of sleep between two 24 hour call shifts didn’t matter as much anymore.
Letter from the Editors:
Welcome to another wonderful volume of Art of Emergency Medicine that is jam-packed with paintings and photographs created by your colleagues in the specialty.
With the Thanksgiving holiday around for those of you in the United States, we hope you are focusing on the gratitude and realization of the aspects of your job that bring you joy. It makes the shifts go quicker, the patient interactions more enjoyable, and the discussions with consulting services all the easier. We highly recommend sitting down and taking the time to create a list of those things you are thankful for within the hospital or while on duty. Hopefully, you will then start to recognize them more and more often with each shift.
Also, please enjoy an extra helping of stuffing for all of us here at AoEM.
By: andrew thorne, MD
Autumn in Central Park
Lost while wandering through Central Park in autumn, this space felt so tranquil. Just beautiful autumn colors and a quiet seat from which to enjoy them.
By: lenexa morais
NIGHTSHIFT, hightide
19:00
The sun sets on the horizon and the monitors come alive,
The weary return to port; fresh sailors hoist sails white.
What the sea may bring us, we cannot hope to tell.
We pray for calm waters, though yearn to ride the swells.
In the bay, lightning flashes. A siren’s urgent call.
We draw up our nets, ready to collect our haul.
21:00
A sea dog, haggard, but not quite so old,
Been battered and hammered, left out in the cold.
He coughed so hard, the wind collapsed a sail.
A punch of ketamine, for liquid courage in his veins.
I hold the chest tube, my hands shake.
“Steady on,” orders the captain, “Push through, make haste!”
22:00
A pirate, such deceit, he wants only our loot,
Spun a story, a fishwives’ tale, that burned down into soot.
Fentanyl, oxy, codeine hooked him as bait,
Methadone, narcan, benzos offered the first mate,
Withdrawn, disappointed, “let me go” he pleas,
A sigh, a warning, we throw him back to the sea.
24:00
A selkie, bewitched by the moon, wanted to walk the plank.
She changed her mind, got in a bind; her mother gave thanks.
She sat sullen in the brig, broody as the storm,
And silently wished she had never been born.
03:00
A man, a mortal, lost sight and sea legs
Upon feeling a great, sharp pain in his head
There’s blood in the water, to Glasgow he goes
To the other side. Over hills and the moors.
A wail pierced the night, red water, deathly still
His brethren gather near to hold silent vigil.
07:00
Dawn fast approaches and I am drenched wet.
Boots water logged, I must still chart the trek.
“Land Ho”, let’s go, the crew need a day.
We dock, restock, and hope a short stay.
We long for the sea, creatures of the night,
To sail the ocean blue, guided by starlight.
This poem is about the variety of patients that we see in emergency medicine. The poem addresses each patient through the perspective of a sailor. The first is a patient with a pneumothorax, next a drug-seeking patient, a suicidal patient, and a stroke patient. I met these patients on my very first nightshift in the UTMB ED. I love the breadth of acuity and demographics that we see in EM. And the excitement of never knowing who will come next! I enjoy the challenge and am looking forward to residency
By: Giuliano de portu, MD
Untitled
I took a closeup of one of my images of a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in Gainesville Florida. I gave it a filter in Photoshop and cropped an area. Just to work with patterns and textures.
By: cindy chang, MD
Untitled
Do you want to see your art shared with the community? Don’t forget to submit today!
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This Months Featured Artists:
Andrew Thorne, MD
I am an emergency medicine resident at Harbor-UCLA with a passion for wilderness medicine. I began pursuing photography in medical school as yet another way to engage with the outdoors and share the beauty I find with others.
Cindy Chang, MD
An emergency medicine resident at Harbor-UCLA.
Giuliano De Portu, MD
I was a professional photojournalist and went to medical school at 33. Currently still doing imaging for fun! You can see more images at www.giulianodeportu.com.
Jonathan Warren, MD
A PGY-1 at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and founder of Art of Emergency Medicine. His hobbies include photography, hiking, Netflix, and dogs. He’s always on the lookout for the next adventure. Find more of his photography on Instagram.
Lenexa Morais
Hello! My name is Lenexa Morais, I am a fourth year medical student at UTMB in Texas and a self-taught artist. I work in a range of media: acrylics, ceramics, wood and plants, gold leaf, inks, watercolor, ocean debris, and recyclable materials to create mixed media pieces. I also write medical poetry. I’ve been running my own art business, Inspiration By Night Lx, since 2016. I teach educational art workshops with local businesses, take painting commissions, and sell my creations on my website. At UTMB, I created an ART in Healthcare student organization to make art with patients.
You can learn more about the artists featured in this and other volumes at our contributors page!