July 2007 | Back to Table of Contents
Writing Contest
The Unforgettable Ones
For the past four years, Minnesota Medicine has sponsored a writing contest for physicians, residents, and medical students. Each year, we invite submissions and cross our fingers as we wait to see who will respond and what will come in. Then, those of us who serve as judges begin reading.
This year, as we contemplated the nearly 40 stories, essays, and poems that came our way, we were reminded that so many of the daily experiences of physicians are fascinating, whether they’re heartbreaking or humorous, and that the central characters in their stories are usually patients or their families. It is no wonder so many physicians find themselves before a computer screen and keyboard attempting to make sense of these real-life dramas by writing about them.
Many thanks to this year’s judges: Jocelyn Cox, Barbara Elliott, Ph.D., Mike Finley, Jamie Hess, Lorrie Holmgren, Kim Kiser, Charles Meyer, M.D., Carmen Peota, Scott Smith, and Aaron Tande. And many more thanks to the writers who not only took the time to do the hard work of putting their thoughts on paper but also had the courage to share their work with us.
Winning Entry-Physician Category
By Kathleen Ogle, M.D.
Winning Entry-Medical Student/Resident Category
By Satish C. Rao, M.D.