Robert Wood Johnson
I
MEDICINE 9
symptoms are clear: an interest in language, in character,
in the paths of other people's lives. When aspiring physi-
cians catch the "disease" of literary ambition, they may wonder if they need to seek a cure
quickly, so they can concentrate on healing.
Yet the real question may be, why choose? Both fields require the same talents of observation
and analysis. Each can, ultimately, complement the other. Library shelves full of works by such
literary doctors as Anton Chekhov, Oliver Sacks, and Khaled Hosseini bear witness to the
sometimes magnificent results.
Three women at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School decided not to limit themselves by
choosing. One just graduated, two are current students, and all are writers, a path that each
has always known was meant for her just as much as medicine was.
Reflecting on their time at medical school and their literary efforts, they share what is pos-
sibly the most difficult aspect--how they balance it all.
FarMore Than Can Fit
on a Prescription Pad
B Y J A C Q U E L I N E C U T L E R