Melanin Medics

As healthcare professionals and students, it is so easy to neglect caring for ourselves while caring for other people. After all, we have a duty of care to our patients and the community around us. Yet, if we are honest, many of us struggle to rest without guilt. Medicine can quietly teach us that being constantly busy is a badge of honour. Over time, we may begin to feel that slowing down means we are doing something wrong. But rest is not a weakness. It is one of the ways we protect the...

By Dr Grace Ogwel (Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST1) The Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) is a major stepping stone in the specialty training journey. As resident doctors, we all know that entry into specialty training is more competitive than ever and for many of us, just seeing those four letters can trigger a collective sigh (or panic). This guide focuses on: what the MSRA actually involves how scoring works the revision strategies that helped me the mistakes to avoid the most...

As a Black woman in medicine, I’ve had my own moments of being underestimated, but the experiences of Black men sit in a unique space. Their visibility, their absence, the stereotypes working against them, the pride they carry, and the pressure they feel all shape a reality we don’t talk about enough. So, in light of men’s mental health month, I spoke to a few Black male medical students and asked them to share their journeys with me. Their honesty was refreshing. Their vulnerability was...