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When I was growing up, there were two things that I wanted to be more than anything: a doctor and a writer. Before I pursued medical training, my very first dream was to be a novelist. My childhood journals and old home computer were always littered with story ideas and the beginnings of novels. Even as I prepared for a career in medicine, I also maintained my love of storytelling and writing. I majored in American History & Literature while doing my pre-med classes, I pursued a journalism degree prior to going on to medical school and I started working as a freelance writer. When I began residency in Emergency Medicine in 2015, I knew that writing would have to take a backseat as I completed my clinical training, but it's also something I've missed a great deal over these past few years. That is why I’m so excited to share my new essay, "Exposed," which appears in the latest issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine. I’m grateful for the opportunity to join these two passions, to take an experience in medical training that was challenging and formative and share it with others in my specialty through creative writing.  This essay centers on an experience that I hope will resonate with other healthcare providers: the dreaded needlestick injury. The piece examines the constant threat of the unknown that all clinicians come to know well, a fear that also helps keep us sharp and ready for anything that comes through the door. I attempt to capture how this anxiety and uncertainty mix with the thrill of discovery and capability during medical training. The lesson for me was that such an experience reveals an inherent truth of our field: the risks and rewards of medical practice are inextricably linked. You can read my essay, “Exposed” for free until September 7, 2018 here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196064418300763 Thanks for reading!
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