Doctors, Who also Happen to be Muslim

 

A couple of weeks ago, I faced another unfortunate, racist interaction with a patient I was trying to treat. I got in my car that day, still parked in the hospital lot, called my mom and cried. I cried my eyes out. I could hear the pain in her voice as she coaxed and comforted me, promising me that for all the horrible patient encounters I've had--plenty more appreciative, future patients were still out there.

Reflecting on that encounter for the past couple of weeks, I've had several thoughts:

• Does this patient know what I've sacrificed and been through to get to this point, the pinnacle of my medical school career, just months before graduating as a physician?
• Why does a piece of cloth over my head discount the white coat on my shoulders?
• Has she ever met a Muslim face-to-face before?
• Were her hurtful words a reflection of the tainted images and stories seen in the news?
• Is this lady going to vote for Trump too?!

As I near the end of my medical school career and anxiously await match day and graduation, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by all that I've gone through to get to this point. I think back to all the sleepless nights as an undergrad, cramming for my biology or organic chemistry finals. I think about the occasions I've missed and times I've sacrificed with loved ones for school. I think about the early mornings my alarm blares at 4:30am and I drag myself to the hospital. I think about the anxiety-provoking board exams I studied months for. And I think about my dad, who sacrificed so much for his family, praying they'd have a true chance at the American dream. Being belittled by a patient I was striving to heal (again) felt like my work thus far was laughable and insignificant. What encouraged me though, was thinking about all the other Muslim, hijab-wearing physicians and physicians-in-training I know who are keeping their heads up despite this all.

Therefore, this blog post has become very important to me. I want to introduce you to some bad-ass, amazing, determined, smart and special women in my life. They are all physicians or physicians-in-training, they are all American, oh, and yes--they so happen to wear the hijab and be Muslim too:

The important thing for you to know is that these women are not only Muslim and in medicine. Among them are mothers, wives, artists, poets, runners, foodies, fashionistas, international aid-workers, researchers, philanthropists, and activists. They are just as "American" as the next person. And just in case you were wondering, all of them have fabulous hair, too.

The funny thing is, this list is still only a fraction of the Muslims I know who are physicians, let alone other healthcare practitioners (pharmacists, PAs, OTs, PTs, nurses, etc). It also doesn't include the plenty of Muslim women physicians who choose (yes, I said choose) not to wear the hijab.

What unites people who work in healthcare is their ability to put the patient first. When you go in for a check-up or end up in the emergency room, you trust your doctor with your life. You divulge your biggest secrets and most embarrassing truths (sometimes you divulge too much, just sayin'). You feel comfortable knowing that your physician's purpose is to help and heal you. You trust they will make judgment calls in your best interest. So why should it be any different of an experience if your physician so happens to have an extra piece of cloth on her head?

That's right, it shouldn't.

So, the next time you see some crazy portrayal of Muslims in the media, or you question the motive of what a Muslim's holy book commands of them, I want you to think of these women. I want you to remember their faces and their names. Not only have the defied stigmas of what it means to be a woman or minority in medicine, they're also doing it while being obvious and bold representations of their religion.

Dr. Fatima Fahs lives and practices in Michigan.
Original post: http://eatpaintheal.blogspot.com/2016/02/heal-doctors-who-also-happen-to-be.html