Doximity’s Second Annual ‘First Stab’ Writing Contest: Open for Submissions

Op-Med is a collection of original articles contributed by Doximity members.

Calling all physicians, both present and future. Doximity is hosting our second annual "First Stab" contest and we are looking for submissions.

What It Is

If you’re a med student, resident, fellow, or attending, we want to hear about your “first stab” at a procedure or a transformative experience during medical training. Some ideas include cracking a chest for the first time, taking a detailed patient history, running your first trauma case in the ER, a clinical error that was a turning point for you, or gaining perspective from a patient. Click here to see all First Stab essays, many of which were submissions to last year's contest. Please note: this contest is only open to MDs, DOs and medical students.

Previous Top Three First Stabs

The Meaning of Goodbye by Dr. Holly Neville

In the winner of last year's First Stab contest, a Pediatric Surgeon learns the value of life, the meaning of love and what it means to say goodbye.

What I Will Never Be Comfortable Doing In Medicine by Dr. Cindy Baseluos

An Emergency Medicine doctor reflects on the one things in medicine she continues to have a hard time with.

The First Time I Hated a Patient by Dr. Joshua Goldman

A Plastic Surgeon remembers the first patient he hated.

What You Win

One winner will receive an invite to Doximity’s Annual Leadership Advisory Summit at our San Francisco HQ in March 2019. This event brings together an elite group of physician leaders and innovators to discuss the digital health landscape and guide Doximity’s product strategy.

Winners and select submissions will also receive an original illustration by Doximity's Op-Med Visual team to accompany their piece when published.

Submission Details

Email your submission to opmed@doximity.com and follow these rules:

The subject line of the email should be: First Stab Essay Contest
Include the link to your Doximity profile and a one to two sentence bio.
Please limit your piece to 600–1,000 words max. Before submitting a piece, please ensure your photo is uploaded to your Doximity profile.
If you’d like to remain anonymous, please let us know in your email.

The deadline to enter is February 17, 2019 at 11:59 pm PST.

If the piece submitted does not fit this series, we may ask to publish it on Op-Med outside of this contest.

Illustration by Yi-Min Chun

All opinions published on Op-Med are the author’s and do not reflect the official position of Doximity or its editors. Op-Med is a safe space for free expression and diverse perspectives. For more information, or to submit your own opinion, please see our submission guidelines or email opmed@doximity.com.