Okun publishes book of prose and poetry on medical school experience

“Lessons from the Bedside,” a book of prose and poetry on the medical school experience written by University of Florida neurologist Michael Okun, M.D., now is available commercially through 1stBooks Library in Bloomington, Ind.

Okun wrote material for the book on napkins, book covers, progress notes, patient order sheets and notecards while a student in UF’s College of Medicine, as a way to document his experience, particularly his impressions of patients and their struggles.

After graduation, Okun realized he had enough material for a book, and with encouragement from Lynn Romrell, Ph.D., a UF professor and associate dean in the college, Okun made the book available to UF medical students to help them understand the critical role empathy plays in patient care.

“You see not only hope and inspiration in Mike’s poems but also the struggle with what I’ll call the darker side of life,” Romrell said.

“You see the struggles that he had emotionally as he went through medical school and dealt with issues of stress and dealing with patients who were very ill or dying. Many students have told me how much they enjoyed reading the poetry because they felt the emotions Mike did.”

More than 220 pages in length, “Lessons from the Bedside” is illustrated with pen and ink drawings by Melissa Anne Bloch, M.D., one of Okun’s former students. He recently was named co-director of a new movement disorders clinic at the Evelyn F. and William L. McKnight Brain Institute at UF. The clinic treats patients suffering from tremors and other movement disorders.