VCOM View Magazine Vol. 13 | No. 1

appointment a week to first- and second-year students at VCOM-Carolinas. Her manicures last more than a month, so many students get their nails done before summer, making the end of the academic year a busy time for her. Surprisingly, Faith’s passion for doing nails is good preparation for her future career as a surgeon, because the hand-eye coordination of an artist is applicable in surgery. She acknowledges that it may seem like a stretch to be a surgeon and a nail tech, but for her,

the side of healthcare that everyone else sees and the other hand illustrates the side of medicine that we as osteopathic physicians embody. The first thing I had was the name Healing Hands because it tied directly into medicine and nails.” Through the designs on these opposing hands, Faith brings attention to the holistic side of healthcare and the ways that osteopathic physicians offer compassion in each encounter. One

“ “I’ve developed dexterity that other people don’t have. When I do my own nails, I have to practice working with my left hand, so I have a lot of practice being ambidextrous… When you do surgery, you have to be able to use both hands.”

hand shows healthcare through physical objects and symbols: x-rays, stethoscopes, the heart, a lumbar puncture and prescription pills. The opposing hand represents the underlying compassion in healthcare—a smile, physical touch, love, a DO approach (represented with the DO badge) and listening skills. Each of these are essential for being a compassionate osteopathic physician. “One thing that I wish to do in the future with this is to make little press-on nail sets with the adhesive tabs for children in hospitals,” she says. “That would be really

it isn’t. “I’m super good at those fine details because of nails,” she explains. “Though that’s the only training I have, I’ve developed dexterity that other people don’t have. When I do my own nails, I have to practice working with my left hand, so I have a lot of practice being ambidextrous. A lot of [attending physicians] will tell resident surgeons to incorporate non-dominant hand training in aspects of daily life. For example, brush your teeth with your left hand, just so you can get used to

Faith Baxter, VCOM-Carolinas Class of 2027

it. When you do surgery, you have to be able to use both hands. An informal part of training for surgery is developing an ability that’s directly related to my nail passion right now.” When SOMA Research put out a call for art projects encapsuling what compassion means in medicine, Faith jumped at the opportunity to share her work. She designed a set of nails featuring finely detailed, intricate paintings. “One hand illustrates

meaningful to me. Some people are self-conscious of their hands when they don’t have anything on them. That’s ultimately why I want to extend this to children in hospitals who have cancer or something who maybe feel less beautiful about themselves. You’re treating someone the same way you would in medicine. You’re healing them. You’re making them feel better. And that’s what I’m doing when I do nails.”

fall 2024 | VCOM V iew M agazine 23