Who or what has inspired you while at VCOM?
All the people within the VCOM Louisiana family have inspired me during my time here. The camaraderie of the faculty and students on campus has been a pleasure to be a part of. The diversity of cultures and backgrounds of the faculty and staff and seeing how everyone is at different points in their life journey has been energizing. This experience helps to keep me motivated towards my goal of fulfilling VCOM’s mission and making impacts within the community I practice as a future physician. Dr. John Lipka, a fellow Louisiana native and rural physician, has inspired me with his devotion to leaving a legacy of educating future physicians. The time and effort he dedicates to training future physicians and giving clinical and professional career advice is an excellent example of VCOM’s mission. He is always willing to go above and beyond to help students become better future physicians.
How has the VCOM mission inspired you as a medical student?
The VCOM mission has inspired me as a medical student by preparing me for my career as a future physician in a multitude of ways. The Preventative Medicine class includes a community engagement project which inspires medical students to become involved in the local community. This project matches VCOM’s mission of being community-focused physicians in our future practices. VCOM includes community physicians as guest lecturers who impart the wisdom they have gained in their practice in these local rural communities. This piece of our curriculum inspires me as a medical student to become an integral and influential part of the healthcare mechanism in the local community in which I practice.
Who or what inspired you to study medicine?
I was initially inspired by the field of medicine through my life-changing near-death experience with viral meningitis at the age of 13. I witnessed first-hand the unique role a physician along with the entire healthcare team plays in saving and shaping lives. I coupled this experience with my observations of our own local family physician throughout my upbringing. Witnessing how integral a family physician is to a small community and the many roles they play inspired me to pursue a career as a physician. The empathy and professionalism displayed by my family physician provided me with a great example of what we as future physicians should strive to become and uphold.
Why did you choose VCOM?
I chose VCOM specifically due to its mission of improving healthcare within rural areas. The Louisiana campus of VCOM is located in Monroe, LA near my rural hometown of Bastrop, LA. It has been a privilege to be able to pursue my medical education within the community I grew up in and also be able to give back to the community which has given me so much. VCOM has an impeccable reputation for producing professional and highly motivated physicians and it was a big reason I was excited to choose VCOM as my medical school and I would make the same choice today.
What do you enjoy most about living in the area around your campus?
The area around the Monroe campus is home so it has been a pleasure coming back home to pursue my medical education and be a part of this community again. I personally enjoy the amount of locally owned food and entertainment options available within the Monroe area. There are also many locally owned coffee shops and eateries which make great alternative places to study. The Monroe area also has abundant outdoor recreational opportunities.
What do you like to do in your free time?
My free time is often occupied by spending time at the gym and going on walks in the local community. I am also able to enjoy the abundant outdoor recreational opportunities within the Monroe area in the form of various types of hunting and fishing. The Monroe area has the Ouachita River running through the twin cities along with abundant lakes and ponds in the area for fishing and recreation. The VCOM campus sits on Bayou Desiard which is a great place for fishing or exploring the bayou in a kayak. There are kayaks available on campus to take out on the bayou and explore the beauty of an ancient waterway.
Are you interested in a particular practice or specialty once you graduate? What has inspired your interest in this specialty?
I came to medical school with an open mind without having my heart set on a particular specialty within medicine. Internal medicine and Emergency medicine are my two top interests at the moment. Internal medicine is intriguing to me because I enjoy many different areas of medicine. As an internal medicine physician, you see many different types of patients often needing complex levels of care. Internal medicine physicians are tasked with coordinating care with a multitude of different medical specialists. Internal medicine physicians can work in many different settings of medicine including ICU, wards, outpatient clinics, and emergency departments in certain facilities. Emergency medicine intrigues me because I enjoy the adrenaline of being on the front lines of hospital-based medicine. Emergency medicine physicians are the first physicians to see patients when they come to the hospital with any number of ailments or acute trauma. What attracts me to both Internal medicine and Emergency medicine is the need to have a very broad base of medical knowledge in order to apply it to patients with many different types of ailments and medical needs.