Pub. 3 2019 Issue 2

To start, tell us a little bit about your- self and your back- ground — such as where you grew up and went to school, and your family, in- terests, and hobbies. I grew up in Utah and did undergrad and med school at the University of Utah. I’m married and a proud mom of six children. I went back to school at a later age after getting married and starting a family pretty young, so I have children who are now in their early 20s all the way down to our youngest, who is 10. I like to snow- board, hike, travel, read for fun (when I have time), and spend time with my family. We also have a new Saint Ber- nard puppy at our house, so current hobbies include puppy cuddling and frequent potty breaks. When did you become interested in science and medicine? I was always interested in biology and medicine but didn’t know that was what I wanted to do until I was in my mid-20s. I was in the middle of a divorce, and having my life in flux made me reevaluate what I wanted to do with my life. I asked myself, “If you could do anything, what would you do?” The answer was med school. But I was about to be a single mom and needed to be able to support my chil- dren, so, at the suggestion of my best friend’s mom, who is a successful real estate agent, I started a career in real estate. It was a wonderful career and gave me financial independence and plenty of time to be a mom, but it wasn’t what I meant to do forever. Down the road, I married a great guy, and our life was happy and stable, so one day I asked myself, “If you get to the end of your life, and you con- tinue on the path you’re on (selling real estate), will you feel like you did enough?” The answer was “no,” so I talked to my husband and children and decided to go back to school. I wanted to try and do as much good as I could in my corner of the world. Tell us about your journey that took you to medical school. I completed my undergrad degree in Health, Society, and Policy at the University of Utah. By the time I went back to school to finish my undergrad degree, I already knew I was going to apply to med school, so I’d say my end goal influenced my choice of degree rather than the other way around. My bachelor’s degree taught me a lot about the socioeconomic influences that affect health, issues with policy and delivery of quality health care, and some of the barriers people face when trying to access care. I always found the human body to be fascinating! I’m continually amazed by the way everything works in concert together to maintain homeostasis and heal our bodies. Over the years, I found an increasing desire to un- derstand this better, to know where to look when things went wrong, and how to help. I can say that even though the hard sciences can be dull at times, they are quite miraculous! What was it that drew you to apply at the University of Utah Medical School? How has your experi- ence been with the program overall? For us, the University of Utah was the only choice. Being a blended family, our children all have two families to consider. We had children in elementary school, junior high and high school, and moving wasn’t a sacrifice we were willing to make. So, we only applied to one school, knowing that I might not get in, and if that I didn’t get in the first time, we would keep trying. We lucked out and got in on our first shot, and I haven’t regretted it for a moment. My experience at the University of Utah has been great. I had attend- ings and residents who were team- oriented and enjoyed teaching. I experienced heartfelt support in my role as a student and mom during clinicals and was able to balance family and school in a way that let us survive and still have fun. Working with my family medicine mentors, I learned so much about how to be efficient while still maintaining a com- passionate connection with your pa- tients, how to make smart treatment decisions, talk about difficult things, and work as a team to deliver the best care possible for my patients. Student Spotlight Jessica Fullmer www.UtahAFP.org | 16