The Path to Medicine

Growing up, I never imagined that I would pursue medicine, and it completely took me by surprise when I became enamored with my first exposure to anatomy and physiology during a sports medicine elective in high school. Special shoutout to Mr. Fitzpatrick, for being my introduction to medicine and a constant source of support!

I followed in my big brother’s footsteps and came down to the University of Utah after graduating high school. I quickly became involved in neurobehavioral research while I studied biology and chemistry. I loved the process of research and designing experiments, but I didn’t feel like I’d found where I belonged in the world of science and medicine until I started volunteering with Connect2Health. This student-led organization placed volunteers in many different clinical environments, from free clinics to specialty services where we would meet with patients, discuss their social determinants of health, and craft them a personalized resource prescription to help meet their needs. After a couple years of involvement, I knew I wanted to continue learning the details of human physiology while working directly with patients — so I applied to medical school!

I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to stay at the University of Utah for medical school. Not only did I have a great support system of friends and family in the area, but I had made strong connections working as an adaptive ski instructor at the National Ability Center in Park City and was determined to stay involved throughout my medical training. Furthermore, the opportunities for rural medicine exposure and training caught my attention and have had a massive impact on my trajectory as I now plan to be a rural family medicine physician.

I was very fortunate to have a phenomenal family medicine physician who helped me through some challenging times and served as a great source of inspiration as I started to consider a future in medicine while working on my undergraduate degree. Like he had with me, I wanted to truly connect with my patients and understand the entire person before me to best empower them to be an active participant in optimizing their health. I love the variability of this specialty, endless opportunities for continued learning, continuity of care and forming meaningful patient-physician relationships! 

Advice for Premeds and Young Med Students

Stay true to your genuine interests and unique skills! There is so much pressure to fit a perceived mold and check the many boxes needed to apply to medical school as quickly as possible, but don’t sign up for just anything. Be intentional with your time and efforts. Medicine is an ecosystem full of niches and finding your unique corner of this world is such a special part of the journey, so dive into and develop whatever interests you may have, including those that may not seem directly related to medicine.