Rising MS-II at the Medical University of South Carolina
Undergraduate: Brigham Young University, Hawaii
I am originally from Columbia, South Carolina. I completed my undergraduate education at Brigham Young University Hawaii, majoring in Biochemistry. During my undergraduate education I took a two year leave of absence to serve a religious mission in Southern California, were I worked with Latinos and grew to love their various traditions and beliefs. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States and enjoy the opportunity to learn from various cultures. I am presently interested in pursuing a career in Interventional Radiology, although I feel strongly that learning the basics of medicine in a global medical setting is essential to becoming a knowledgeable and effective physician.
MS4BCI for me was a unique opportunity to observe and study medicine in conditions that most United States physicians would consider less than ideal. However, the knowledge and understanding I gained of how to practice medicine under these rudimentary conditions from participating in a summer internship in Bolivia is invaluable. Although we faced new challenges each day, each day also provided new opportunities to learn from the challenges we faced. The advice we received on patient care from the many physicians we shadowed during our time in Cochabamba is universal and will help us become better physicians in the future. For instance, we were taught that the best way to comfort and treat a patient is to mentally assume the patient’s perspective from the moment he or she enters the office to the moment he or she leaves. By doing ones best to discern a patient’s thoughts and feelings to the questions being asked, a physician is thereby able to obtain the information needed from the patient to effectively treat him or her. After all, one is treating a patient, not a disease. Despite the lack of technology from a United States standpoint, the physicians we shadowed were experts in treating patients. Thus, it was truly a unique privilege to learn from them the fundamentals of patient care and global health. I look forward to the day when I can return to Bolivia and assist these great physicians in treating the sick.
Undergraduate: Brigham Young University, Hawaii
I am originally from Columbia, South Carolina. I completed my undergraduate education at Brigham Young University Hawaii, majoring in Biochemistry. During my undergraduate education I took a two year leave of absence to serve a religious mission in Southern California, were I worked with Latinos and grew to love their various traditions and beliefs. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States and enjoy the opportunity to learn from various cultures. I am presently interested in pursuing a career in Interventional Radiology, although I feel strongly that learning the basics of medicine in a global medical setting is essential to becoming a knowledgeable and effective physician.
MS4BCI for me was a unique opportunity to observe and study medicine in conditions that most United States physicians would consider less than ideal. However, the knowledge and understanding I gained of how to practice medicine under these rudimentary conditions from participating in a summer internship in Bolivia is invaluable. Although we faced new challenges each day, each day also provided new opportunities to learn from the challenges we faced. The advice we received on patient care from the many physicians we shadowed during our time in Cochabamba is universal and will help us become better physicians in the future. For instance, we were taught that the best way to comfort and treat a patient is to mentally assume the patient’s perspective from the moment he or she enters the office to the moment he or she leaves. By doing ones best to discern a patient’s thoughts and feelings to the questions being asked, a physician is thereby able to obtain the information needed from the patient to effectively treat him or her. After all, one is treating a patient, not a disease. Despite the lack of technology from a United States standpoint, the physicians we shadowed were experts in treating patients. Thus, it was truly a unique privilege to learn from them the fundamentals of patient care and global health. I look forward to the day when I can return to Bolivia and assist these great physicians in treating the sick.