1) Was your journey through college and then medical school a difficult one?
ABSOLUTELY! WHY?....
IT IS STRESSFUL AND COMPETITIVE GAINING ADMISSION TO TOP RANKED COLLEGES. AND ATTENDING A TOP RANKED COLLEGE MAKES IT MORE LIKELY THAT YOU WILL GET INTO A TOP RANKED MEDICAL SCHOOL, AND THAT WHEN YOU MATRICULATE YOU WILL BE ACADEMICALLY PREPARED FOR YOUR COURSEWORK. THIS REQUIRES HARD WORK AND PREPRATION ON A DAILY BASIS FOR CLASSES AND EXAMS, BUT ALSO FOR STANDARDIZED TESTS.
THERE ARE TREMENDOUS FINANCIAL PRESSURES - TUITION FOR UNIVERSITIES AND MEDICAL SCHOOLS ARE TREMENDOUSLY HIGH. THERE ARE ANCILLARY FEES TO - TRIPS, BOOKS, EQUIPMENT, TRAVEL, ROOM AND BOARD, MICROSCOPES ETC. IF YOU HAVE TO WORK THRU COLLEGE AND MEDICAL SCHOOL THIS TAKES TIME AWAY FROM YOUR STUDIES AND MAKES IT EVEN MORE DIFFICULT, BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO NOT WORK IN MEDICAL SCHOOL - THERE PARENTS FOOT THE BILL.
tHIS JOURNEY WAS A "GREAT UNKNOWN" FOR ME. nO ONE ELSE IN MY FAMILY HAD EVER DONE IT, SO IT WAS HARD TO KNOW THE BEST AND MOST APPROPRIATE PATH TO SUCCESS.
YOUR FAMILY HAS NO IDEA OF THE STRESS OF BEING PREMED AND MEDICAL SCHOOL, AND THEREFORE THEY HAVE A HARD TIME SUPPORTING AND UNDERSTANDING YOUR JOURNEY. YOU ARE CONSTANTLY STRIVING TO BE IN THE TOP 5-10%, AND THIS BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT AS YOU MOVE FROM COLLEGE TO MEDICAL SCHOOL TO RESIDENCY.
THE HOURS ARE LONG. iN COLLEGE AND MEDICAL SCHOOL YOU WILL BE IN CLASS AND OR STUDYING ALL DAY. sTUDIES BECOME YOUR CENTER AND CIRCUMFERENCE. bRAIN fATIGUE IS REAL!!! i'LL NEVER FORGET THE FIRST DAY OF MEDICAL SCHOOL. AFTER CLASSES FROM 8-5, I MADE IT HOME AND REVIEWED ALL 8 OF MY SYLLABI - I HAD OVER 400 PAGES OF READING TO COMPLETE THAT NIGHT.
THIS IS A LONG ROAD. COLLEGE - 4 YEARS, MEDICAL SCHOOL - 4 YEARS, RESIDENCY TIME VARIES - FOR SURGERY 7 YEARS, RESIDENCY FOR PEDIATRICS 3 YEARS...
2) What were some of the hardships you faced throughout the long journey to becoming a doctor?
SEE ABOVE
3) Did you have to deal with racism throughout any level of your education or career?
RACISM AND SEXISM ARE PERVASIVE. tHIS CAN COME FROM FELLOW STUDENTS (AFRICAN AMERICAN OR ORTHERWISE), TEACHERS, ANCILLARY STAFF (nURSES, TECHNICIANS) AND EVEN PATIENTS. MANY STILL BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN THAT YOU ARE aFFIRMATIVE ACTION - MEANING THAT YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE BECAUSE YOUR ADMISSION STANDRADS ARE LOWER.
RACISM IS NOT LIMITED TO AFIRCAN AMERICANS EITHER. I HAVE FRIENDS FROM ALL ETHNIC GROUPS THAT HAVE EXPEREIENCED RACISM.
4) Was there anything very challenging about your journey that you would like to share?
MEDICINE REQUIRES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SELF SACRIFICE. WHILE KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS YOUR SAME AGE ARE PARTYNG, PLAYING AND TRAVELLING, YOU ARE PULLING 36 HOUR SHIFTS AND DEALING WITH LIFE OR DEATH ISSUES. THIS REQUIRES COMMITTMENT, MATURITY, EMPATHY AND A STRONG WORK ETHIC.
5) Do you know anything about Charles Drew and his journey?
HE WAS OSTRACIZED BY HIS WHITE COLLEAGUES BOTH AS A STUDENT AND AS A PROFESSIONAL. REFUSED ADMISSION TO MEDICAL SOCIETIES. cAN YOU IMAGINE NOONE LETTING YOU INTO THEIR STUDY GROUP BECAUSE OF YOUR RACE?
HE WAS EXCLUDED FROM SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AMONGST HIS COLLEAGUES - HE COULDN'T ATTEND THE PARTIES, HE COULDN'T DATE, GO ON SOCIAL OUTINGS, IN CLASS HE WOULD SIT ALONE. OCCAS IF HE RAISED HIS HAND TO ASK A QUESTION, THE PROFESSOR WOULD IGNORE HIM.
6) Do you think your journey to becoming a successful doctor would be different if you lived during the WWII time period?
MORE RACISM, MORE SEXISM, LESS FELLOW STUDENT ACCEPTANCE AND SUPPORT, LESS FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE - SO YOU HAD TO BE INDEPENDENTLY WEALTHY.
