I stared at this human heart that I held in my hands – looking at it with complete awe and reveling in its intricacies amongst my fellow group of Medical Explorers. Standing in the white walls of the hospital, medicine finally became a tangible reality rather than some distant goal. The human heart I once looked at in awe has come to represent not only the science that I have fallen in love with but also my passion for people as I try to be someone to hold the hearts of others.
A large part of my vocation to serve patients stems from my experiences growing up. I would hear the faint creak of the garage door and know that my mother had returned home from a long day of working as a nurse. Listening to her stories, both positive and negative, regarding the patients she cared for was my favorite evening pastime. I would help her make dinner each night and would fire a million and one questions her way while envisioning the day that I too would be able to utilize my empathy and passion to improve health outcomes of others.
My mother’s experience in nursing peaked my initial interest in healthcare; however, confirmation of my desire to seek a career as a physician occurred after experiencing working in a healthcare setting. The impact of the role of a clinician was instantaneously captured as I shadowed in the Emergency Department. When a baby was flown in that was in significant distress, I observed as a flurry of clinicians and nurses worked amongst the chaos in a unified team, like a magnificent symphony, to resuscitate and save this young child, as well as to keep the family abreast of the details. I had the opportunity to shadow at my college health center each week, and this same responsibility and ability to enact positive change continually pulled me towards the profession of being a physician. Each patient presented a different painting with their histories, and we worked quickly to solve each individual patient puzzle. I was enthralled with the idea of being a clinical problem solver.
Holding the hearts of others and this vocation to serve has continually been an integral part of my life and is relevant to my calling as a physician. My family always welcomed those with needs into our household. Whether it was my cousin who was out of a job, foster children in need of a place to stay, or a Ukrainian orphan named Vitaliy, they have and always will be welcomed into our home. This “open door policy” is something I have carried with me into college as I now serve as a Resident Assistant for freshmen. I leave my door open each day to help answer questions and guide the incoming freshmen and have found there is a direct and immediate impact we are able to make on those in our community by serving as a resource. This is inherently the heart of medicine and was highlighted when a pediatric resident I shadowed was able to alleviate a child’s fears through this same act of listening.
In holding the human heart, my innate curiosity drove me to delve into its anatomy and physiology, and this thrill of understanding what once confounded me is what led to my deep fascination with the world of science. I continue to crave this application of knowledge, and I have satiated this desire through conducting research as a Petit Undergraduate Research Scholar and in an FDA Research Fellowship Program, where I currently play a role in improving health through investigating scientific questions related to immunology. By the same token, my extensive research experience reaffirmed my aspirations for becoming a physician where I am able to combine this critical thinking nature with my passion for people each day. My research experience has helped use my intellectual curiosity in a positive way, and I hope to continue to pursue research throughout my medical training.
One year ago, I was able to go to Cusco, Peru on a medical mission trip and immerse myself in the world of healthcare abroad. I may not have held any hearts there, but I did hold hands of patients as they winced at the shots we gave them for inflammation. At Georgia Tech, I had volunteered with Medshare to collect and redistribute medical products to qualified healthcare facilities in medically underserved communities. In Peru, I found myself in a place where I was able to witness the stark healthcare disparities firsthand between developing nations and the United States. Working alongside Peruvian doctors and my team, I was at first uneased by the language barrier and lack of resources we had available. Yet as I began to use my Spanish to provide patient care, I felt privileged and humbled in my ability to play a role in improving patient health and felt galvanized to pursue this path to medicine.
At the core of my heart is empathy, and I aspire to become a physician in order to hold and heal the hearts of others. It is this empathy that serves as the foundation for my aspirations, and I will only be fulfilled in a career where I can marry my passion for people and all that they endure with my passion for studying the intricacies of the world we live in. There are undoubtedly many changes already occurring in the healthcare sector, and I am here to be a part of this change and ultimately to learn to become the best possible physician that I can be.
Megen's Musings 