Students from the class of 2022 are celebrating the next step in their professional journey. Here they share what has inspired them along the way and what advice they would give to new students.
Where did you match?Navy Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia
General Surgery, I have always loved working with my hands and as soon as I got involved in surgeries, I fell in love. There is something about having a patient come in with a certain disease/issue and within a few weeks to months you are able to fix that problem for them, and they are very grateful. Eventually I want to really work with women who have breast cancer and not only perform their mastectomies, but also help them "become a woman again" by doing their breast implants. Cancer hits home for me as I have had family members that have passed away from cancer, most recently brain cancer. The fact that surgery helped prolong my aunt's life by having the tumor resected allowed my family and me the time to spend with her and create those final memories with her. I want to not only do this for other people, but also want to help those people who beat cancer feel whole again!
I was beyond elated! I think it was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Becoming a doctor is hard, but in the end it is worth it. There are going to be days where you feel like you are not meant to be here, but just remember you ARE meant to be here. Not many people can do what we do, so don't quit, keep fighting, keep putting in the extra hours to study, and in the end it will all play out the way you want it to and you will match in the specialty of your choice. Being a doctor is hard, but the reward from helping others definitely outweighs the battle we go through in medical school!
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