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Today I spend my days at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine poring over X-ray film. As a first-year diagnostic radiology intern, I am learning to make medical diagnoses based on the evidence at hand. But I speak from personal experience when I tell you that not all diagnoses can be deduced so logically. A few years ago, my own medical career was not so clear on the scans.
Born in Ketchikan, Alaska, to a 14-year-old single mother of Tsimshian Native descent, my younger years were spent watching family members struggle with drug and alcohol abuse. Violence loomed everywhere. Anger and behavioral problems began to plague me, affecting my school attendance. In fifth grade, for example, I was on a half-day program because I couldn’t stay in school all day without causing some problem.
I also had no academic role models; no one in my family had even graduated from high school, let alone college. For me, though, these early obstacles were not enough to deter me from my dream of becoming a doctor. I began to mold my anger into determination to succeed. Rather than succumbing to failure, I saw my circumstances as a motivator.
This change didn’t exactly happen overnight. But I began to realize that when you’re consumed with failure, you become immobilized by fear and you can’t do your best. I decided not to give in to my fears
I remember first putting this attitude to the test when I failed an advanced math class in college. My first reaction then was ‘I need to take it again and do better.’
I also learned to appreciate small successes, and grow from them. Every undergraduate class I did well in gave me a little more confidence to move forward.
This confidence came in especially handy when it was time to take the MCAT® exam. Since I had always struggled in humanities classes, the hardest part of the MCAT exam was the verbal section. My solution: reading classic literature. In particularly, I opted for Charles Dickens. In addition to helping me with my verbal score, Mr. Dickens helped me develop a new respect for the liberal arts!
I would advise future MCAT exam takers not to let it overwhelm you psychologically. Staying calm when facing this test is an important asset.
Although college and medical school were both tough on me financially, I was able to find ways to pay for my education. Having had no economic support from my family, I secured scholarships designed for underprivileged students. A part-time job as a cardio-technician generated some income, and also gave me a better inside scoop on the world of medicine. Although I still carry some student debt, these loans are manageable.
Although financial and academic obstacles loomed large, no other career could satisfy me like medicine does. I don’t know what I would do if I was not a doctor. I cannot picture myself doing anything else.
My advice to people considering medical school: believe in yourself. Never give up. It might not happen right away, but if being a doctor is truly what you want, you’ll make it happen.
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