student are very important to me, and I liked the idea of getting to do medical school close to home. Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time at the University of Utah School of Medicine. I found many great and lasting friendships, built community within my class and the School of Medicine as a whole, and found my voice in advocating for medical students of color. As co-president of the Family Medicine Interest Group and Pacific Islander Medical Student Association, I created safe places and a feeling of community among the student body. Choosing Family Medicine I came into medical school thinking about family medicine but wanted to keep an open mind throughout the process. However, in my third year of medical school, I started with pediatrics and loved it! I did rural family medicine and loved it! I enjoyed psychiatry, neurology, and internal medicine. Surgery was fun, but I knew that general surgery wasn’t for me by the end of my first six-hour surgery. Mid-way through my third year, I was pretty positive that I wanted to pursue family medicine and was excited to do the parts of family medicine I enjoyed as a family medicine physician. I love full-spectrum medicine and want to work with a community where the families and I are a team! Often when people start seeing a doctor, it ’s a family medicine physician. These doctors are first in line to meet with patients, create lasting and trusting relationships, and start a conversation about their health. The increase in medical students going into family medicine is important because for the general public, finding one good doctor they can relate with, trust to go to for medical advice, and to help them become invested in their own health is so important. Creating relationships with my patients, working together to treat or prevent chronic disease, and being a part of a community is why I was drawn to family medicine. Having worked with so many different health care providers (not just physicians) and getting to emulate the way they connect with their patients makes me proud to be going into family practice. The Critical Importance of a More Diverse and Inclusive Physician Workforce On a recent rotation, I saw a name with Polynesian origins on a list of new admits, and I felt a sense of excitement for the workday. I walked into the room to see a smiling middle-aged man whose foot was covered with a bandage, underneath which he had a diabetic ulcer. As we connected over our shared culture, I explained the pathophysiology behind the formation of his ulcer, the importance of controlling his diabetes, and the necessity of continued follow-up care. The patient was going to be discharged later that morning, and upon leaving, he said, “The next time we see each other, we’ll go eat.” I left with a warm, contented feeling: sharing a meal is how Polynesians show love for one another. And this interaction solidified my interest in family medicine – connecting with patients and helping them understand their illness, with the knowledge that in doing so, I am strengthening the health of a community. The role of professional physician associations to ensure a more diverse workforce is tough to determine, but I also think it’s an important question to ask. Right now, educating current family practice providers and health care workers on diversity and cultural practices in their patients is essential to help increase patient satisfaction. Having a provider who understands where you’re coming from is important in making patients feel included as members of their health care team. Programs with the ability to help students of color, students from historically excluded and lower-income populations should be cognizant of their privilege and work to create pipelines or educational opportunities for these students early in their academic careers. One mentor from medical school actually did not know that becoming a physician was a career option for him until he was well into college. Sadly, this is the case for many other students that come from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Programs that teach these students about science and medicine in K through 12 can help them know that they can pursue careers in health care and often encourage them to continue their education after high school. Medical Student | Continued from page 19 UtahAFP.org | 20
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