Tag Archives: Medical Student Author

When I Fell in Love With Family Medicine

Aisha Harris Medical Student

Aisha Harris
Medical Student

This is a finalist in the 2015 STFM Blog Competition

When I decided to pursue a career in medicine I knew that I wanted to go into primary care. Primary care physicians were the individuals that impressed and influenced me. They were on the front line providing grassroots medicine and I wanted that. I wanted the feeling of being a catalyst for change in an individual and a community. I wanted the unique responsibility and humility that comes with practicing family medicine and its roots within its general practitioner history. And be a part of the critical role of family medicine physicians and their ability to get intertwined within generations, households, and communities.

Family medicine to me means being a resource to patients and their families and welcoming the opportunity to improve circumstances and quality of life by embodying the core beliefs of medicine. When I started my family medicine rotation during the third year I was excited. During my first 2 years of medical school, I became more and more interested and intrigued by family medicine because of the beautiful spectrum of potential opportunities, experiences, and impact.

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The Real Deal: Serving as a STFM Student Representative

Melissa Robinson

Melissa Robinson
Student Representative

It is mid-morning, and we are on a road trip, driving to the hometown of our son’s fiancée. Well, today she is his fiancée. Tomorrow they will be married, and the car is laden with gifts, wedding favors, and of course the groom’s cake—his favorite, Italian cream cake. It is packed carefully on ice because of the European buttercream. The real deal.

And so, for the first time in many months, I am not studying for a shelf exam, or working on a rotation, or even cleaning up the cake mess in the kitchen. What I love about a road trip is how the time and movement and feeling of the open road invite reflection.

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Experiencing Primary Care From Opposite Sides of the Spectrum: Clerkships Can Influence the Career Path of Medical Students

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Danial Jilani, MPH

The uncertainty surrounding primary care is arguably the highest it has ever been. Many medical students entering their third-year clerkships have preformed conclusions about primary care. At the face of a federal health care overhaul, declining reimbursements, and a workforce shortage estimated to reach 21,000 by 2015, for some medical students the future of primary care seems unpredictable. A third-year experience in family medicine and ambulatory medicine can be an imperative influence in the career path of a medical student.

Third-year students at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine (WSU-BSOM) complete a 6-week family medicine rotation where they spend time with preceptors in a variety of settings, including private offices, indigent clinics, academic settings, and more. During my clerkship, I had the honor of working with Dr Joseph Allen, a recipient of the AAFP Foundation’s 2012 Pfizer Teacher Development award.

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