My Medical Influencer
by Aashka Sheth, M3
As a child, I would frequently stay up late, waiting for my dad to come home from work. When I heard the garage door open, I would spring out of bed, no matter how late it was, and ask him where he had been. I didn’ t understand why he spent so much time traveling when we had a hospital in our town, and he could be working closer to home. He gently explained to me that the towns he was moonlighting in were severely understaffed, and that he wanted to help in any way that he could. To a sleepy child, that was a sufficient answer to stop my line of questioning and return to bed. Even though I didn’ t know much about his profession other than that he was a doctor, I knew that he would be out somewhere helping people. My early experiences watching my dad instilled a sense of community within me and a desire to lend a helping hand to those in need.
My father grew up in India, completed medical school and moved to the U. S. in his early twenties to complete his residency. It couldn’ t have been easy starting a life over from scratch, but he did it humbly and excellently. He completed his internal medicine training and pursued a fellowship in geriatrics. Eventually, my family ended up in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where we have been ever since. My dad has since established his clinical practice, become medical director at several nursing homes and had a long, fulfilling career as a hospitalist. Throughout his many roles, he has taught me the true meaning of dedication, perseverance and diligence. When I asked him how he manages his workload, he laughed and said to me,“ When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”
When people hear that my dad is a physician, they think that it’ s a given that I chose to go into medicine. However, I believe I chose medicine despite some of my father’ s experiences. His journey has not been easy, and being a rural physician comes with its own challenges, a reality that he has always been honest about. Over the years, I’ ve seen him deal with the stress of working in understaffed settings, having rotating doctors disrupt the team dynamic and handling an increased workload. While many doctors came and left, he has stayed put for almost 25 years, facing these challenges head-on. His commitment to his patients and his community has been unwavering and inspiring. It was impossible to go anywhere in our town without my father being recognized and stopped by patients, who would then regale me with stories about what a caring doctor he had been to them. His career has shown me how rewarding work can be through cultivating meaningful friendships with your patients.
From a young age, my parents impressed upon me that I could choose any career path I wanted to, if I worked hard to achieve it. They made sure I was aware of the endless opportunities out there and helped foster my interests. For years, I considered a career in the arts as I had always been drawn to my creative side even though
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