Tell us about your residency at Mount Auburn Hospital. What does a day look like for you?
I'm now in my third year of residency, and I’m technically a senior resident, which is wonderful. It’s crazy how quickly it’s gone by! But it’s going very well. I think with residency, no matter what specialty, you're undergoing a significant challenge, so it’s a very difficult but also very rewarding experience. This program has been very nurturing for me.
In our program, we see a lot of really classic medical cases, but we are also exposed to higher-level procedures and specialty cases, as well. Having the opportunity to shadow and work with specialists has helped me become more confident in what I enjoy within medicine, which for me, is oncology. I've had the opportunity to work closely with our oncologists to do inpatient consultations and work in their clinic. I’m also exploring the role of palliative care. I find these conversations about goals of care to be particularly meaningful and rewarding.
What are your goals for the remainder of residency and beyond?
My goal is to apply for a fellowship in hematology oncology, but I would also like to pursue advanced training in palliative care. There are new pilot programs that combine both programs into one, which I am very interested in applying for. After my third year of medical residency, I will complete a chief year. During that time, I will be applying for fellowship. I look forward to the opportunity for more dedicated teaching time, advocacy for residents, and participation in program leadership.
Down the line, I see myself in academic medicine, but I am also interested in hospital administration. So right now, my interests remain very broad, and I'm excited to continue exploring various career paths.
Oncology can be taxing for both patients and providers. How did UNE COM prepare you for such a heavy field of work?
One of the most valuable lessons from my UNE COM training was based on the foundational osteopathic principles: considering each patient as a whole integrated system of parts. It is so important to consider how all the physical, mental, and social aspects of a person affect health outcomes and the disease process that we're seeing. In the fields of oncology and palliative care, I appreciate that you're not only focusing on one organ system or one problem, but you’re also really thinking about the person as a whole.
In oncology, you're thinking about a patient’s cancer process and thinking about how you can treat that, but the treatments are often variable, intense, and can have significant impacts on a patient's quality of life. It’s important to consider, “What is most important for this person?” and meeting them where they’re at by listening to their values and priorities.
Training at UNE COM provided me with a strong set of foundational skills to really take a step back and consider each patient and how they fit into their own environment and then empowering them to make the best decisions for their medical care.