It goes beyond the high paying salary...

Twelve years of college, on-call hours and potentially very little work-life balance are all factors which can deter many people from pursuing a career in medicine but I knew since I was 10 years old that I wanted to be a doctor. At the time, many people probably just took this as a young kid reciting the most popular response when asked “what do you want to be when you get older?”, except my answer never changed and from the time I was 13 years old, everything I did in school was aimed at helping prepare me for this profession.

While I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, I have a love for many other things such as writing, teaching others, solving real life ethical problems and sometimes acting as a therapist or social worker to others lol. I have never found any job which gives me the opportunity to work with people on a holistic level and allows me to incorporate not only my academic skills but my interest as well. Where I look to write, I have the opportunity to engage in cutting edge medical research and publish scientific articles, where I look to engage in philosophy and ethics, I get to work through medical ethical dilemmas in this career, when I have that urge to teach, I am fortunate enough to teach my patients about the importance of having a primary care provider, the prevention of chronic disease and how to better care for themselves and their children, while simultaneously being a trusting person my patients will be able to confide in; and when I need that biological fix because as a science junkie, I am always amazed by the complexity of the human body, I will forever be surrounded by my love of biology and science.

While I always knew I wanted to be a doctor, I did not always know what type. After graduating high school, I was sure I wanted to be a pediatrician, until I began working in a daycare and realized I do not enjoy working with children of all ages. Then it changed to a Neonatologist, because I am fascinated with abnormalities and diseases, but then I realized I cannot deal with death so frequently as I would have had to. I am not able to be completely detached from my job emotionally and working in the neonatal intensive care unit would break me down emotionally.

It was through my Community HealthCorps AmeriCorps public service at the Syracuse Community Health Center where I found my niche. My service assignment was a Community Health Educator specializing as a Women’s Heath Ambassador. Here is where I developed a passion for advocating for the care of women, especially those in underserved populations. I realized that women are not only treated unequally in corporate America but in medicine as well. I have developed a fire in me which burns to ensure that ALL women, regardless of race or socioeconomic class receive the best quality care. Women are often times the backbones of families and while taking care of everyone else, forget to care for themselves. I cannot wait to take my experience as a Community Health Educator and apply it to my clinical care as I study to become an OB/GYN. I have recognized the importance of primary care; teaching individuals the importance of seeing a doctor on a regular basis, as opposed to using the ER as their doctor’s office. And the great thing is, not only do I get to work in primary care but I still get to indulge in my fair share of infections and diseases dealing with STIs, which are sexually transmitted infections, formally referred to as STDs (I know, you probably think I’m gross but hey, someone’s gotta do it). I know that the passion I have is God given and I cannot wait to change lives, one woman at a time.  

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~xoxo Ash