Morehouse School of Medicine First Look

 

Attending the Morehouse School of Medicine’s First Look Day was like a glimpse into my future. The first look was a confirmation of why I want to dedicate my life to medicine. I had an amazing time learning from my guide who is in accelerated Masters program and she gave a lot of insight about the school, what the faculty was like, and how she maintains a work life balance. I really appreciated that whoever I spoke to whether it was for a panel, an activity, or just in passing seemed so authentic about themselves, their experience, and their journey. Listening to physicians share their journeys reminded me that everyone has their own and really made me feel good about all the physicians having a un conventional journey even surgeons! The most notable person I ran into was a current medical student who opened up about taking the MCAT a whopping 6 times. This really resonates with me as someone who is a chronic poor test taker to see someone who took failure not as rejection but redirection, a skill that I myself and still trying to accomplish. 

I took part in numerous demos and simulators varying from suturing, to performing an echo scan of the heart, stopping the bleeding, histology overviews, and more. Each activity further revealed how science and compassion work hand in hand no matter if you’re in the ER or in the lab. The exercise I feel that I stood out the most in was the mock interview where although I was nervous by the complex philosophical questions being thrown at me on the spot gave my best answers and received nothing but praise from my instructor calling me “personable” and “a great interviewee” The hands-on learning was so immersive I didn’t want it to end and reminded me that medicine takes connection, precision, and care.

Being in that environment awakened a sense of civic orientation within me as it reinforced in me that medicine at its core is about service and accountability to the communities that need it most (especially the black community). It also deepened my curated inwardness, pushing me to reflect on how my own journey has prepared me to step into spaces that demand both skill and empathy. I left the event feeling encourage and even more excited about the journey I am going to embark on and make a difference for our community in the medical field. 

- Giavonni Whitener