Professional Development Workshop and Conferences: Attending the Morehouse School of Medicine First Look (2-3 points)

     

  On Saturday September 27th, I attended the Morehouse School of Medicine First Look. The program was led by the Morehouse School of Medicine students in the Master of Science in Medical Sciences. The main topic of the program was to talk about everything relating to medical school such as how to do well on the MCAT, benefits of gap years, and how to make yourself a competitive applicant. They also held workshops to get one-on-one feedback on things like interview skills and how to insert a tourniquet. Overall, I really enjoyed this experience as it widened my view of the medical field. They brought in doctors and medical students from all different backgrounds which really solidified the idea that there is not one perfect way to get into medical school. Many of the doctors were non-traditional students, yet they are well-renowned doctors today. It made me feel like my goal of getting into medical school was not as impossible as it seemed. All of the medical students also talked about what they did to prepare for medical school which I took note of so I could incorporate it into my 4-year plan. I was also able to make connections with the doctors and medical students there, which will be helpful when I am looking for shadowing opportunities in the future.

    One of the topics they briefly mentioned was health justice versus health equity. Health equity consists of making sure everyone has the right accommodations to combat the unjust system while health justice calls for a rework of the system entirely to make it fair. This concept reminded me of what we are talking about in my IBQC class which is focused on Reproductive Justice. We talk about the history of the unfair treatment of black women and the use of eugenics even in the healthcare field. My career goal is to be an Obstetrician and learning about these histories motivates me to not be a provider of health equity, but health justice for all of my patients

    They also held a seminar with a panel of women of color in the medical field. They talked about the challenges they had to face with getting their education and the discrimination they faced. I really liked this panel because they had such diverse experiences. They also brought up a point I never considered: family planning through getting a medical degree. I never considered the challenge women would have to face in getting a medical degree while having children since in our society, the woman is mostly responsible for child-rearing. I have so much respect for women doctors considering they are balancing raising children on top of an already highly demanding career. The panel’s main advice was “Don’t put your life on hold” for your degree. In the future I will have to consider when I want to have children and make it align with my education so I can pursue both goals.

- Taylar Wharton