Narrative Pre-Health Journal

Pre-health Student Stories | December 13

My interest in medicine began with my appreciation for personalized healthcare. In many hospital settings you’re briefly seen, given limited time to find a diagnosis and are not able to build a relationship with physicians, making it difficult for patients to open up to their healthcare professional. 

My experience of coming to the U.S from Mexico prompted barriers in communication and access to care for me and my family. We found ourselves traveling between Mexico and the U.S in order to obtain the medical attention my family deserved. With having family members who had health conditions such as cancer, they’ve constantly motivated me to become someone who is able to support patients the way my family deserves to be cared for. Creating a private practice is how I wish to give back. Creating a space where there is a healthcare team that gives patients their full attention, having them be seen as more of a person than a patient is how I want to give back as a future physician. 

I’ve been able to explore different health opportunities, including podiatry, where I was able to see what it was like to run a private practice. Through that experience is where I strengthened  my passion for having one of my own. Seeing what happens behind the scenes in a healthcare setting, working with medical staff who wanted the best for their patients reinforced why I chose to go into medicine. Having the experience of being a patient, and being the one who provides that care, gives me the compassion and understanding I hope to have with future patients. 

My involvement with Kappa Gamma Delta surrounds me with pre-health students who are just as passionate about medicine and gives me a safe space to turn to when being pre-med gets tough. It reminds me that everyone’s pre-health journey is different. Whether it be guiding me in a field where I’ll be the first in my family to enter health professions, or when it comes to needing additional motivation, having that community keeps pushing me to achieve the practice and profession I hope to have one day.

Pre-health Student Stories | December 1st

I’ve always known I wanted to give back to others. When exploring the different pathways on where I wanted to give back, the health professions stood out to me. I knew I didn’t want to become a doctor at a young age due to my experiences being in and out the hospital with family members, which is a setting I couldn’t see myself perusing as a career. Dental stood out to me because of its personal relationship with patients. Being able to see the same patients twice a year and helping them in the moment gives me the satisfaction of providing oral care to patients. I aspire to be a dentist who makes patients feel comfortable sitting in my chair and made it my goal to give back that way. With being a pre-dental student at Davis, I found myself enjoying the environment, making lasting friendships and progressing towards a future I wish to obtain. Although, being a first generation low-income student added on additional burdens that became prominent once starting my undergrad journey. With having to work many hours to support myself financially through school, I caught myself devoting much of my time at work and less time towards experiences as a pre-dental student. It was hard at the beginning with managing school, work, and trying to navigate through what’s it’s like to be pre-dental, but I found that with the close friends I’ve made and current involvements as a Co-leader for Juvenile Caduceus Clinic (JCC) dental committee, a SmileSavers volunteer, and my upcoming experience volunteering at CommuniCare Dental, that it reminds me why I’m able to push myself to be the first in my family to graduate college and pursue a career that allows me to help others in a way that I’m passionate about.

Pre-Health Student Stories | October 23

At a young age, I started learning about careers in healthcare, however, the biggest impact that shifted my perspective on healthcare was when a family member had a stroke. Having been with my family members every step of the way and accompanying their physical therapy sessions, a spark of curiosity lit when I started to seek interest in the role of a physical therapist and started understanding the medical services and careers that could support a patient’s recovery. A particular memory that stands out is when my family member was doing hydrotherapy and they were performing breaststroke with one functional arm and leg. This experience greatly impacted me as I was able to recognize and experience how crucial physical therapists are in supporting recovery to both chronic and acute injuries.
This event in my life made me reflect on my own community and the disparities I see within access to healthcare. Many people in my low-income community don’t have access to the same clinics and medical infrastructures as the nearby towns. In my personal experience, having to leave town for access to resources like stroke rehabilitation centers with hydrotherapy. Knowing these disparities, I knew that I wanted to go to college and start my journey to become a physical therapist so I can come back to my community and help close the disparities.

Entering college, navigating STEM classes can be challenging, especially for individuals who didn’t have equal access to the same education as other students. This impacted me as I experienced imposter syndrome because I began comparing myself to others, however over time, with the support of my family and friends, I learned not to compare my journey with others and began to believe in myself and my personal journey.

As of now, I hope to continue the route of becoming a physical therapist and with currently being involved in the UC Davis Sports Medicine Internship, I’ve enjoyed working with athletes in the rehabilitation stages of their injuries. This experience has led me to a new pathway and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me.