I decided to take a year off between undergrad and medical school to test the hypothesis that I was right for medicine. I worked with Healthcare for the Homeless in Pittsburgh as an AmeriCorps member. I got a lot of contact with Pitt Medical faculty, residents and some students who came into our clinics. Since coming here I’ve met a lot of former AmeriCorps volunteers. I think that there’s a real sensing of giving something back among my classmates.
The school encourages us to involve our hearts and minds from the outset. They put us on a bus and we visited some economically troubled areas. We walked with community leaders and got a first-hand account of public health and medical problems. All of that is reinforced when we do our community health rotations. I worked out of the East Liberty Family Health Care Center. It’s more than learning how to be a mini doctor who can take vital signs. You’re asked to take in all of the psychosocial aspects of medicine. At the East Liberty Family Health Center, they pray with patients after every visit. At first, it feels odd because the doctor is holding hands with the patient. But it’s helped me to learn the spiritual and emotional side of health care.
