Dr. Todd A Jenkins, MD, is a practicing OBGYN in Columbus, Ohio. He owns a private practice with several doctors and practices at multiple hospitals around the area. In college Dr. Jenkins knew he wanted to go to medical school, however, was not sure what major he wanted to pursue. He was not interested in chemistry or physics, but was searching for another major that had required classes needed to apply for medical school. He met with an academic advisor who helped him finally decide on Zoology. While he did not want to work with animals as a career he knew that it would be a good major to get acclimated with the field, as well as learn many important things.
Dr. Jenkins’ favorite course in college was anatomy. He found it really fascinating to break down the muscles and bones. Though his anatomy classes focused on animals, due to his major, it was correlated to taking care of humans. It gave him a taste for dissecting things as well as seeing if that was what he really wanted to do. He also learned to recognize parts and understand what real life medical care would require.
While in college, Dr. Jenkins worked as a teaching assistant in the Zoology department at Miami University. He found this gave him good background in being able to understand how to teach others, as well as good practice for directing and leading people. He also worked as a medical assistant in an internal medicine practice. He observed minor procedures such as colonoscopy’s, but mostly just observed what it was like to just prescribe medicine. He found this extremely boring. He did not want a job that required sitting at a table all day and talking to people just to write prescriptions. This made him realize that he wanted to be a surgeon of some sort.
Dr. Jenkins thinks the most important skills for someone in his career is patience and problem solving. He says that despite what you are taught in school things do not come at you like they are described in the paragraph of the text book. You have to be able to work through things and think on your feet. There is not time to stand around and watch you have to make a decision and live with it. He also says that patients are often frustrating to deal with and so that is why patience is key.
As far as advice, Dr. Jenkins has a lot to say. He says that you really have to look at why you want to be a doctor, and what your end goal is. He says you have to ask yourself questions like “Am I doing this for the money? For the status? To help people?”. He also says additional questions like “How much do I want to work? How important is family to me? How important is free time to me? Do I want to own my own practice or work for someone?” must be asked. There are different ways to go about being in the medical field that correspond to these questions. He says that times are different now and there are a lot more pressures surrounding up and coming doctors. It is not as easy to be your own boss; most people end up working for an employer. He says you really need to be in the field for the right reasons or you will not enjoy your career.
Dr. Jenkins is my dad. I chose to interview him because he was easily accessible and is a role model for me. He has influenced my career choice because he is the main reason I want to be a doctor. When I was little I would beg to hear about every baby he delivered, and he really got me interested in the medical field. The most unexpected thing I learned from the interview was regarding the difference between working for an employer and owning your own practice. I did not realize the huge disparities between the two, and how hard it is becoming to have your own practice. Ideally, I would like to have my own. I still need to learn a lot regarding this major/career. I know I would like to go to medical school, however I have no idea what I want to major in. There are so many choices it is overwhelming. I am not sure how I am going to decide and make a confident decision. The most helpful exploration tool I utilized this semester was learning how to use Schedule Planner as well as how to search for classes. I would have been completely lost had we not gone over this in class and it really helped me know what general education requirements to take.