Being a mentor is something that I have gravitated towards for many years now. I have always had a hunger for knowledge and an eagerness for sharing that knowledge with others. Years of participating in extracurricular activities and attending summer enrichment programs have helped me develop excellent interpersonal communication skills that further enhance my ability to naturally step into a mentorship role. Part of the fulfillment of being a medical student has been taking advantage of this tremendous privilege by disseminating my story, pitfalls included, to other aspiring med students in attempts to help them succeed. As I’ve progressed in my medical education I’ve enjoyed the natural progression from mentoring undergraduate students to mentoring current medical students; the physicians of tomorrow. As the president of the Association of Women Surgeons, I helped coordinate the first-ever mentorship event providing mentors for both medical students and pre-medical students. As a graduate of the MEDPATH program (Ohio State’s pre-medical post-baccalaureate program), I routinely attend panels and help coordinate meetings to offer tips and tools for the upcoming classes. As a senior medical student, I have taken pride in my newly-appointed role of “teacher” for the junior medical students I have worked with. Below, I provide examples of my continued efforts to be a mentor to those coming after me.
After completing the Nth Dimensions summer internship, an eight-week internship that involved hands-on clinical, surgical, and research experience in orthopaedic surgery, I gave this presentation to first-year medical students interested in the field. The program is specifically geared towards women and other traditionally underrepresented minorities in highly competitive fields of medicine. With the help of another med student who completed the internship in Radiology, we organized this event to share our experiences with hopes that more students from OSU would take advantage of the amazing program. Chipotle was included! I am pictured standing at the podium. Date: November 16, 2017. Feel free to click through the presentation below!
A screenshot of a “thank you” text from the third-year med student I worked with during my mini-I. Identifying information has been redacted.
I will always find a way to be a mentor in some way. During my internship and residency, I look forward to continuing to teach and mentor medical students as well as residents in subsequent classes. I’ll covet the day when I become an attending and I can finally provide shadowing opportunities and author letters of recommendation for promising young students eager to enter the field of medicine, as I once was.