Undergrad Institution; Degree and Major:
Duke University, BA in Political Science and Health policy
Medical School:
University of South Alabama
In practice since:
2012
Your Specialty:
Family Medicine
Where and for how many years did you train AFTER medical school:
After medical school, I did my Family Medicine residency training at Duke University Medical Center for 3 years. I then completed a health services research fellowship through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at the University of Michigan for 2 years.
How did you choose your specialty?
I debated between Family Medicine and OB/Gyn. In fact, I had a hard time deciding until I did sub-internships in my 4th year of medical school. I found that the aspects of OB/Gyn that I liked were related to continuity of care, doing procedures, and women’s health. I realized that Family Medicine offered all these aspects of care with a lot more flexibility. My career has since taken a much different trajectory where I focus on health services research in primary care, so I feel very fortunate to have picked Family Medicine!
What do you like MOST, and like LEAST, about your specialty?
For me, the flexibility is what I like the most. As a family doctor, you can spend time in an ambulatory setting, the hospital, acute/urgent care, etc. So, depending on where you are in life, you can adjust your work/clinical time.
What I like least is the amount of time I have to spend on paperwork and messages (but I don’t know if that is unique to Family Medicine).
In your opinion, what attributes are important in anyone choosing this specialty?
Most importantly, you have to be comfortable with a little bit of the unknown. We are on the frontlines, and often the first point of contact for patients with undifferentiated problems. You may not always have the answer, and the plans of care will vary, but that keeps things new and exciting. I never know what to expect in clinic!
Hobbies/special interests:
I enjoy spending time with my kids and husband, yoga, reading, and experimenting with new recipes, my sweet husband is a great guinea pig for this!