What inspired you to become involved with the PIT Committee?
Working with undergraduate and medical students and resident physicians, I have always had a passion for inspiring the future of medicine. Even in hospital medicine’s 20 years of existence, I knew there were many opportunities for me to engage trainees. For this reason, I applied for a seat on the PIT Committee and was accepted as the only medical student to sit on an SHM committee.
Having founded the first hospital medicine interest group at a medical school in the U.S. at Loyola, my work on the PIT Committee is focused on enhancing our ability to engage medical students and residents. I am a member of the Student Interest Group Task Force that is creating a toolkit for medical schools from across the nation to gain recognition from SHM for creating a hospital medicine interest group. The blueprint we used at Loyola is being adopted and incorporated in our toolkit. Another avenue of engagement is through the new Students Community on HMX, SHM’s online member engagement platform. This new community, which I helped to launch, will serve as an important channel for us to connect with trainees nationally and encourage them to consider hospital medicine as a specialty.
What opportunities do you see for hospitalists as the medical landscape continues to evolve?
I see hospitalists playing important roles in value-based care and population health. Hospitalists have carved their niche in quality improvement within health systems, and I believe they will be best suited for spearheading projects to enhance the value of medical care. Hospitalists will also no longer have an impact within the confines of a hospital as the landscape is shifting toward population health; therefore, hospitalists will be charged with helping to devise methods to proactively identify care gaps in their patients to promote preventive care and chronic disease management.
What would you tell medical students about choosing hospital medicine as a career?
I believe that a career in hospital medicine is one of the most versatile. If you are someone who must be continually stimulated by various work settings, then hospital medicine is right for you. I enjoy multidimensional work, and as a future academic hospitalist, I know that my scope of practice will include mentorship, education, research, leadership, and clinical duties. The ability to have such a versatile career will be extremely fulfilling.
What’s next for you in your medical career?
As a second-year medical student, my primary focus is on succeeding academically and adequately preparing for my USMLE Step 1 exam to match at my desired internal medicine residency program. Outside of my studies, I am continuing to develop my analytical skills and leadership acumen so that I can become a major player in hospital medicine once I am an academic hospitalist. After residency, I will be pursuing a fully employed MBA program where I will be equipped with the necessary skills to realize my professional goals. TH