Wife, mom, and medical resident: This week, a show about succeeding in med school and residency while juggling multiple commitments.

Meet Dr. Jasmine Johnson, the blogger at Mrs. Mommy MD and a second year ObGyn resident at UNC Chapel Hill. Her first child was born while she was applying to med school – and she’s been juggling her multiple roles ever since! [0:57]

Dr. Johnson’s path to medicine [1:25]

Growing up with a physician father (a urologist), she was interested in medicine from a young age. As an undergrad at the U of Michigan, she majored in Brain Behavior/Cognitive Science. In her senior year of college, while she was applying to med schools, she gave birth to a baby boy. When she became pregnant, she decided she would still apply that year.

While she had interviews, she didn’t get in anywhere. However, she had the opportunity to enroll in a postbac program at Indiana U. The postbac made a huge difference in terms of strengthening her application for the following year. She was able to raise her MCAT score, and taking the first-year med school curriculum during the postbac program helped boost her GPA (and also gave her added skills and confidence for med school – especially given that she was starting with a young child). The second time she applied, she was accepted to med schools, including IU, where she decided to go.

Did she apply to postbac programs or DO programs alongside MD programs? [5:46]

No, she didn’t apply initially to postbac programs (and didn’t consider osteopathic programs). The opportunity to join the IU postbac came along with their rejection letter from the med school program. But she thinks that applying to postbac programs can be a very smart choice for applicants, especially for people who might need to strengthen one part of their application.

Is the IU postbac program restricted to state residents? [7:43]

No – she had classmates from all over the country and all walks of life, including career changers.

Looking back, what were her challenges in the application process? [9:00]

She was anxious about beefing up her stats (especially the MCAT). But a big concern for her was also how much to disclose about her personal situation as a new mom. She opted to be conservative, since she was worried about how readers might react to issues around working mothers, etc. But in her residency applications, she was much more open about her personal situation. And looking back, she thinks she was over-concerned when applying to med school.

Would she advise applicants with children to be more open than she was? [11:15]

It’s a strength to be able to juggle responsibilities and achieve all that you have – a mark of maturity. And being a parent can also show your ability to relate to patients and be empathetic.

What were the hardest or most memorable interview questions she faced? [13:15]

She was asked to explain a semester when her grades fell – it was a blunt question. This forces you to discuss a weakness straightforwardly in a way that shows growth and maturity.

The other question she found challenging was: “If you didn’t do medicine, what would you do?” Because she had no other real goals. But a question like that forces you to think on your feet.