Real MD

Medical school moves very fast and it is great when we can take a moment and process the experience. In this episode, I sit down with second year medical students, Blake Findley and Alizah Folau, they also both serve as RealMD leaders. We talk about what it’s like for them right now in med school, how their reasons for pursuing medicine have evolved, keeping their “why” alive, and a national conference called RISE that they both attended last summer. What struck me most was the idea of bringing humanity into medicine and what that looks like now and in their future. So great to sit down and catch up. 

This episode is a rebroadcast of an interview from the AAMC's Learn Serve Lead Conference in Nashville last November, 2022. It features a conversation between Dr. Adina Kalet, the Director of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for Transformation of Medical Education at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Dr. Tom Hurtado from the University of Utah.

Storytelling is a basic need and central to community building. Medical education can be pretty selfish in that people have to focus on building themselves, but being a medical care provider is fairly selfless in that you're caring for whomever might come before you. RealMD brought storytelling to the University of Utah to create a space to practice some of the listening that medicine requires and as an opportunity to take interest in the lives of the people around us. The theme on this storytelling night was “In Transit.” People were encouraged to share stories about arriving in unexpected places, life taking unexpected turns, and meeting someone on the go. We hope you enjoy four of the stories we heard that night.

Dr. Sara Stern wears a lot of hats and enjoys having a wide of variety of roles. In addition to being a Pediatric Rheumatologist, she is a faculty member, researcher, and RealMD coach. She also recently took on a new role as faculty co-director professional identity formation. In this episode, I love how she talks about taking risks to grow and Navigating dark spots to create the life she wants. In her journey, she found people who believed in her before she believed in herself and when she was at a crossroads they helped her take control and move forward. 

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing two founding members of the Utah Medical Orchestra, MS4 AnnaLeah Larson and MS3 Heather Smith. The MSO, as they call it, is a rapidly growing volunteer orchestra composed of students, professionals, and staff in the healthcare community in Salt Lake City who hold large scale performances each semester and also perform as ensembles for patients. In this episode I talk about Heather and Annaleah’s journeys into music and medicine, what is transferable, and their passion to stay connected to the musical community. One transferable skill that I was particularly struck by is the concept of listening and yielding. Classical musicians are in a constant state of adjustment to the people around them, listening and being humble enough to yield as needed. In medicine we must recognize that to do our individual parts well, we also need to listen, recognizing the contributions that are occurring around us, and yield as to the expertise and strengths of others. From an identity formation perspective, I also connected with their individual process of claiming and reclaiming their musical identities. I can appreciate on a personal level the literal dusting off of an instrument and reawakening an important part of who you are. So often, when we are handling the rigors of life, we can forget to claim the parts that bring us joy and replenish us for the long road ahead. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Dr. Katherine Anderson is a geriatrician who advocates for her patients and a developer faculty, she knows how to build people up. In this episode, she shares light bulb moments throughout her professional journey including how she “fell into” her specialty, how she navigates being a “yes” person, and how she goes about setting life goals. I was struck by the wisdom she receives from her patients to not have regrets and prioritize family and the things she cares about now. This life philosophy has helped her navigate struggles including her recent journey as a patient. It is clear that Dr. Anderson cares about staying true to who she is no matter the context. 

Dr. Francis Filloux is a pediatric neurologist and faculty member at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. In recent years, Dr. Filloux has become an amazing RealMD coach and loves working with students as they navigate the inevitable uncertainties of medicine. He treats students like they are family. I think this is the take home message from our conversation. As you navigate your life and career, you will struggle with uncertainty and when you do there are people who will emerge who can help you. Fran’s story about his career demonstrates this. He also offers such strong reassurances: It’s okay to feel uncertain; you will get through it; and there are people who will help you.

Today’s episode features Erica Rojas. She is a colleague of mine who I really appreciate working with. Erica wears a lot of hats at the school of medicine including her roles as a learning specialist in the academic success program, Associate Director of the PROMISE2U  program, and teaching multiple undergraduate courses all while pursuing her PhD in education and being a mother. What stands out to me is how clear much she loves learning and helping all students, particularly underrepresented populations. She is passionate about her work and her story as a first generation student is powerful, she truly wants to take what she learned as a student and help students navigate the system. What came through loud and clear is that everyone feels like an imposter, that we have to work to manage these