Contributing Writer
University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
Brittany D.K. Gratreak is a second year MD/PhD student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. She began college at Portland Community College, then graduated from Portland State University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in biology. She is an active leader in women's medical professional groups and dedicated to creating mentorship opportunities for fellow first-generation and low income (FGLI) premedical students. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling, strategy games, and creating art. After graduating medical school, Britt wants to revolutionize the care of patients with traumatic brain injury through neurology and neuroscience.
I applied to medical school twice. In retrospect, I was unsuccessful the first time for a few reasons: my timing was terrible, I had too much humility about my achievements and I didn’t ask for enough opinions about my application from people who were rooting for me. My trauma was also too raw and recent to write in a way for strangers to understand.
There has been limited to no coverage regarding what it’s like to get sick during this time and to enter the health care system without knowing if your condition is related to the pandemic. I envisioned it to be a frightening situation with much grey area, and then I endured it myself.
On my first day volunteering in the hospital, my task is to observe Steven, a more experienced volunteer, as he visits with patients. We begin by meeting Amanda, the first patient on our list.
Medical school is an exciting time in an aspiring physician’s life, but a somber reality is looming.
After our first year of coursework, our LC mentors asked us to write a confidential letter to our “2016 self,” or ourselves at the time just before we began medical school. Right away, I recalled that at that time, I was a nervous wreck.
Contributing Writer
University of Alabama School of Medicine
Emily N. Hayward is originally from Rochester Hills, Michigan, about 30 minutes north of Detroit. From a young age, she developed a strong interest in pediatric oncology. This led her to move to Memphis, TN, to complete her undergraduate studies at Rhodes College, just down the street from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. While in college, she researched, volunteered, and/or interned in the clinics at St. Jude on a daily basis. Today, she is a third year MD/PhD student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her anticipated graduation year with the dual degree is 2024.
