was old enough, I went to St. Mary’s and started volunteering on their pediatric general medical floor and then the pediatric emergency department. And then when I was even older, I think it was like 17 or 18, I was able to switch over to the adult ed, and that was awesome because it was kind of full circle coming back to where I was once a patient and also feeling that I was old enough and mature enough to be in that space.
I would go on the weekends, Friday nights, and Saturday nights, whenever there were holidays and I was off from school. It was pretty amazing because, as you know, as a high school student, you don’t think that you’re able to be in these spaces with these doctors and nurses. But I formed a lot of really good friendships and bonds. Even some of the nurses there now were there when I was in high school, and it’s pretty serendipitous that they can see me as a doctor and saw me as this little high school kid there.
I realize this all happened in those high school years, which is quite amazing. I didn’t even think they let high schoolers do that kind of stuff.
Unfortunately, post-COVID, I think it is a little stricter, but this was back in 1997, so things were a little different. You still go through the same training, you know, HIPPA, making sure you’re compliant with patient information and keeping all that private. And they were pretty good about asking patients, are you okay if a volunteer shadows; so it’s not just sprung on all the patients. I spent a lot of time there, and I would go to the operating room with Dr. Robert Borrego, who’s been the trauma director for many years, I believe over 30 years. And he would quiz me on different surgical cases. It was amazing being a high school student and having the surgeon ask me questions about anatomy and physiology while doing it. That really sparked my love for being in the hospital and medicine.
Q: What school did you end up going to? Because, like I said, you’ve done all this stuff while you’re in high school, so what school kind of sparked your interest to further your knowledge in the medical field?
A: When I was in high school, I went to Palm Beach Gardens High School. It was a medical magnet program. And I could get my foot in the door there because of all the volunteer work I did. As an undergraduate, I went to the University of Florida. Florida Bright FIS was a great scholarship for Florida residents. So I come from a family background with not a lot of financial support, and I was able to take advantage of that Florida Bright feature scholarship. I went to the University of Florida for undergrad and grad school. I went to Emory to get my master’s in public health. And then medical school, I was also grateful to get a scholarship to Cleveland Clinic LER College of Medicine at Case Western. So I went up to Ohio for a bit, and now we’re back in Florida.
Q: First, what kind of things did you learn while volunteering? And then those things you learned while you were volunteering, do you think helped you get through medical school a lot smoother than maybe if you hadn’t done these things?
A: Oh, for sure. So you have to understand I was a complete nerd. So I used to go to the library; I would go rent the anatomy physiology books that I didn’t even understand half the words. I would have to have a dictionary next to me and look up some words because I didn’t know them. But I was able to get through quite a bit of anatomy. I knew all the bones, a lot of the ligaments, and tissues; I knew everything about the heart and the lungs. So when I did get to medical school, that part was definitely a lot easier, anatomy and physiology. So much so after my first couple years in medical school, I was able to actually be a teacher in our cadaver lab for the younger medical students.
Typically, the younger medical students were taught by surgical residents. Still, they would let us, those of us who were interested in surgery in those fields, we could go and do the cadaver lab the day before and then stay there and teach some of the medical students when they came in. So it definitely, helped me with my medical education. I would make flashcards and quiz myself and had a whole syllabus of self-learning that I did. In hindsight, I probably should have spent that time hanging out with my friends and making a little bit more of those memories. But I loved it, and it was just so enjoyable to me that it worked out. That may not be fun for everyone, but that was fun.
So that part of it helped for sure. And then, like I said, I met many new people. All the nurses and the doctors, many of them have been lifelong friends. The trauma surgeon director is still a very close family friend. He came to my wedding, he and his wife came to my wedding, and even he supported me on my journey to get into medicine, wrote me recommendation letters and things like that. So the bonds I made while volunteering doesn’t have to be just for that small short period of time; you can take those relationships with you throughout, especially in medicine. You know, it’s a small world and a lot of people, everyone knows everybody in certain fields, and you never know how those people can be in your corner and be supportive of you.
And then lastly, I think it just furthered a lot of opportunities. There are some programs where you have to have a certain amount of volunteer hours. Still, I think volunteering in a place or in a space that you’re passionate about and enjoy that furthers your education is great. It’s a win-win for everyone because you can use those opportunities. So you don’t always start in the same space you want, but if you don’t keep going, you can’t get there. I had to move up in the ranks and go from, like, medical records to the pediatric floor. Still, I eventually made it to where I really wanted to be: the adult emergency department and the trauma center. I was lucky enough to still enjoy the journey and learn something in every space I was in.
Q: I know you mentioned previously that you hadn’t seen any Black women in the medical field and stuff like that. So along your journey, did you start seeing more of them?
A: So I did, and I was speaking with a couple of my mentees a couple of days ago about how I think the first time I saw a black female physician was during grad school. And that was 2006, I believe, in Atlanta. I was amazed because West Palm Beach is much different than it was in the late nineties and two thousand. And I don’t know if it was just the space I was in because I didn’t see too many doctors, period unless I was volunteering at the hospital or going to the hospital. So, it could have just been that I wasn’t in the right spaces, but I definitely didn’t appreciate it as much until I moved to Atlanta. And then also, when I went to Cleveland, being such a medical oasis; I saw many Black female doctors there.
But you know, I can’t speak for everybody’s experience. I have quite a few black female friends who are doctors and plenty of nurses. So I know we have similar experiences, but it’s very fulfilling. It’s fulfilling to be in a space where you’re not expected to be, but also a