Jiyun Chang: 2016 alumni

Tell us about your professional career 

I am currently an MS3 at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine. I am also a Kenan Rural Primary Care Scholar and plan to pursue family medicine.

How did MedServe influence this pathway?

MedServe introduced me to the beauty of underserved primary care. As MedServe Fellows, we are allowed access to many opportunities at more levels of care than as a typical medical assistant or learner. Because clinics are aware we aim to learn as much as possible in two years, they welcome our participation in administrative meetings and even county-level, multi-hospital group committees and projects. It was a dive into local public health and I absolutely loved the experience!

What challenges or growing pains have you faced in your developing career?

The preclinical portion of medical school was really tough for me. While academic medicine can be interesting, it felt so removed from patient care and the practicalities of community-based interventions I had immersed myself in during MedServe. It helped to remind myself that learning these seemingly random facts may make a difference in a patient's life one day. However, as soon as I hit the wards, I was reminded that this is exactly the space I want to be in and contribute to. 

It also was challenging being removed from the MedServe cohort - a uniquely motivated, compassionate, and service-oriented group. I bonded so quickly with my MedServe cohort, especially during Training Institute. Over time, I found my people in medical school as well, but it certainly wasn't as immediate as some of the connections I made with my like-minded MedServe peers. 

What advice would you have for current and future Fellows?

Never be afraid to ask to be a part of something, especially if it looks interesting! You have a unique position as a learner and employee and have access to so many more opportunities than the typical employee. Also, don't forget to rest! In MedServe, you often have your weekends and evenings free. It's an amazing time to explore the town/city you're a part of. This may be some of the most flexible time you have before starting your career in medicine. I would encourage you to explore your passions and travel if that's something you're interested in.

what are the three things you are most proud of over the past year?

1. Recently a patient told me he trusted me more than anyone else on the healthcare team and asked me for my opinion on a particular medication regimen (and of course I reaffirmed that I know very little and am still actively learning from an awesome set of doctors). Anytime a patient tells me they're happy to see me or confides in me about something they dislike about healthcare, I see that as a HUGE win. 

2. I was recently admitted to the UNC Kenan Flagler Business School as a Forte Fellow to get my MD/MBA. I am excited to gather a skillset to work on systemic problems in healthcare and maximize access.

3. I've been able to keep crocheting through medical school. Check me out on instagram @littlebitsbyjiyun

Are there any other updates you want to share with us? 

Message me at jiyunnancychang@gmail.com if you have any questions or just want to gab.

Natalie Malpass: 2016 Alumni

What are you doing now? 

I’m a second year medical student at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, currently studying for USMLE Step 1 before starting clinical clerkships in April. I’ve enjoyed my didactic years, but I am beyond excited to be back doing what I love—caring for people in a clinical setting!

How did MedServe prepare you for the next steps in your career?

My experiences at Brody have felt like a direct continuation of my time at MedServe, and I feel sure that the foundation built at Benson Area Medical Center will support me well into my career. I am a member of the Service-Learning Distinction Track, which has supported my continued involvement in caring for farm workers of Eastern North Carolina through collaboration with the NC Agromedicine Institute. I’m also continuing to improve my skills in caring for rural and underserved populations by pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Ethnic and Rural Health Disparities offered by ECU’s Department of Public Health.

What advice do you have for future Fellows?

My biggest piece of advice for future Fellows is to cherish your time in MedServe- really take it all in and learn from everyone you meet. Listen to your coworkers. They will share clinical skills, lend emotional support, and teach you to value every member of the healthcare team. Pay attention to your providers. You’ll work with some incredible role models and will find yourself trying to emulate them each time you step into an exam room wearing your student white coat. Most importantly, hear your patients. When you get to school, you will find yourself frequently thinking of those patients and the stories they shared. The conditions you learn about in Pathology will have to face. You’ll recognize the costs and benefits of the medications you review in Pharmacology. Class discussions in Ethics and Health Systems courses will feel immensely personal as you recall the challenges and barriers faced by your patients. When school gets tough, they’ll be your motivation; they’ll help you remember who you’re doing it all for.

Are there any other updates you want to share with us?

Fun fact: MedServe has given me more than stellar clinical experience and a deep passion for rural primary care, it has also given me incredible relationships with some of the best people I’ve ever met. One of my favorite relationships to come out of it has been the one with my BAMC-successor-turned-significant-other, Connor. A very special coworker of ours saw it fit to play matchmaker and, as luck would have it, we’re still going strong! Serendipity, or MedServe Magic? Either way you call it, MedServe seems to have a way of helping you find exactly what you need. 

Tyler Moore: 2016 Alumni

What are you doing now? 

I am finishing up my second year of medical school at Campbell University and studying for the infamous board exams.

How did MedServe influence this pathway?

I became interested in medicine halfway through my junior year after shadowing an emergency room physician at Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton, NC. I had been a nursing major and few nursing courses transferred to the pre-med track, so my focus was catching up, not determining my interests. This process left me without the direction one normally obtains from years of dedication to a discipline. MedServe defined for me what I was passionate about by pushing me out the comfort zone that less-involved experiences like shadowing create and showed me the profound effect a primary care physician has on a community.

How did MedServe prepare you for the next steps in your career?

Lessons from MedServe have been with me every step of the way from the classroom to standardized patient encounters in clinical skills. Perhaps most significantly, however, my community role as a health coach prepared me for my position as Director of Health and Wellness at the free community clinic. My greatest success as Director was when I was able to start a resistant patient on blood pressure medication after the student doctor team and my attending were unable to do so. Using a combination of the biopsychosocial model taught to me by MedServe leadership and learning to effectively establish rapport from my physician mentor, I was able to uncover that he was afraid of becoming addicted to medications because a family member had become addicted to opioids.

How have your perceptions of rural medicine and/or primary care been shaped by your experience in MedServe and your current role?

I grew up with a pediatrician until I was 12 and then I went to the urgent care for years when I was sick, so I wasn’t clear on what a family doctor was. I, like many of my peers, believed family medicine only dealt with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes. MedServe showed me it was much more than that – it is pediatrics, psychiatry, pathology, social work, physical therapy, and so much more. The primary care physician is the first, and often, the last line of defense for the health of the patient. 

What advice do you have for future fellows?

Wait, watch, and listen for 6 months before you try to implement changes in your clinics. 

If you could do your MedServe experience over again, what would you do differently?

We are always looking to the future, planning in accordance with our telos, but don’t forget to be in the moment. Once I had obtained my first acceptance letter to medical school, I relaxed a bit too much and stopped trying to expand my role. This made the last 6 months difficult both mentally and physically. I encourage Fellows to never lose the hunger and drive to grow.

What are the top 3 most exciting things to happen to you over the past year?

1.  I’m excited to announce that I will be heading back to Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Lumberton, NC, to complete my 3rd and 4th year rotations. My first rotation will be specifically dedicated to a rural/underserved clinic – a rotation required to meet the mission of Campbell University. 

2. On a more personal note, I started cooking and have tried to live off cheap ingredients in hopes of preparing a guide to help patients eat relatively healthy on low income budgets. 

3. Finally, I am proud to have put 40 medical students through the very same suicide prevention program (QPR) I went through as a Fellow.  

Laura Bird: 2016 Alumni

What are you doing now? 

I am a 2nd year Physician Assistant student at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Currently I’m on week 2 of 5 of my surgical rotation. I scrub in on most cases and assist when needed (i.e. hold retractors, suture, cut sutures, suction). I work closely with residents and attending physicians. They allow me to be an integral part of the surgical team by rounding on patients and writing post-operative notes. I’m excited about this rotation. I feel more equipped to explain the surgical process to my future patients. 

How did MedServe prepare you for the next steps in your career?

Through MedServe I have gained instrumental communication and clinical skills that have proved vital during my didactic and clinical year of PA school. It takes practice to interview a patient and document what the patient said in a medical format. MedServe provided me with 2 years of practice. I have found these skills fundamental as a PA student. MedServe also provided quarterly educational meetings during my fellowship. I was exposed to additional Rockstar physicians and healthcare team members at each quarterly meeting. I felt more prepared applying to PA school having been a MedServe Fellow. 

What advice do you have for future Fellows?

Enjoy your time during MedServe. This is not only a time that you are able to learn and apply medical knowledge, but also experience medicine in a full circle. You are exposed to various insurances and socioeconomic statuses of patients. You learn why someone doesn’t take their medicine or exercise. You learn what resources are available for patients. You also gain invaluable clinical skills. 

Invest in the clinical team. We can always learn from someone. Attempt to engage in various aspects of your clinic at some point. Engage with the receptionist, billing team, nursing staff, phlebotomist, and quality improvement teams to further understand their role in the care of the patient.

liza moore: 2017 Alumni

What are you doing now? 

I am currently a Physician Assistant student at Duke. I am in my didactic training and will begin a year of clinical rotations in the fall and graduate in August 2021. I was drawn here because it is where the PA profession was founded; primary care and increasing healthcare access are at the core of being a PA. 

How did MedServe prepare you for the next steps in your career?

My time in MedServe prepared me wonderfully for my PA education. I worked in Oxford, NC at a primary care clinic where I was a medical assistant and quality improvement specialist, and during my second year of MedServe I began scribing. I learned first hand about struggles with access to care: insurance, transportation, and education. I also saw the strong relationships of trust built over years between patients and providers, which is what I desire for my career. Through quality improvement, I investigated our no-show rate, which is a complicated problem in rural areas. 

Since arriving at school, I have been happily surprised with how many medications I am already familiar with due to thorough medication reconciliations for my two years in MedServe. My peers who only have experience in perhaps dermatology or ER are less familiar with these medications and their indications and dosing. MedServe transformed the way I view healthcare. The questions MedServe has caused me to ask during my PA education are: is this a realistic treatment for someone living in poverty or without transportation? How can I prevent this condition? What community resources are present to support this patient beyond what I can do in a limited amount of time? 

What advice do you have for future Fellows?

For future MedServe fellows, I would advise you to look into the research about how primary care is the most effective way to change healthcare outcomes on a population level. That should confirm your interest in a lifelong career bridging public health and healthcare through a career in primary care. While the U.S. has a long way to go, it is so important for people to have a primary care home in the confusing world of healthcare. If that excites you, you should apply! One piece of advice to MedServe fellows is to never be afraid to ask questions. Sometimes clinic was busy and I would not take the time to ask questions, but whenever I made the effort to ask my mentors questions, I never regretted it. 

Are there any other updates you want to share with us?

I recently interviewed and was humbled and honored to receive Duke PA Program’s Philips Family Scholarship, which is a primary care longitudinal rotation in Mitchell County, NC that spans 4 months rather than the typical 8 week primary care rotation. I will be in one placement for my primary care rotation, as well as completing pediatrics and behavioral health all in a rural, underserved Appalachian county, which is a similar region to where I grew up. 

I am so thankful for my time in MedServe which allowed me to understand the intricacies and challenges of primary care before furthering my education. The quarterly summits allowed me to continue to grow over the two years and expanded my knowledge, while allowing me to get to know my MedServe peers and network with inspiring primary care providers across the state. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email: ebm24@duke.edu