“Just really make sure it’s your passion.” - Dr. Lowery
Dr. Patricia Lowery, an anesthesiologist at several surgical centers and hospitals, certainly didn’t have the generic “medical journey”. Actually, because her medical journey is so idiosyncratic, I’ve decided my word to describe Dr. Lowery is patient. Here’s why: Dr. Lowery’s medical journey didn’t really begin until ten years after undergrad.
Throughout high school and college, Dr. Lowery knew she wanted to become a physician. It was her dream and life goal, and she devoted her time in undergrad to the traditional pre-med things. However, as the MCAT began to loom ahead of her, Dr. Lowery began to experience cold-feet. She felt unconfident in her abilities to become a successful physician and thus decided not to pursue it. Instead, Dr. Lowery moved to Denver, Colorado, and worked as an Exercise Physiologist and Dietician.
Dr. Lowery worked at this job for ten years, and she made pretty good money. She explained that she had excellent vacation time and spent most of her weekends not working. However, she knew she wanted to be more involved in the medical community. Medicine was her passion, and she knew that there was a place for her in the field. So Dr. Lowery began shadowing physicians, nurses, PA’s, and any other healthcare-related specialties she was able to watch.
After much shadowing, Dr. Lowery decided to take the dreaded MCAT to see if she could achieve a good enough score to become a competitive applicant for medical school--which, she ended up obtaining. However, despite her competitive MCAT score, Dr. Lowery was still apprehensive about applying to medical school. She still felt uncertain about her abilities. The tipping point in her decision occurred on a walk she took with a friend of hers. While walking, she confided in her friend of the concerns she held about medical school and becoming a physician. Her friend, a MOHS surgeon, told her, “‘If you don’t go now, you’re going to go when you’re 45.’” At that moment, things clicked in Dr. Lowery’s head, and she decided to apply to medical school. She was accepted into Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colorado.
When she got there, Dr. Lowery experienced the first of two major obstacles in her medical journey.
Dr. Lowery spent her second year of medical school pregnant. Now, being pregnant in medical school is already a challenge, however, Dr. Lowery had a terrible pregnancy. She had hyperemesis, so she threw up frequently, and thus had a difficult time keeping up with medical school because she constantly felt sick. “And then having a newborn as a medical student was really tough. You don’t get much sleep.”
During her residency, which she did at Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley, California, Dr. Lowery had her second pregnancy. This pregnancy was even worse than the first one. Dr. Lowery had hyperemesis again, but that wasn’t the worst part. She also had a PICC line, which is an in-dwelling catheter, and at lunchtime, she had to give herself fluids and medication so she could work 70 hours. “I did it, I was able to work throughout my whole pregnancy, and then I took six weeks off.” She luckily only had to make-up two weeks of her residency, since she used up all four weeks of her vacation time
Some role models Dr. Lowery has had throughout her medical journey were her friend (the MOHS Surgeon) and some of her senior residents. Dr. Lowery’s friend and senior residents continually encouraged Dr. Lowery and were always there for her when things became tough in life. Dr. Lowery explained that the senior residents she was able to work with made sure she got through residency okay and always helped to guide her through the medical process.
As for advice, here is some that Dr. Lowery would like to give to pre-med students:
“Just really make sure it’s your passion. Don’t do it for any other reason, it’s too hard to do it for any other reason. It’s very rewarding once you’re done, but it’s a lot of grueling years, and some of the best years of your life are going to be spent in the hospital or studying. It’s definitely something that you have to do for the right reasons… Or else you’re not going to be happy with being a physician or get through the training.”
Have a great support group.
Out of mere curiosity, I asked Dr. Lowery if she recommended students wait a few years before going to medical school. Here’s what she said:
“There’s pluses and minuses, I’d say. Like if you know for sure when you’re young and you want to do it, I say go for it. Maybe take a year or two off between college and medical school so you can get a taste for the real world… But, you know, for me, it’s also like the older you get, the harder it gets. So being a resident when you’re 27 versus 37… You know, you’re a lot more tired. At least for anesthesiology, it’s physically demanding, as well. Same with surgery, it’s physically demanding. And the hours you’re working are tough.”
“Every person kind of has to figure out what’s best for them.”
“And sometimes I think when you’re in your early, early twenties, you think you want something, but you may change your mind. So maybe waiting until mid-twenties to start.”
Sometimes, the medical journey doesn’t begin right away. Physicians often tell me to take a gap year and then apply to medical school, and maybe this is advice that should be considered. Often, we are told not to rush this process, despite how eagerly we want to. Dr. Lowery’s story and her patience with the medical school journey show that no matter how long you wait, you will get to where you want to be. Whether you’re enduring a terrible pregnancy or struggling with confidence in the MCAT, you can become a physician with the right amount of drive and ardency. Happy Sunday, all.
E.F.