Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center
Undergraduate School: Texas A&M University
After growing up and spending my entire life in north and central Texas, I never imagined myself living so close to the beach. I was born in the great city of Dallas and lived in a suburb south of there for 12 years before moving to the Piney Woods of East Texas. From Tyler, I moved to the plains of Central Texas to attend Texas A&M University. From there, I returned to the concrete jungle of Fort Worth for medical school.
I chose the Texas A&M|Christus Spohn Emergency Residency program because it offers much than meets the eye. Its smaller size allows residents to have greater autonomy in patient care and that begins the day you start. Our motto is all about owning our patients. I love that I am responsible for the medical care and procedures of every patient I assign myself to. While that might sound daunting at first, I can tell you that my skills in performing procedures and managing critical patients has escalated beyond what I thought was possible as a first year.
For example, in my first month in the emergency department I placed two chest tubes, two central lines, performed two lumbar punctures, had two intubations, and performed 3 slit lamp examinations-all under supervision, of course! That’s almost unheard of for an intern in their first month, but it’s possible here because we are given the freedom to direct patient care without the pressures of another resident taking those procedures.
The other reason I chose Christus Spohn is because of the people. We are some of the most active and hospitable people you will meet. We play bubble soccer, beach football, sand volleyball, and ultimate Frisbee every opportunity we have. We’ve had conferences at the Texas State Aquarium and North Padre Island National Seashore. And most importantly, we laugh together. The personalities and nicknames, and the jokes we share together, make me thankful I matched here every day.
Welcome to Corpus, we hope you enjoy your stay.