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MEDICAL STUDENT

PERSPECTIVES

FULFILLING A CHILDHOOD DREAM

By Jomari Guerero

In fifth grade I dressed up as a health professional
for halloween. I didn’t necessarily know the complex
differences between the different types of health care
workers at the time. I just knew that I wanted to wear
scrubs and buy a giant toy syringe the size of my arm.
From that moment onwards, my interest in the field
grew exponentially. I began to research what it meant
to be a doctor and the differences they made in the
community. This guided my early interest that led to
my attendance in pipeline programs such as a medical
related magnet high school and from there participat-
ing in an accelerated BS/MD program in partnership
with UTSA and UT Health San Antonio.

My high school had a clinical rotations program
that allowed students to shadow in all types of health-
care settings including the I.C.U., the operating room, local family clinics, etc. Being in the My brother (left) and I (right) posing as I

pretend to take blood from him.

valley (Deep South TX), this allowed me to understand how underserved the region was. We
had interactions with a physician twice a week during our senior year. In college, we had intimately-sized classes on subjects based on
psychiatry, geriatrics, cancer, and pediatrics. Classes like these allowed me to conduct my first real HPI on a patient and partake in stan-
dardized patient encounters.

Some critics consider being exposed to a singular field at a young age a disadvantage. Personally, these ambitions only allowed me to
grow further as a person and as an aspiring future health care professional. Now that I’m a first-year medical student, it’s definitely
surreal. I’ve worked nearly all of my life towards this goal that continues to expand and grow as I do. I’ve learned two important lessons
that come from journeys like mine.

It’s okay to know what you want. I’ve been told several times to explore my options. In some ways, this is important to realize.
I’ve found a healthy balance in, for example, taking that intriguing art class in college, while at the same time not forgetting what’s
important to me. A lot of the healthcare related experiences fostered self-exploration as I found myself lost in the possibilities of
medicine. Every step is one step closer towards knowing what it means to make a difference in someone’s life. That has always
been the number one goal.

There is always room for growth. Medical school is an entirely different beast. Even though I’ve had a surplus of healthcare related
experiences since ninth grade, I never would’ve imagined my first semester to play out like it has. The level of in-depth learning and
application of that knowledge is more intense than anything I’ve done before. Overall, this is just one of the many paths to medical
school. Would I do it again? Most definitely. I will never underappreciate the amount of perspectives that I’ve been able to be a part of
at such a young age and in the near future. With the first semester of medical school coming to a close, I am both ready and excited
for whatever is to come next.

Jomari Guerero is a first year medical student and considers the AT&T center as his second home. Go Spurs Go!

18 San Antonio Medicine • January 2018