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MEDICAL SCHOOL
EVALUATION & GRADUATION

ALL IN THE FAMILY

A Love for Medicine Bridges the Generation Gap

By David Henkes, MD and Nichole Henkes, MS-II

what was more important was them being
happy with the vocation they chose.

Never Make Predictions
I predicted my son would be most likely to
go into medicine. My daughter, Nichole, was
smart, but I worried some of the unpleasant ex-
periences in medicine would turn her off: gan-
grenous limbs, colonoscopies, etc. My son,
Daniel, chose another dream—aerospace en-
gineering at NASA. Instead, it was Nichole
who stepped forward to follow in my footsteps.

Trial by Fire
When Nichole said she wanted to go pre-
med in college, I said to myself, “Let’s show her
some of the no-glitz and glitter that doctors
do and see if she can really cut the mustard.” I
set her up to shadow physician friends doing
colonoscopies, amputations removing foul-
smelling gangrenous limbs and organ trans-
plantation. I thought she might last a day, but
instead, she was intrigued. The more she saw
the profession, the more her passion grew.

Competition
College pre-med was difficult. Professors
discouraged students from pursuing medical
school. At that time, it seemed inappropriate,
but now I can understand why: At Baylor,
THE BOOMER: nearly 30% of freshmen plan to attend med-
David Henkes, MD ical school after graduation, but of those, less
When my children were in grade school, I My Secret Wish than 25% complete the medical school appli-
wondered how they felt about me being a Many years ago, I remember talking with cation process, with about 18% admitted.
physician, especially my activities in TMA, colleagues about their children. Some en-
AMA and specialty organizations. It meant couraged and were very proud their children Collaboration
yearly summer vacations in Chicago or other followed them into medicine; others were Time passes quickly: Nichole is nearly an
cities while Dad spent his days in meetings. adamant that their children should not. The MS-III. She has done well, achieving high
Would this discourage their interest in pur- differences were striking. Secretly, I hoped honors in every course. I feel proud when she
suing a career in medicine? my children would go into medicine, but calls to ask me a medical question, especially

22 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • June 2021