Aidan White, MS3
I chose the University of Minnesota because of it's focus on primary care. Being from Montana, I have seen the need for rural healthcare access, and the gaps that exist in quality, timely care in this setting. Knowing I could get a top of the line education that would prepare me so well for primary care was a big reason I decided on the U.
I find that the University of Minnesota Medical School has an incredible amount of options for students who want to do any specialty. They have experiences in rural, urban, suburban, and high-acuity trauma centers, to name a few. At the U, you can truly choose your path to fit your future practice, something that has really helped me to discover what I want my practice to look like.
My late grandfather was my inspiration to become a physician. He was rather sick for the majority of my childhood, and seeing the life-saving care he received so often was a big inspiration for my medical undertaking. Because of the highly skilled and empathetic medical professionals who cared for him, I was lucky to have over 20 years of extra time and memories with him.
My most meaningful learning experience thus far involved my entire family medicine rotation. I was placed at a clinic that serves a largely under-represented area of the cities. During this rotation, I truly understood the value of accessible care, as many of the patients we served had only ever been to this clinic. The amount of care we provided that did not involve medical issues, but rather social, financial, or emotional issues was astounding, and truly spoke to how being a physician is a person on person focused career. I truly have never felt more meaning in my work than I did in those 4 weeks.
