Advice to My Undegraduate Self About Pursuing a Carrer in Medicine

The journey I’ve traveled, literally and figuratively, to become an anesthesiologist has been both challenging and rewarding. When I was a student at Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, I hit the ground running with ambition and goals to achieve. A minor detour teaching high school in between undergrad and med school was a huge learning experience, and I still fulfilled my career goals of becoming a physician. I’m not sure I ever imagined that this is what the “real world” would be like for a practicing anesthesiologist, but I’ve come to learn some of the best and worst ways to manage my personal life and career. Medicine is a career filled with fantastic rewards and the ability to impact the lives of many people in a big way, but it is important not to lose sight of life’s little gifts in the process. These are some bits of advice, lessons I’ve learned, and things I wish my undergraduate self knew before beginning the journey to a career in medicine.