Medicine should be viewed as social justice work in a world that is so sick and so riven by inequities.” - Dr. Paul Farmer
When people find out that I'm a Public Health major, oftentimes they aren't familiar with what that entails. This leads to a lot of follow-up questions being asked, but I don't really mind since I'm passionate about what I'm studying.
The World Health Organization (WHO), defines Public Health as “all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases.”
I define Public Health as the interdisciplinary study of health as a social and medical science in which the patient is the community rather than the individual.
As a future healthcare professional with a lifelong passion for advocacy, Public Health is integral in my educational journey. I attended my first protest in a stroller and I am so thankful that my mother has instilled a fighting spirit in me since birth. I believe that the people of our world deserve better than what we have been given, and I want to do my part to ensure that I leave at least one part of the planet better than I found it. I have always felt particularly called to healthcare and at this point in my life, I am working toward fulfilling my prerequisites for Physician Assistant School.
Most Pre-Health students choose to major in the sciences, but I always knew I wanted to do something more multifaceted than that. I first became interested in Public Health during my sophomore year of high school when I participated in the Epidemiology category of Health Occupations Students of America. I was even the only student from my high school to move on to the state competition! I got to go to San Antonio and spend several days surrounded by brilliant and passionate students, and I am so thankful that I got that opportunity even though I didn't place. My decision to go into healthcare was then solidified during my experience as a Clinical Rotations student in my junior year of high school, and every day I look forward to the future this career could provide for me.
It's important to note that I don't view medicine as a merely scientific field. I believe that when a healthcare provider sees a patient, they should be assessing every aspect of their life to get to the root cause of their illness or behavior rather than immediately resorting to a treatment that is simply a band-aid in the long run. I also believe that for some people, complementary, holistic, or alternative medicine can work wonders. There is never a one-size-fits-all approach to medical treatment. Many medical professionals do not acknowledge the sociocultural perspective in medicine often enough, and I want to work toward changing that. Public Health is grounded in empathy and every medical practice should be too.
I'd go as far as to say that I believe all Pre-Health students should take Public Health courses as prerequisites. That or graduate schools need to implement Public Health into their curriculums. Scientific knowledge may make you an intelligent doctor, nurse, or physician assistant, but it's your emotional knowledge and treatment toward the humans you come into contact with along the way that makes your impact the most valuable.
I feel so blessed to be at a point in my life where I can confidently say that I enjoy what I am studying in school. College is not an entirely fun or easy experience, but I feel good about the path that I'm on. I believe that I can achieve my goals and I can't wait to see what my next step is. Only time will tell but I look forward to sharing my journey with y'all in the meantime!
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