Dr. BCW, Dr. Curry-Winchell, discusses challenges of becoming a medical doctor, the importance of a support team & the role of representation. Seeing others like yourself can provide the confidence that all the struggles and challenges can be overcome.
read the full Nevada Independent article here
Article Snippet:
Unfortunately, I had never seen any doctors that looked like me and struggled with doubt. When I shared my goals with people I would often hear, “just stay a PA,” “that’s a lot of school” and “are you sure you can do that.” This is why representation matters for African-Americans. We need to see more of ourselves and people who look like us in the profession to know that it is possible.
With the encouragement and support of my father, I was able to push those voices aside and pursued becoming a physician. I was also fortunate to have someone help me navigate the process of getting into medical school, which involved significant preplanning.
Establishing a network in advance to gain clinical hours and shadowing hours, understanding which courses to take and having help with preparing for the MCAT was critical. These steps can be barriers for African-Americans, as we often do not have access to robust networks or resources. It helps to have a mentor, someone to invest time in you. Most importantly, it helps you to not give up.
Learn more about the challenges to becoming a doctor from Dr. Curry-Winchell continue reading @ Nevada Independent.