PNWU Interview

A patient comes to your clinic but has no transportation to follow up. What would you do?

• Understand the root cause of transportation barrier

• Identify patient-specific solutions

• Connect with community resources/social work

• Consider transportation assistance or telehealth

• Coordinate appointments to reduce travel

• Effective care requires accessible care

• Address barriers, not just the disease

• Promote equitable care through whole-person approach

What is the biggest challenge facing healthcare today?

I think one of the biggest problems in medicine today is how restrictive insurance requirements can be. I’ve seen situations where a treatment, test, or medication that a physician believes is best for the patient isn’t covered because the patient doesn’t meet a very specific criterion. This forces providers to either jump through multiple hoops to justify care or to find an alternative that may not be the ideal option.

For patients, this can be incredibly frustrating—sometimes even delaying care or making it unaffordable. And for physicians, it creates extra stress and takes time away from focusing on patients. In my experience scribing, I’ve seen how insurance considerations shape decision-making, even when everyone knows what the patient really needs.

I think addressing this issue—whether through policy reform, improved coverage flexibility, or stronger advocacy—would help align the healthcare system more closely with its primary goal: getting patients the care they need, when they need it.

How should physicians address health disparities?

• Recognize social determinants of health (transportation, housing, food, finances)

• Understand each patient's unique barriers

• Connect patients with community resources

• Improve health literacy through patient education

• Promote preventive care and early intervention

• Build trust through communication and cultural humility

• Advocate for underserved communities

A community has limited healthcare resources. How should they be allocated?

I think resource allocation should be guided by fairness, transparency, and the goal of improving overall health outcomes. Decisions should consider factors like medical need, likelihood of benefit, and urgency, while avoiding discrimination based on factors such as socioeconomic status, age, or personal characteristics. I would also emphasize that these decisions should not be made by physicians alone. Community members, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders should be involved so that the process reflects the needs and values of the population being served. Ultimately, physicians have a responsibility to advocate for patients while also recognizing the reality of limited resources.

If you were a medical student and saw a resident take a pill and say, 'I need to wake up,' what would you do?

My first step would be to avoid making assumptions because I would not know what the medication is or the circumstances behind it. I would want to check in with the resident privately and ask if everything is okay and understand what is going on. If it was something appropriate, like caffeine or a prescribed medication, then I would support them. However, if I became concerned that they were using substances inappropriately or that it could affect patient safety, I would have a responsibility to address it and involve the appropriate resources. Ultimately, I would approach the situation with compassion while recognizing that protecting patients and supporting my colleague are both important.

What do you think about other healthcare professionals taking on larger responsibilities?

I think expanding the roles of other healthcare professionals is important, especially in areas experiencing physician shortages. Physicians cannot meet every healthcare need alone, and collaborative care teams involving nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, social workers, and other professionals can improve access and patient outcomes.

At the same time, it is important that each profession practices within its training and that patients have access to appropriate physician involvement for complex conditions. I think the future of healthcare will depend on strong interdisciplinary teams

What are your thoughts on rural physicians being on call so much?

I think it is important to recognize both sides. Rural physicians often have a unique relationship with their communities and provide care where resources are limited, which can be incredibly rewarding. However, being continuously on call can contribute to burnout and affect work-life balance. Addressing this requires building sustainable healthcare systems with adequate staffing, support from other healthcare professionals, and technology such as telemedicine when appropriate. As well as physicians setting boundaries where needed, because they are human as well.

How would you encourage physicians to practice in rural or underserved areas?

I think one of the most effective approaches is exposing students to rural medicine early. Many students who come from rural backgrounds or have meaningful experiences in those communities are more likely to return and practice there.

Medical schools can help by offering rural-focused curricula, community-based rotations, and mentorship opportunities. Additionally, addressing financial barriers through loan repayment programs or incentives can make rural practice more sustainable.

Ultimately, I think people are drawn to places where they feel connected and supported, so creating those experiences during training is important.

How would you fix the US healthcare system?

I think one of the biggest opportunities for improvement is to move away from the fee for service system and shift more focus toward prevention and value-based care. Our current system often rewards treating disease after it develops rather than preventing illness when possible.

Incentivizing high quality of care that leads to better overall long term health than focusing on the short term aspect. A major way we can do this is by providing health literacy while also expanding access to primary care. In doing this, patients will receive the preventative care they need rather than just treating a diagnosis.

I also recognize that healthcare is incredibly complex, involving patients, providers, insurers, and policymakers, so meaningful improvement will require collaboration across all of these groups.

What characteristics are important for a physician?

I think three important qualities are humility, compassion, and communication. Medicine requires lifelong learning, so physicians need humility to recognize what they do not know and continue improving.

Compassion allows physicians to understand patients as people rather than just diagnoses. Communication is what allows physicians to build trust and create treatment plans that patients can actually follow.

From my experiences volunteering in the hospital, I have learned that patients remember not only the care they receive, but also how they are treated during vulnerable moments.

What ethical guidelines do you live by?

I try to live by treating people with respect, keeping my commitments, and being willing to help others. I think respect is especially important because everyone has different experiences and perspectives that shape who they are.

I also value reliability. Whether it is in school, work, or volunteering, people need to know they can depend on you. Finally, I believe service is important because communities depend on people being willing to support each other.

Why medicine

I think my reason for why medicine really revolves around my own experiences and how I've learned to recognize that it's my health that allows me to live the life I want to live. And for me that has always been spending time with friends and family, specifically in the outdoors scuba diving, spear fishing and in the mountains backpacking and camping. From a young age, I recognized that a physician takes a role with a large responsibility in caring for people in ways that allow them to continue living there lives and doing the things that matter most to them. I really saw this play out when I witnessed a team of physicians take care of my aunt when she was battling stage 4 rectal cancer. Not only did they develop the treatment plans that healed her, but they created a relationship with her that allowed her to trust them comfortably throughout the entire process. And as ive gained my own patient care experience thru volunteering and scribing, I have learned that I already find great fulfillment in being there for others as they navigate their health, and I recognize that being a physician will take that even further.

Tell me about yourself

I grew up in Ferndale, Washington, which is in the northwest corner of Washington about 15 minutes from the border to Canada. I’m the youngest of four, with two brothers and one sister. Growing up in the PNW, I’ve been given the privilege to explore a lot of what nature has to offer. I’m in close proximity to the ocean as well as mountains, which has allowed me to get into scuba diving, snowboarding, mountain biking, fishing, and hiking. My many adventures have helped me become the person I am today, and how i’m always seeking out new experiences.

Why osteopathic medicine

• Drawn to idea of treating the whole person, not just symptoms

• Core DO principles that resonate:
  → body as an integrated system
  → prevention + lifestyle matter
  → structure/function connection

• Recognizing providing the highest quality of care goes deeper than diagnoses looking into lifestyle, habits, diet, stressors, or potential barriers in care

• Your real-world connections:

  • Food bank → health depends on resources, not just biology

  • Construction → people’s lives and responsibilities affect healthcare decisions

  • Hospital → emotional + social side of illness is always present
    → DO philosophy matches how I already view patients in real life

Why PNWU?

PNWU stands out to me because it aligns with both where I come from and the kind of physician I hope to become. I’ve lived in northwest Washington my entire life, and my experiences volunteering at my local food bank, working in healthcare, and interacting with patients throughout my community have shown me how much a person's circumstances influence their health.

Through these experiences, I’ve seen that barriers like transportation, financial stress, and access to care can have a major impact on patients. I want to train at a school that recognizes that medicine extends beyond treating symptoms, and PNWU’s emphasis on serving rural and medically underserved communities strongly reflects that philosophy.

I’m also drawn to PNWU because of its focus on osteopathic medicine. Through my scribing experiences, especially working with DO physicians in the emergency department, I’ve seen the value of taking the time to understand the whole person behind the illness. One of the things that has stood out to me is how these physicians consider not only what is happening medically, but also the circumstances influencing a patient's health.

Ultimately, I’m looking for a medical school where I can continue developing as a physician while staying connected to the communities that shaped me. PNWU’s mission, location, and commitment to community-based care make it an environment where I feel I can grow and eventually serve populations similar to those that inspired me to pursue medicine."

Patient who doesn’t trust medicine

• First approach:
  → pause and listen to understand concerns instead of correcting immediately

• Sources of mistrust you recognize:
  → cost of care, access barriers, past negative experiences
  → frustration with healthcare system structure

• Personal exposure:
  → construction + community work exposed you to people who delay care due to financial/family responsibilities

• Communication approach:
  → simple explanations, no jargon
  → acknowledge their concerns as valid
  → slow, respectful trust-building

• Closing:
  → goal is partnership with patient, not forcing agreement

A difficult conversation you’ve had

One of the most challenging conversations I’ve had occurred while I was scribing for a physician who asked whether I believed healthcare is a right or a privilege. I immediately said it was a right, because I’ve always believed that everyone deserves access to care. He then shared a perspective that challenged me—he argued that most rights do not require someone else’s time or labour, whereas healthcare always does. For example, your right to freely speak only takes your own effort.

What made the conversation difficult was that it confronted a value I felt strongly about. This experience taught me how important it is to stay open to different viewpoints, especially when they challenge my own. It reminded me that difficult conversations are not about proving a point—they’re about understanding values and communicating respectfully.

Weakness

• Area for improvement: Initially taking criticism personally

• Past example: Construction work → frustrated when supervisor suggested technique improvements

• Learned to reframe feedback as a growth opportunity, not a reflection of ability

• Focus on the value behind feedback and that it comes from wanting to help me succeed

• Result: Embracing feedback improves skills and confidence

• Continuing to develop this mindset as a vital skill for becoming a physician

Leadership experiences

• Hospital volunteering: Trained and guided new volunteers → patient interaction, hospital workflow

• Construction work: Led new hires → taught siding installation, tool use, and safety protocols

• Landscaping business: Managed projects and clients → ensured timely completion and quality work

• Sonic Drive-In: Trained team members → cooking techniques, customer service, fostering supportive environment

• Skills developed: Teaching, clear communication, teamwork with diverse personalities and skill levels

Tell me about a failure

When I transitioned from working as a scribe in a general surgery clinic to the emergency department, I assumed the experience would transfer easily and that I would not need much training. However, the workflow was completely different. In clinic, I was used to seeing around 10 patients a day, but in the ED I was suddenly working with physicians seeing closer to 30 patients per shift. During one of my first shifts, the department became very busy with high-acuity cases, and I started falling behind on documentation. The physician I was working with gave me feedback that if I couldn't keep up, it would affect the efficiency of the team and patient care.

Although it was difficult to hear, I recognized it as an opportunity to improve. I spent additional time outside of work learning the charting system, arrived early to practice, and focused on becoming more efficient while still maintaining accurate documentation. Over time, I became much more comfortable with the pace of the emergency department.

This experience taught me that skills from one environment do not always transfer perfectly to another, and that being willing to accept feedback and adapt is essential for growth.

Anything else about you that you would like us to know

• Construction background while pre-med

• Worked with diverse crews (including immigrants)

• Learned communication, trust, and teamwork in real-world settings

• Saw how work/family responsibilities can delay healthcare

• Helps me understand patients beyond assumptions

• Will carry into how I connect with patients as a physician

Something you held a strong opinion about but changed your mind on

Writing more thorough HPI’s is only applicable in certain situations

A time you’ve had to change course

talk about transferring from general surgery clinic to ED, had to become more concise with HPI’s and only focus on the pertinent info when became busy