I am a 4th year medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, applying into Pediatrics. I currently plan to go into general pediatrics as I enjoy the broad array of medical care I can practice within this role.
One of the most valuable things I have developed from being a part of the Students Fighting Human Trafficking group at VCU SOM has been the passion for patient education. I believe this is one of the most important aspects of medical care as it gives patients the ability to actively participate in their care and therefore be their own advocates. This is particularly important for incarcerated youth as they often do not get the same opportunities as other young people to learn about the healthcare system and their own health. My hope is that our group is able to not only teach those that we are working with the basics of their health, but that we also instill in them a confidence and comfort in the medical system so that they more readily seek help from it when needed. I wish to show them that we can be their ally, especially in tough times. I also hope to gain a better understanding of some of the reasons why young people become incarcerated and what I can do to help them as a pediatrician, but also simply as another human being.
