Milestone 2: Following my heart

This is going to most likely be an unorganized string of ideas and thoughts so just a forewarning :)

Well milestone 2 accomplished: I FINALLY know where I will be going to medical school!

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still curious?....................................
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UNT HSC in Fort Worth!

For those of you who don't know what the acronym stands for: UNT HSC = University of North Texas Health Sciences Center.  Different school than I told most of you the past month, huh?  The last most of you heard was that I was either going to be in Houston or San Antonio.  Yeah well let me clue you in to the past week of indecision and quite frankly torture...

Just a brief background on my decision making process.  1) I'm bad at it.  2) I like big names/reputations/flashy and shiny new things  3) I wait until the last minute to completely analyze each side until I'm forced to make a decision.

I have had my "heart" set on UT Houston for so long because of the reputation.  I saw myself walking the hospital floors of the biggest medical center in the world.  I knew if I told people that I was attending UT Houston that they would assume I was getting the best education.  I have practically grown up in the medical center my whole life (because of my mom) and it was like a second home to me.  I love big cities and was set on finding an apartment and "living the life".  So why didn't I pick it in the end?

Because I realized that my real passions that have driven me to pursue medicine were lying in another non-traditional medical education.  I was just scared to take the leap and not follow the crowd.

At UNT I will not be graduating as an MD (Doctor of Medicine)...but rather as a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy).  Both are doctors and go through the same education and amount of years in school.  Everything is practically the same except the philosophy of medicine.  DOs actually undergo more focus on the musculoskeletal system and learn how to practice OMM (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine).  I am interested in pursuing a career in sports medicine so this will be of great help!  More info about DO is below:

Osteopathic Philosophy

I have two passions outside of standard medicine: nutrition and physical therapy.  I did not want to pursue either of those as a career..but I do want to integrate them into my future care of patients.  If you ask people who know my views on medicine, they can tell you that my hallmark phrase is: preventive medicine!!  It has been for several years...which is why I pursued a bachelor's in nutrition :)

I have also had a lot of experience with physical therapy over the years.  I was a patient for 6+ years and a PT tech for 3 years.  Therapy is where many patients see improvement and healing.  I loved seeing soccer players getting back into training, runners being able to run 50+ miles/wk again, and older patients regaining their way of life after a joint replacement.  Therapy is essential to medical treatment and I'm not willing to give up my beliefs.

An osteopathic education allows me to integrate both nutrition and manual therapy into my medical practice.  I have spent A LOT of time praying about why I wanted to become a doctor in the first place...and deep down I knew that UNT was my fit.  I was just scared to give up the "dream" in Houston.

I know I could not have made this hard decision 4 years ago...actually even a year ago.  Even though I will be going down the road less traveled...I am sticking to my passions for medicine...and sticking to what I believe.

I am following my heart...and it looks like it will be taking me to Fort Worth for the next few years!! 


PS: Did I mention my sister, brother-in-law and favorite kids live in FW?! Ya.....MAJOR BONUS!!