Elisabeth Milligan, MS4, is a current TIP student at the MidMichigan Medical Center – Midland, Family Medicine Residency.
by Elisabeth Milligan, MS4
“So how much time do you have left?” “Are you going to be a family doc?” “Where do you want to practice eventually?” I have lost track of how many times I have gone through this line of questioning. It comes from patients, clinic staff, and old friends and acquaintances, yet the excitement in people’s eyes when I say I want to be a family doctor and I want to come back to the area where I grew up will never get old. I take it as a great compliment people are so elated about the prospect of me being their doctor. They want someone who cares not only about their medical care, but also about them as a human. I want to be that person. I want to be home to my patients; I want to take away their apprehension and anxiety and educate them on how to care for themselves. Family medicine is a specialty where I can accomplish all my future career goals. I have wanted to become a family medicine physician for as long as I have wanted to pursue medicine and my experiences throughout my undergraduate degree and medical school have only strengthened my passion for family medicine. I cannot wait to get started with the next step in my education which is why I am so excited about TIP.
Through my 3rd year clerkships, I have had the opportunity to work with the Midland Family Residency Program at MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland faculty and residents. This has given me the opportunity to explore the program and how it fits with my interests first-hand. I have had nothing but positive experiences. There is no question about the residents’ competence, but equally important their passion is contagious. I look forward to the experiences allowed within an unopposed residency program. I feel close interaction with many different specialties sets you up to take great care of patients as a primary care physician. Having robust knowledge of various specialties is important to me because I want to work in a rural area where specialist support is often limited.
As a member of the Rural Community Health Program (R-CHP) I have had the opportunity to spend several weeks of my clerkships at Scheurer Hospital in Pigeon. My time there has cemented my goal to provide care for a rural population in Michigan. Rural people make up the largest underserved population in the United States. While earning my bachelor’s degree, I spent my summers at Scheurer Hospital working as a CENA and unit secretary on the med/surg floor.
The opportunity to return and view the health system as a medical student has been an awesome experience. It is gratifying to have former coworkers and patients be so excited about my interest in rural health. I hope to come out of residency ready to care for these patients both in and out of the hospital. I want to be able to take great care of them even when resources are limited. The importance of caring for each patient mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually has become apparent to me through experiences throughout my education.
I am excited to be a family doctor, am ready to learn all I can from residency to best care for my community and am confident that I can be the physician that my future patients will trust to care for them holistically.
