Mental Health Matters
Medical Student Blogger
Resources Applying Medical School
Premed Motivation Instagram
CV building for Fellow Medical Students
ALL THE INFO
Let's Break it Down, Shall we?
The road to college is not a walk in the park. The journey to medical school is not easy. The pursuit of a medical degree and residency spot is one that will test your limits in ways you will have never imagined. But, it is worth it. This race is an extremely rewarding race to run and one that you are very capable of running to completion.
Everyone's route will look different, some will have planned or unplanned pitstops (aka gap year(s)), while others will "Pass Go and Collect $200" almost instantly (aka starting right after college.)
Statistically speaking, not getting into medical school on the first try is by no means career-ending. In fact, the AMA reports the average age of students starting medical school is 24! So, please do not be discouraged by this extensive process or "pit stops" in your 3, 5, 10, etc. year plans.
Not too long ago, I was in your shoes. I was a pre-med student with so many questions just trying to keep her head above water as a Biological Science major at UGA while working to "beef-up" my med-school application. My hope for this blog, website and social media platform is to be a raw, reliable and encouraging resource. I hope my transparency and inability to sugarcoat life's ups and downs offers you a sense of comfort that whatever your path to medical school looks like, it is the right one for you!
INTRODUCTIONS
ARE IN ORDER
Hey y'all! My name is Merritt and I am so pumped you're here. For those familiar with the Enneagram, I am a 1 wing 2. So, it won't come as any surprise to you that in addition to wholeheartedly pursuing the field of medicine, I also love helping nurture that same drive in others. Mentoring the future generation of healthcare professionals has quickly become a true passion of mine, and I am so excited to be a resource, cheerleader, and advocate for students + health & fitness!
NATHAN DEAL SCHOLAR
April 2019 – May 2023
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
THE EFFECTS OF GEORGIA FOOD DESERTS ON RURAL POPULATION'S NUTRITION AND HEALTH OUTCOMES
Selected as a Summer Student Research Scholar – a competitive, funded program through the School of Medicine
Goal: to set up long-term interventions in GA food deserts to improve healthy eating habits, and thus improve health in GA
DISTINCTION IN SERVICE
TO THE COMMUNITY (DISC) PROJECT
The 2020 National Diabetes Statistics Report discovered that 34.2 million Americans, so just over 1 in 10, have diabetes; while 88 million American adults—approximately 1 in 3—have pre-diabetes. Curtis V. Cooper Primary Healthcare Inc., and Dr. Hollis particularly with his weekly Diabetic Clinic, have made many strides in order to provide basic and essential education on the prevention, maintenance, and overall understanding of diabetes to uninsured and underinsured patients in Chatham county and surrounding areas. Our hope is that through InsuLearn and this collaboration with CVCPHC, that MUSM students can help supplement the previous and continued efforts of Dr. Hollis and the practice to better educate patients on diabetic educational topics and ultimately improve their quality of life and health moving forward. We are eager to volunteer on the local level in order to give back to our community and are humbled to be trusted with the CVCPHC patients and their health education in relation to diabetes. We look forward to pursuing the project wholeheartedly and the opportunity InsuLearn will provide us to fulfill MUSM’s mission to help meet the needs of medically underserved Georgia through direct patient contact and hands-on experience, as well as improving our ability to communicate effectively with patients!