Humans of Pre-Health Emory: Nduka Vernon

Nduka Vernon is an MD/MPH student at Emory University School of Medicine.

We had a chance to sit down with Nduka and ask him a few questions about his pre-health journey.

Okay, so first can you just tell me what your path to med school has been like?

 My path to medical school. So actually, I guess I was pretty fortunate in that I went to a preparatory high school, so getting into college, that’s pretty much all they talked about and all the things we had to do to get there. I think for… I always kind of knew that I wanted to, like… I don’t know, I knew that I liked anatomy, I knew that I liked science stuff. My mom is a physician, so I was kinda introduced to it from, you know, a young age. So once I got into college, that was what I focused on, like biology, and anatomy, stuff like that. I think the biggest obstacle was probably MCAT, the standardized tests you have to take along the way, and similarly I was fortunate because the school where I was, they offered a Kaplan prep course for the MCAT. I think that to get to this point takes a lot of Type A-ness, a lot of trying to be the best, a lot of perfectionism and whatnot, so I was definitely that type of person throughout most of my schooling years. Once I got to medical school, it was great in that it kinda sounds backwards, but so stuff isn’t pass-fail for the first couple of years, so I feel like I was sort of able to take a breather and sort of do away with that perfectionist attitude. I think to get to this point, unfortunately it’s sort of necessary to have that, so it was a lot of struggling – or, not struggling, but working – to be the top of the class, like putting pressure on yourself, and you know, trying to be the best at everything, getting a lot of support and help from people along the way to make it possible. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of mentors, especially in undergrad that looked out for me. And you know, of course I had my mom as a role model to show that it was possible in the first place, and I think that was crucial to even thinking that I could get to this point.

That kind of relates to the next question, which was did you have a specific mentor that helped you get here?

Yeah, I definitely did. It was actually the director of the Office of Health Professions where I went to school. He and other staff members would offer personal statement review and reach out to people directly. They brought down recruitment officers from medical schools to our school to come meet with us, and so I remember in particular there was a summer program that I applied to my freshman year, and I didn’t get in, and I remember this conversation, he just kept saying over and over, like “I don’t get it, I don’t get it”. Eventually after a week, he had called multiple people and multiple sites and eventually we got in contact with somebody and he was like “you need to let this person in”, and uh, you know that’s how I ended up getting into that program for my freshman year. So yeah, it really is who you know, and on top of that, it’s how hard are they willing to work to help you succeed, how much are they willing to support you.

What’s the best advice you could give someone pursuing the same track that you did?

I think there’s a lot, but the biggest thing I would say is… I think working hard comes first, right, it’s the foundation. And I think the people that are attracted to this field are obviously, like I said, perfectionists and hard workers, whatever. I think that one of the biggest things I would say is learning to recognize when you’re stressed or when you’re anxious, and the signs of that from early on when you’re in undergrad. And I think that takes a lot of reflection, whether that’s journaling, just talking about your life and what’s going on to your friends, for them to point it out. But I think recognizing the signs when you are not in a good place, per se, and then I think taking steps to finding out what works for you when you are in that sort of headspace. And having hobbies or having people that you talk with and being able to take time away from that stress and that anxiety, I think works wonders. But I think having a game plan in terms of recognizing when you’re not doing well and then having things you can do to improve that, to basically maintain your mental health and your wellness. I think that would probably be the biggest piece of advice, because like I said, the academics and all that stuff, that comes easily, but what people don’t really teach you is how to balance everything outside of school and how to keep your mental health in a good place.

So in all of the difficult parts, because there are a lot of difficult parts on the way to where you are, like the MCAT, studying, classes and everything, what did you tell yourself or do to help you get through it?

I think I kept looking at the people that had made it to the point that I wanted to get to. So for me it was easier because I had my mom and so I knew it was possible. And I think constantly reminding myself of that and seeing that it had been done helped keep me motivated. I think also it’s the excitement, in a way, of having a goal that you’re working towards, that sort of gives you purpose, and I think I tried to focus on and harness that throughout undergrad, especially finding fulfillment in the grind, if that makes sense, of finding fulfillment in the process of getting to this goal that I have. And I think that goal changes over time. So when I was in high school, it was getting to college, and when I was in college, it was MCAT or getting to medical school, but I think like I said, finding a way to find purpose in the everyday grind or struggle or whatever you want to call it, I think that was beneficial to me. And again, I think that was through introspection, that was through journaling, and really remembering that I was privileged to be in the places, the situations that I was in. And you know, my mom would tell me over and over, there are people who would do anything to be where you are right now, even though it may feel burdensome. We have the opportunity, having attended undergrad, to do things that a lot of people can’t even dream of. So I think focusing on that privilege, and that growth that I was experiencing or I would experience, helped keep me going for sure.

How did you decide you wanted to do MPH also?

I wasn’t ready to start residency, so I think that’s a big part of being honest with yourself. I just, mentally, I was just too burnt out to go through to start residency, and I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity to go to a pretty good public health school right down the street. I think that having a bird's eye view of the healthcare system overall would be beneficial. In medical school, you don’t get to learn too much about public health, what influences someone's health and well-being once they leave your office, and I wanted to learn about that. I wanted to learn about opportunities to influence that world outside of my office.

Did you start at medical school for two years?

Yeah exactly, so I’m not sure if it’s like this at other programs, but here it’s the first three years and then after you do some fourth-year stuff you start your MPH and then you go back and finish your fourth year of medical school.

If you could start over, would you change anything? Or, an alternate form of the question, what do you wish you knew five years ago? 

Hmm. What do I wish I knew five years ago? I like “would I change anything”. Okay, this isn’t really an answer, but in a perfect, ideal world where I didn’t have to worry about money or my brain, I would be a muay-tai fighter. That would be the goal. So I guess if I could change anything, I would have started younger to have had more experience in that prior to coming to school. And I think the other part of it is, I guess this is the second question really, what do I wish I had known five years ago, school isn’t everything. I know it sounds crazy, but academics, your school and your work, they are a big part of your life, but it’s not everything. So I wish I had known how to better identify when I was stressed and anxious, and I wish I had been able to better balance work or personal relationships and school. And I think that that’s a personal journey to figure out what works for you, but I don’t even think I realized the importance of it back then. It was always like next goal, next goal, next goal, and never focusing on the present, on what I needed to do in the present to live a complete life, I would say. So especially at the start of medical school, two years ago, three years ago, or, what, four now, geez. But yeah that would probably be the biggest thing, is how to identify those signs and how to work on fixing them.

Now that you’ve made it this far, what’s your favorite part about medical school/your life? 

It’s seeing the smile on people’s faces when you know that you’ve helped them. And it may be something that you may think is simple, like getting them some water. But I think of that sort of a funny saying, that there are only two institutions in America that can tell you when to eat, what to wear, can basically control your every move, and that’s jail and the hospital. So I think going out of your way, or it may not even be going out of your way, but the simple things that they teach you in third grade, like to be nice to people and to do nice things, go a long way when somebody’s in that situation, which for them, might be that their world is spiraling out of control, but it may be another day for you. So I think recognizing that and just doing a little bit more to make people feel like people. Because they can a lot of the time just feel like diseases when they come to us. So I think knowing that I helped people in that regard, knowing that I’ve helped people in reaching a diagnosis, but I think at the end of the day the idea that I have helped somebody, at least one person today is definitely the best part about it. And that’s one of the things that motivated me to even apply to medical school in the first place.

My last question is random, but what’s your craziest story of a med school-related experience that you’ve had.

I don’t think I can say that [laughs]. Like in the hospital?

Yeah, or wherever.

Craziest? Geez, I’m trying to think about a PG thing to say. Maybe not craziest…

It doesn’t have to be crazy, just any last tidbit that you’d like to share. 

Okay, I’ll say the most memorable experience was I was working on a team with a patient who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but he didn’t know his diagnosis, and we were the initial team involved in diagnosing him and giving his family the news. And he was in and out of the hospital a lot during the month that I was there. And I was able to go to his room and I would practice my Spanish with him every day, and we talked about his life, we talked about his family, we talked about soccer. We got to meet some of his extended family, and I think for me, that really exemplified why I even chose this in the first place. The fact that you’re able to share some of the most intimate moments with people and really get to know them in those moments and help them through those difficult moments, I think is the main reason why I wanted to even do this in the first place. That for me was the most memorable experience I’ve had so far.

Alright that’s all I have – if there’s anything else you want to share, feel free.

Medicine’s fun. Medicine is fun.