Community Member

Apr 11, 2025 6:27:43 AM

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I’ve always wanted to be a physician. One look at my transcript, MCAT scores and job history and I’m absolutely certain you’ll believe that claim. Since you are likely also a scientist or have a science background, you’ve likely listened to or read the book “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD or Atlas of the Heart by Brene’ Brown, and recognize that a trauma explanation shows in my performance, but not in my dedication. The point being is that I do not have a weak stomach, and was a Southern California EMT/ambulance driver & attendant/ER tech, and volunteer firefighter throughout my undergraduate years, and actually drove to Guadalajara Mexico to consider the college of medicine located there. I transitioned out of the sciences in 1995 when a company I was recruited to in order to iron our their troubles with the FDA asked me not to come back when I refused to sign off on a regulated pharmaceutical tablet when it failed quality control and quality control back up procedures. I recognize that this role is not one of a physician and an anatomy course doesn’t appear on my formal transcripts; however, my interest in medicine has included years reviewing anatomical displays at medical school. I have assisted with surgeries accepting surgical specimens to use in in vitro studies of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and as cell-layers seeking to improve results in IVF at Baylor Medical School. I have assisted in the removal of heart valves from a deceased individual at Carolinas Medical Center, and viewed multiple autopsies at the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. Technically, you could say I’m retired so the part-time aspect of this role is just fine (though, just between you, me, and the fencepost, I would be very happy to do the role full-time). *When I graduated from UCI, my counselors said I wouldn't likely get into a California school and encouraged me to consider Texas and Guadalajara. I drove to Guadalajara (I speak enough Spanish to get by) ... a submachine gun pointed at my roommate and my backs (in Spanish, we were told by an officer on foot that we’d made an illegal turn) at a stop along the way was enough to get me to consider a move to Texas. Interviewed and had a couple offers at Baylor College of Medicine to establish residency and was told after interviewing at Texas Tech that I would be accepted there. My boss at Baylor asked me if I'd go to the James H Quillen College of Medicine to establish Tennessee's first IVF program (I was to return to Texas within 6 months to attend medical school). Unfortunately, I was young and stupid: I didn't realize acceptance letters have "do not forward" on the envelopes and I ended up being rejected on the basis of residency. All was not lost though. I ended up marrying the girl I’d trained and we’ve spent the last 37 years married and have four unbelievably accomplished kids: 1. a Navy Captain, helicopter pilot trainer and 10-year submariner who just returned from deployment in Japan, 2. a West Point grad, Army Ranger / Airborne, who served in Afghanistan and returned to graduate with an MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and the Kennedy School of Public Administration at Harvard University and contractor for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Washington DC. I cannot comment on his work due to its sensitive nature. 3. a University of North Carolina Charlotte School of Engineering Technology graduate who’s recently taking on the father role while he’s also a practicing engineer, 4. a North Carolina State grad daughter (yep, the only daughter) who easily could have gotten into West Point, but declined my suggestion for a more life-affirming role doing computer animation. She’s currently a Front End Program Developer for Cadmium in Cary, NC. View her outstanding video’s on YouTube by searching for Anna & Roy’s Honeymoon Video.