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Open opportunities
Laura Stachowicz, OMS III
By Anita Martin
Photo by John Sattler
As
president of the OU-COM Family Medicine Club, Laura
Stachowicz, OMS II, advocates for primary care among her
peers. She coordinates events like family practice residency
dinners, where students meet with residents and residency
program directors to dine, discuss their field and specific
programs, and learn hands-on skills like suturing or
casting.
“This is
a great school for primary care training,” Stachowicz says.
“We have wonderful role models—like Jay Shubrook, (D.O.
(’96)), and David Stroh, (D.O. (’83))—and
case-based learning that looks at primary care as the first
line of medicine.”
According to Stachowicz, a combination of primary care’s
relatively lower pay and the rising cost of medical school
deters many students from entering the field. “We face such
a burden of debt, and some students feel like they’re
sacrificing their 20s for their medical careers; they think,
why not make more money?”
But for
Stachowicz, the variety and interpersonal warmth of primary
care makes up for the salary gap. “I have a lot of
interests,” Stachowicz says. “The variety of cases you see
is the most exciting part about family medicine—plus, I
love the bond of trust between primary care physicians and
their patients.”
In
October, the Family Medicine Club brought a group of family
physicians to OU-COM to share perspectives on the field with
osteopathic medical students.
“Some
also do sports medicine. Some deliver babies. Some
incorporate dermatology,” Stachowicz says. “The basic
message is that you’re going to see a lot in primary care,
not just coughs and flus.”
Katherine “Toni” Clark,
D.O. (’88)
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