Family Medicine: A Non-Traditional Student’s Journey

Marian University Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine is known for its passion for developing a strong primary care knowledge base in its osteopathic medical students. With this strong foundation in primary care, its medical students can enter careers in any specialty. One alumnus utilized this background and her clinical training to pursue a career in primary care as a Family Medicine physician.

As a medical student, Nancy Githere-Thande, DO '24, (Dr. G), was highly impressed with the field of Family Medicine, and now, is a second-year Family Medicine resident, (R2), in Northern California.

Her passion for Family Medicine was not the original plan. Growing up, she always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Dr. G. was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and excelled in school in her youth. Having attended a small prep school in the Bay Area and then moving to UPenn was quite the adjustment. She felt like a small fish in a big pond at times, which was not what she was used to.  She attended the University of Pennsylvania to earn her undergraduate degree in social sciences, with a major in ‘Health & Societies,’ and a minor in French. During her undergraduate education, Dr. G. paused pursuing a career as a physician, as her heart was drawn to obtaining a master's degree in public health (MPH).

Now, not having gone from her undergraduate studies directly into medical school, one summer later, she officially became what is known as a ‘nontraditional student.’ This is becoming increasingly popular as people wish to pursue other interests before applying to medical school or to gain more experience. Dr. G. did just that with her MPH and her gap years! She became a research coordinator in an HIV-focused research project at USCF; took classes in the evening to complete the pre-med requirements; studied for the MCAT; substitute taught; and acted as a private tutor for a family during her gap years. Before medical school began, she had her eye on becoming an OB-GYN, an obstetrician-gynecologist.

She attended what was, at the time, the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, now the Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine (MU-WCOM). It was not until her third year at Marian that she began to consider a career in Family Medicine for the first time. She noticed during an OB-GYN rotation that she wanted to be able to care for infants as well. Her passion for sexual and reproductive health, pediatrics, and procedures drew her to a career in Family Medicine. Dr. G. would like to focus her future Family Medicine practice on her medical passions: prenatal care, postpartum care, pediatrics, and young adults, while partaking in elective hospital inpatient medicine, all of which are in the field of Family Medicine!

Dr. G. is a wonderful physician, mother, wife, and lifelong learner who has accomplished so much in her medical journey thus far! What she has recently added to this list is a social media influencer.

When asked about how she got interested in pursuing this, it became apparent that multiple colleagues and co-workers noticed the gap in the social media space for parents in residency training and suggested she fill this with content creation! She realized this would be an opportunity to stop the spread of misinformation in medicine on the internet. Her MPH degree is an additional catalyst for what she is using her platform to do!

Dr. G. spreads information on evidence-based medicine, inspiring the next generation of physicians at any stage in their lives, encouraging women, and sharing her own motherhood journey. You can find her on Instagram @dr.sheeerowww where she posts informational videos and content!

Q&A:

How frequently is OMT used in the field of Family Medicine in your experience?

The residency program she attends encourages the use of OMT with their osteopathic physicians, who are passionate about this! OMT or Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment is an extra set of skills osteopathic physicians learn, which can be used to help regulate the nervous system, increase lymphatic drainage, enhance blood flow, and address a variety of musculoskeletal problems. In the field of Family Medicine, there are plenty of opportunities to help enhance the patient’s quality of life with this skill set. At the resident level, a preceptor who is passionate about OMT is key!

Do you have any opinions on osteopathic medical students preparing to sign up for COMLEX or the USMLE Step 1?

Dr. G’s perspective was that of breaking stigma! She suggested that in the future, there could be one exam that MDs and DOs take. For the DO students, there could be an extra section for Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) or Osteopathic Principles & Practice (OPP), on which we are also tested.

What is your biggest piece of advice for current medical students?

Be Resilient. Dr. G. described how hard medical school is, recognizing there are going to be times when you have to brush it off and keep moving forward! She wants students to believe in themselves and their own vision!

About the Author

Sydney is a second-year osteopathic medical student attending the Marian University Tom and Julie Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is passionate about patient advocacy and osteopathic manipulative medicine, and is currently considering a field in Family Medicine! You will constantly hear her talking about how her life is more than medicine, as she loves being a consistent full-time sister, daughter, and friend in addition to her studies!