Medical student earns full scholarship to CMED
Kalamazoo CMED student Barbara Buehler
Barbara Buehler, is one of two Central Michigan University College of Medicine students who received a national scholarship that will cover their tuition, fees and other expenses for medical school.
Paige Piper of Midland is the other student who received the National Health Service Corps Scholarship. Both students are part of CMED's inaugural class of 64 students, the college will induct its third class of 104 students April 30.
The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program accepts students pursuing primary health care professions in underserved communities. According to a CMED press release, the NHSC program received 1,739 scholarship applicants in 2013. Fifty-six scholarships went to medical school students.
Participants in the scholarship program must agree to provide one year of service in an underserved area for each year the program provides financial support.
Buehler sat down with Central Michigan Life to talk about her passion for healthcare in underserved areas throughout the state and how she acquired the scholarship.
You received a scholarship that pays for your tuition for your four years at CMED. How does that scholarship work?
BUEHLER: It took me an entire year to prepare the material required to apply for it. The scholarship pays for your tuition and a stipend for your housing, which they pay every semester, and is (funded) through the federal government. They also have mentors that are available for you, because it can be confusing what you have to do after medical school. After you graduate, you work for them for however long they provided you with the scholarship.
What advice would you give someone that wants to apply for this scholarship?
Do it. There are some catches (to the scholarship), first is you have to work for (National Health Service Corps). For me, I want to serve an underserved community so I don’t find that a big deal. If you're someone who wants to be a high profile surgeon in Seattle, this is not a good option for you. So first, make sure you know the direction you want to be heading in. Second, you can't (go into) certain areas of medicine with this scholarship. For example, if you wanted to become an emergency room physician you couldn’t with this scholarship. Thats because there isn’t a demand for them. This scholarship entices people to fill this huge void that the U.S. currently has with primary care physicians.
What made you want to become a physician?
When I was younger, I always wanted to do something that was impactful in some way. There are a lot of ways to help the human race, but there will always be health. I knew serving in an area that would improve health was something I wanted to do. I was also really skilled in mathematics and the sciences and I have very encouraging parents. My dream is to go to Swahili and work there for a year in a small village and help people.
Why did you pick CMED for medical schooling?
There were a couple of schools I was looking into and CMED’s mission statement is what I want to do. They really want to serve people in rural communities and underserved communities. I would love to work in a tiny little town without a family physician. There weren’t any other schools instate that wanted to do that.
What is the hardest part of medical school?
Honestly, the biggest adjustment is being far away from my family. I haven’t seen them in 10 weeks and since we're so close its been hard not being able to see them. The first year is definitely the hardest year of medical school. It's like the firehose analogy. As an undergraduate you're being sprinkled with knowledge, and in medical school you’re being blasted with knowledge to the point of almost drowning in it. That little girl dream I have and helping someone with their health makes the work worth it.
How do you get a residency?
Its very complicated in that you have this whole life story on this CD. All of your research and grades. CMED is pass/fail so they won’t show your grades, but they will show (if) you passed (or failed) your classes. In your third and fourth year, you can do pass/fail with honors. Research looks really great for getting in (a residency), and so does board scores. So you put all of that together on this CD and start interviewing in areas you want to be placed at. You could go anywhere, but ultimately its a matching system. You list your preferences, one to three, and the hospitals also rank you by their preference.
What are your plans after graduating CMED?
Hopefully get a residency. When I get that I will do three years for my residency. Your residency depends on what you want to practice. I’m not sure yet what I want to do yet, probably family or internal medicine. I'll do that for three to four years, depending on the program. After that I will work for (National Health Service Corps) for the scholarship I received. In order for me to have my tuition paid for, I have to work off how the years it paid for. I’ll work for them in an underserved and rural community and they could put you anywhere and they give you a preference.
