2023 Summer Externs Match to the Same Program

• Michelle Ho and Shannon Burke, both medical students who completed summer externships at FQHCs in 2023, have matched to the same family medicine residency program at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
• Both students credit their externship experiences with Dr. Wells and Dr. Figueroa respectively as pivotal in their decision to pursue family medicine
• The third 2023 Summer Extenship student, Shruthi Mekala matched Family Medicine in Fort Worth, Texas. Read her story

IAFP caught up with Michelle and Shannon in a group Zoom meeting to talk about their time between the externships and the final reveal on Match Day.  Rush student Michelle spent the summer of 2023 at UI Mile Square Health Center based at the Cicero location with Dr. Christna Wells.  UIC student Shannon spent that summer with Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, splitting time between UI-health clinic and the Pilsen Food Pantry.

What impact did your externship experience have on your medical school journey?

Michelle says, “I think it was really cool to be at the FQHC right after my M1 year. I think it really helped build a foundation of the importance of social determinants of health and how you can truly impact someone's life by understanding the context of their lives. By understanding what's important to them, and knowing that you can have such an impact on someone, in terms of continuity and knowing someone for years and years and years, and… the experience was really helpful in knowing that is what I wanted to do in family medicine and showed it was the right path for me.”

Michelle, you said back in 2023, you could see yourself working in an FQHC community. How do you feel about that now?

At the end of the day, exactly what I want to be doing in the future as an attending, is to be rooted in FQHC and build that continuity of care and build those longitudinal relationships. I think that's personally for me, the most fulfilling, and what being a physician means to me.

Shannon originally thought the four-week experience would confirm family medicine was not for her. “Actually, going into the externship, I was not actually thinking family medicine. Family medicine was a little inkling in my mind.  I thought maybe the externship would show that family medicine is not for me, and basically the opposite happened. I discovered that I really loved having those connections with people.  I became comfortable talking about social determinants of health. This primer helped me throughout all my clerkships, including surgery, as these conversations came up in unexpected places.”

What ultimately led both of them to Advocate Illinois Masonic?

Michelle did her sub-I at Illinois Masonic and loved the collaborative team with strong support and camaraderie from attendings to residents. The location on the north side of Chicago included patients of Vietnamese population, which was meaningful as a Vietnamese person herself and provided rewarding experiences speaking Vietnamese with patients who spoke no English. “I knew I wanted to stay in Chicago and found a program where I feel comfortable, supported, and I could learn and grow.

As a Southwest Side Chicago native, Shannon wanted to stay close to family and serve the Chicago population. “My interview with Masonic felt like home. It was the only interview where I felt completely satisfied afterward. I believe they truly wanted to know me as a person, not just as a student.” The program also aligned with her goals, and another intangible characteristic stuck with her. “I remember I loved how residents were comfortable joking with each other, which indicated they genuinely liked each other.”

Michelle had significant experiences in women’s health and advocacy through her life. What does she see as one of the highest women's health priorities? Increasing access through education and counseling on contraception and family planning options. "I want to give women choices through guidance and support, regardless of their circumstances." She credits her own high school's health education outreach for planting this seed and wants to provide similar education and access in the community as a future doctor.

During her externship, Shannon noted that her preceptor Dr. Evelyn Figueroa was “scrappy” in advocating for patients and medical students.  Does she plan to bring some of Dr. Figueroa's scrappiness into your medical career?  In short, yes.  She wants to meet patients where they are with individualized approaches, recognizing one-size-fits-all doesn't work. “I want to bring energy focused on making things better for patients in whatever way possible.”

Do you have a message for your preceptor?
Michelle credits Dr. Wells for a great experience that confirmed family medicine was the right path for her. “I'd like to thank Dr. Wells for helping foster a genuine interest in family medicine. It was a really great experience for me to know that family medicine was the right path for me. I think just being there with her and seeing her with her patients and be kind of like their family and knowing that's what I wanted to do when I grow up.”

Shannon talks to Dr. Figueroa regularly and “we will likely cry together at graduation.” She's thankful to have met and worked with her throughout medical school. “I didn't know who she was before the externship, or that she was the coolest person ever. One doesn't meet Dr. Figueroa, and not have your life permanently altered in some way. Dr. Figueroa changed my life, and I truly believe I’m in family medicine because of her. She encouraged me to be the best version of myself, fight for patients, go outside of my comfort zone, and be a leader. I am a much more confident version of myself and found my passions largely because of her mentorship.”

What advice do you have for the class of 2027 who will be embarking on the match process?
Shannon: Be yourself and put yourself out there during interviews. As an introverted person, repeated interviews were hard for me. But when you find the right fit, it feels natural and information flows freely rather than being pulled out of you.
Michelle: Find a place that feels like home. Regardless of where anyone matches, everyone will thrive. It's a time of growth and change, and that's okay. Everyone will do great.