Careers in Health and Medicine

Jennifer Chiem

Medical Student, New York Medical College
Valhalla, New York

Education:
Bachelor of Science, 2007, Biology, minors in chemistry and business, University of Oregon

Since high school, Jennifer Chiem knew she wanted a career in a health care profession; she chose to attend the University of Oregon for its strong biology and chemistry programs. Along with her major and minor courses at the UO, Jennifer participated in a mind-boggling array of healthcare-related activities to broaden her experience in preparation for applying to medical school. “I did job-shadowing, I volunteered at Sacred Heart Medical Center, I did research, I was in Asklepiads Pre-med Society, I was on the student Health Advisory Committee,” she says. “I also did a preceptorship, which is like an internship, with an OB-GYN in the community.” Through that preceptorship, she discovered a passion for obstetrics, and plans to do her residency in that specialty.

All of those experiences helped pave the way for Chiem’s acceptance at New York Medical College, where she’s eagerly working toward rotations. “During the first year, you learn about normal systems,” she says. “Second year, you learn about everything abnormal, all the disease states. Then, third and fourth year are rotations, and you move among professions within the hospital. Besides the different emphasis areas like internal medicine, surgery, family physician, and OB-GYN, there are electives, so you can choose to spend more time in a specific area—wherever your interests lie.”

Chiem’s research projects at the UO provided her with hands-on experience that has direct application in medical school. For two years, she worked as a research assistant in the UO’s Westerfield Lab on projects related to Usher syndrome, a deaf-blindness condition. “It was a great experience,” she asserts. “In medical school they teach you about research techniques during several classes in a series. It’s much easier to understand what the doctors are talking about if you’ve already done it yourself and seen results firsthand.”