LMSA West Story of the Month

An Undocumented Students Road to Surgery

Raymond Koopmans-University of Washington School of Medicine

When Juan Ortiz graduates from the University of Washington School of Medicine, he will be in the career of his dreams that began in Mexico working at a restaurant. Born and raised in Mexico, Juan knew he wanted more out of life. He has had to persevere and over come much adversary to get to where he is now. Here is his advice to other Latino Students pursuing a career in medicine. What has your experience been like so far in medical school at the UW? Overall, it has being a great experience. I was lucky to find a great group of friends that have helped me out a lot during medical school. Also, the education that we receive and the reputation of the school is something that we dont realize the University of Washington has until we get a chance to go outside the UW system for residency interviews. Having the opportunity to do clinical rotations within the WAMMI region is very valuable. I got to see how medicine is practiced in big academic centers and also in rural places. I took care of homeless patients, ranchers, and Microsoft engineers during my clinical rotations. But, there have being some challenges as well. This is something that you can only get at UW. What is the significance of you being a general surgeon on the Latino community? In other words how do you see yourself helping the Latino Community?
Aspiring surgeon, Juan Ortiz First of all, one has to realize that there are not that many Latino surgeons in general. So, having the opportunity to be one of the few is extremely humbling and special. I feel that we need more people of color going into surgical subspecialties. During my surgery rotations I took care of Latino patients who didnt speak English. From the patients perspective, having someone that speaks your own language and looks like you goes a long way. Patients tend to be more confident and secure of the procedure just by the simple fact that they have a familiar face in the OR. Also, research in particular health outcomes research is another way I see myself helping the Latino community. By conducting research not only do I feel that I can create awareness that these disparities are present, but I can start to bring change to the system.

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What kind of support have you received from LMSA? LMSA has helped me connect with mentors in medicine. It has also helped me find classmates that share the same interest as mine. For me in particular, not having any family here in the US, LMSA members have become part of my own family. Now that I am going through the residency interview process, LMSA has helped me find members to stay with and decrease the cost of traveling. What advice do you have for Latinos who consider Family medicine or other primary care areas in order to consider a specialty in surgery? First and foremost, I would say that you don't have to feel that the only way to help and serve the Latino community is through Family medicine or primary care. A lot of the times, as Latino medical students we are pushed and guilt to choose a career in primary care because that is the only place that one can give back to the community. But, in my personal opinion, I think it is a wrong perception. While I believe primary care is one of the most challenging areas within medicine and some of the smartest people I know are in primary care, I think that Latinos in surgery or other more subspecialties areas are needed as much or more than in primary care. As a general surgeon, you can practice surgery in a rural or urban setting, in places where theres a large Latino population whether you believe it or not, you may be the only Latino surgeon that the area has. As a Latino surgeon you are able to bring the biopsychosocial model of medicine to surgery. Because you understand what the patient that you are going to operate on, is going through. Patients are reassured that things are going to go well in surgery when a familiar face is explaining the procedure. Talk about your mentors? Did you find one in surgery? How did that benefit you? I had several mentors in medical school from people in family medicine, internal medicine, science faculty, to surgery. They all have a big influence on me. Some of them were Latinos and others were not. When you are looking for a mentor, the most important thing to keep in mind is whether or not that person has what you are looking for, despite specialty or race. You need to find out if you relate with that mentor and if the mentor has the tools that you need to succeed. Early on in my first year of medical school, I found a mentor in surgery. He did not only guide me on surgery as a career, but he also helped me with personal things. The most important thing for me was that he was always there when I needed him.

Thank you Juan. We are very proud of you here at UWSOM LMSA and wish you the best wherever life takes you. You are an inspiration to us and know that we appreciate you.