2020 TCEP Board of Directors Nominee
1. Please provide us with your Medical School and graduation date. Also include your current positions held with a brief description of your duties. University of Incarnate Word School of Medicine (UIWSOM) Emergency Medicine Interest Group at UIWSOM: Student Initiative in Medical Simulation at UIWSOM: Texas Medical Association Sigma Sigma Phi (SSP): Student Learner Ambassador at UIWSOM 2. Tell us about your involvement in TCEP. I have not been directly involved in TCEP or ACEP. However, I revived the SIMS team at UIWSOM and volunteered at other EM conferences. I use the word “revive” because prior to my first year of medical school the SIMS organization at UIWSOM was active but ceased to exist during my first year. I was able to create a foundation for ours SIMS program by writing cases and coding the cases into our high fidelity simulator. Also, I created some of the didactics that were used this past year to prepare us for the cases. Our goal was to compete in the TCEP SIMS war. From my experience with SIMS and volunteering at various EM conferences, I have developed a well-rounded aspect of the needs of students, which will help me better advocate for students. 3. Convey to us your goals as a Director and what you see as the pressing issues facing Emergency Physicians in the next three years. My involvement in various student led organizations and activities revolving around EMIG has given me greater insight about the needs of students. By becoming an advocate, I hope to encourage students interested in emergency medicine to enroll in a TCEP/ACEP membership. Membership plays an important role in equipping students and physicians to combat the issues that Emergency Physicians will be facing in the near future. By encouraging the younger generations to join TCEP, my hopes are that they will come to appreciate the benefits of being a TCEP member and retain their membership as they continue their careers as physciains. One of the pressing concerns I see for Emergency Physicians is the expanding roles of mid-levels. One school of thought is that there will be an increase in the amount of mid-levels on a shift while reducing the number of physicians on a shift, thus decreasing the need for EM physicians. In another light, the use of mid-levels help in filling understaffed emergency departments and increase the provider-to-patient ratio. While both arguments are fair, this is an issue that we will have to face in the near future aftering weighing the risks and benefits of both arguments. 4. Please provide a brief description of family, community and professional activities, and hobbies. My parents were born in Vietnam and immigrated from a Malaysian refugee camps in the 70s. I am the youngest child of two. My brother is currently fulfilling his dream in the police academy in Houston and is set to graduate in April 2020. I am currently engaged and I am very excited to be marrying a wonderful woman in August. Before starting medical school, I worked in facilities at a high school in Houston. I began working there in the summer of my sophomore year of high school. I really enjoyed the work I did here so I started to pick up shifts before and after class. Once I began my undergraduate education, I was promoted to facilities supervisor and taught high school students the safety and problem solving in troubleshooting various problems. This experience holds a special place in my heart because I was able to identify and confront my insecurities. This related to my hobbies because I enjoy working with my hands, whether it is working on my family’s cars, welding, volunteering at the facilities department of my previous job, and woodworking. In addition, I enjoy mentorship and helping others follow their dreams. I have met a few college students that want to pursue medicine that I meet up with regularly to check up on them and help them with anything I can. Also, I try to volunteer regularly at the local food bank and crotcheting plastic bags into sleeping mats/blankets for the homeless. |
