top of page

CLINCAL

What is a Clinician?
A clinician is a doctor having direct contact with and responsibility for patients, rather than one involved with theoretical or laboratory studies. A clinician can also be defined as a health care professional that works as a primary caregiver of a patient in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, clinic, or patient's home. A clinician diagnoses and treats patients. Clinicians take comprehensive exams to be licensed and some complete graduate degrees (master's or doctorates) in their field of expertise. Although a clinician must follow evidence-based best-practices and other professional codes of conduct set by laws and professional governing bodies, a clinician can choose to practice without another's supervision. The main function of a clinician is to manage a sick person in order to cure the effects of their illness.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL

Since there are a wide variety of fields you can choose from when wanting to be a clinician, there are a wide variety of requirements you must meet in order to go to graduate school. For some fields, you must take the GRE in order to qualify for graduate school. For other fields, you must take the MCAT in order to qualify for medical school. Then, you must have completed a certain number of prerequisite courses, which will vary from school to school for graduate school. For medical school however, there is a pretty universal set of prerequisite courses that you must take in order to be accepted. After being accepted to graduate school and completing the required amount of years to obtain your degree, you must then apply to get your doctorate if you wish to complete all tasks within your field of study. If you choose to go straight into medical school, you will have your Medicinae Doctor (MD), and you will likely have to complete residencies and fellowships upon graduation. Students should be aware that schools may expect applicants to demonstrate leadership, community service, shadowing, and other experiences or attributes in addition to coursework.

INTERVIEWS WITH ALUMNI

Jonathan LaChance '10
​
​
What was your major as an undergraduate? Did you ever switch your major? What made you decide to choose your particular major?
After Ithaca College graduating with a B.S. in Health Science & Pre-med and my experiences there I was drawn to the field of nursing.  I went to Binghamton University for an accelerated B.S. in Nursing and began working in an ICU directly after graduating.  I obtained my M.S. in Nursing Administration and Community Health through Binghamton University in 2015 and was a clinical instructor for the undergraduate nursing program there.  This Fall I will begin the next step of this journey at Albany Medical College in pursuance of a M.S. in Nurse Anesthesiology.
​
Knowing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life at 18 years old just was not in my cards.  I went through four majors starting out with Speech Language Pathology which was very enjoyable.  I still remember my phonetics class in which we had to partner up with another classmate to phonetically transcribe our own dialogue.  Apparently my thick Maine accent was not the easiest to transcribe at that point in our education.  For whatever reasons I decided to switch to business for a brief amount of time, then to gerontology, then to health science as a broader approach.  I worked as a nursing assistant in the ICU and the ED at Cayuga Medical Center during my undergrad and it seemed to me that whichever way I wanted to go in healthcare a degree in health science would be beneficial.
 
What led to your current career? Was it due to past professional experiences? Past successes/failures? Opportunities that IC presented you with such as clubs/activities/volunteer work?
My current career as a critical care registered nurse began developing as an undergrad at IC.  I mentioned I was a nursing assistant in two critical care units at the local hospital while studying at IC.  This part time job eventually turned into an internship which satisfied a graduation requirement.  It was this foundational exposure to healthcare that I attribute my progression in the field of nursing to.  Im currently working as a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse, NY and as a critical care flight nurse on a medevac helicopter for LifeNet of New York which is based in Seneca Falls, NY.   Alll of these experiences have led me to apply to Albany Medical College’s nurse anesthesiology program.  I was accepted and will begin classes August 1, 2018.  

What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day may be atypical for those who work the general 9 to 5 gig.  When I’m on a medevac shift it’s generally for 24 hrs at a time.  There are two medical crew members staffing each of our ten bases in New York State - a critical care nurse and a critical care paramedic.  Our pilots work 12 hour shifts per FAA regulations.  At each base our crew members have their own sleeping quarters and there are common areas for meals.  We launch for scene calls (car accidents and such) and interfacility transfers (flying patients for higher level of care or specialty treatments).  Between calls we engage in a significant amount of education and simulations for any possible patient situation --  from neonates to older patients and everything in between.  When I work in the ICU it’s a bit more controlled as you can probably imagine.  Patients are in beds, there is air conditioning, and there are more resources.  More important than work, in my opinion, is how someone enjoys their free time.  When I am laying on my deathbed I’ll never say, “Man, I wish I had worked more.”  I am an avid cyclist, hiker, disc golf player, and traveler.  A typical day off for me is not staying home, but rather out and about making new memories with family and friends.  My schedule is currently working seven days in a row then having seven days off.  Aside from leisure hobbies I’ve been working with a good friend (a medevac pilot I work with) to launch our online retail business of designing and selling brewery and craft beer-related items.  Exciting stuff!

What do you like/dislike about your career? About the field?
I absolutely love my chosen profession overall.  With any position someone holds there are bound to be frustrations, but if you can truly say that you love the majority of your job then I consider that a win.  I enjoy providing care to critically-ill or injured patients and being their advocate.  Having discussions with a family regarding their loved one’s condition, disease process, and overall progression is a huge part of my job and it’s a part that I wouldn’t trade for anything.  The teamwork, interdisciplinary communication, and high energy atmosphere makes this career path the right one for me.  After being a nurse I could not imagine another field in which I would have as much professional satisfaction as I do now.  I dislike that healthcare as a system is in the condition it is.  If a healthcare system could be hospitalized and fixed, then I would be the first one to take it into the trauma bay for emergency treatment.  There is too much of a focus on big pharma and insurance company profit margins and less of a focus on the overall health of our patients.  I had a patient who was having a heart attack years ago tell me while clenching his chest in agony, “Don’t help me, I don’t have insurance!  I cannot pay for this!”  Don’t worry, he was of course helped and ended up surviving.  The fact that he was thinking about this while potentially dying from a massive heart attack was sad.  Our system is flawed and the focus is skewed.  These are the moments that frustrate me to no end.  

What have you learned being in your particular field?
Throughout my six years as a critical care registered nurse I have learned that there is always something new to learn.  The more you know about a particular topic, the more you realize there is always another layer.  I’ve always made it a goal to get out of my comfort zone.  Taking a position as a flight nurse helped me get over both my fears of heights and flying.  The skill set that I acquired in that job opened my eyes to the possibility of becoming a nurse anesthetist, which I am soon starting school to become.  The most important takeaway from being in this field is that the best outcomes are the result of a team approach.  There is not one person who acts alone to heal, cure, or fix someone.  This way of thinking has certainly impacted other facets of my life for the better.  
​
​
​
Kiara Lora '14
​​
​​
​​
What was your major as an undergraduate? Did you ever switch your major? What made you decide to choose your particular major?
Was Biology major and changed majors to Health Science with Pre-med Emphasis my Sophomore year. I realized that I was interested in the Public Health aspect of Healthcare and Medicine. The curriculum was much broader and provided me with opportunity to learn about the different paths one can take in the healthcare industry.
​
What led to your current career? Was it due to past professional experiences? Past successes/failures? Opportunities that IC presented you with such as clubs/activities/volunteer work?
I’m currently a Project Associate at Montefiore Medical Center- Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  I work on a randomized pragmatic trial that analyzes two different models of care for Hepatitis C treatment for People Who Inject Drugs. People who inject drugs (PWID) have the highest incidence and prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) in the U.S. and globally. However, HCV treatment is rarely provided to PWID. PWID are often deemed not eligible to receive Direct-acting antivirals due to assumptions about poor adherence and reinfection risk. Addressing methods to optimize access to curative HCV treatment in PWID is a priority given their role as the leading risk group for HCV infection and provides both individual and public health benefits. 
I did an internship at Montefiore Medical Group after I graduated and was then referred to work in research as Study Coordinator in May of 2015. Was then promoted in September of 2017 to Project Associate. 

Past success - I was lucky enough to get into the only internship I applied to post grad, something I don’t recommend. I was still not sure what career path I wanted to take senior year, thus I wanted to take some time off school to figure out what path I wanted to take. It is important to start looking for internships early on and ask your advisor or staff for recommendations as they are your best source. 

Past failures/regrets - Not going abroad during my college career. Traveling definitely alters your perspective on life and may help you find what you’re passionate about and choose the ultimate career path. I believe the best time to do it is while you’re in college. 

The internship hours that were required to complete the curriculum were very beneficial as I volunteered as the Beechtree nursing home as an Event Coordinator. I also assisted a school nurse at an elementary school 20 minutes away from Ithaca. I got to the chance to work with age groups from both ends of the spectrum. 
​
What does a typical day look like for you?
I travel between 4 clinics throughout the week working on recruiting patients for the study. I conduct study visit with patients on treatment- (administering a survey, blood and urine collection). I collaborate with the Project Director on proper protocol implementation and quality improvement as we are the lead site managing a national study in 7 different sites. That includes attending meetings, completing administrative tasks and data projects. 

What do you like/dislike about your career? About the field?
It is a very unique population to work with. Although I’m doing research, I get to a lot of clinical experience. I work closely with clinical staff at the sites and I got to see patients one on one. The most memorable part of my job is listening to patient’s stories and what they’ve gone through. I’m fortunate to witness how the patients evolve and change their mindset about treatment and their health overall while they go through their treatment course. This has made me want to pursue a career in nursing. Currently applying to schools to get a Masters in Science in Nursing. 

What have you learned being in your particular field?
I learned how important it is to work in a team in both medical and research fields. I’m a certified phlebotomist and Fibroscan conductor. I learned how to use different databases (Access, RedCap, Medic) and the Electronic Health Record (Epic). I learned that although you’re trying to treat one aspect of a patient’s health, all other factors take affect; like socioeconomic status, homelessness, 
incarceration, other comorbidities, lack of support from friends and family, mental and physical abuse and most importantly, stigma. These are just some factors that need to be taken into consideration in order for a patient to complete a 12 week course of treatment and become Hep C free.
​
​
​
Kia Gallagher '07
​​
​​
​​
What was your major as an undergraduate? Did you ever switch your major? What made you decide to choose your particular major?
I graduated with a Health Sciences major, but admittedly tried to switch to a biology major, which did not occur. The appeal of this major was the ability to completed all the required natural sciences coursework as a premed student and still take classes that I felt would be beneficial to my future career (nutrition, anatomy, etc..)
​
What led to your current career? Was it due to past professional experiences? Past successes/failures? Opportunities that IC presented you with such as clubs/activities/volunteer work?
I currently work as an internal medicine physician in the US Navy. The career path to physician was a longstanding goal prior to starting college. There were two experiences at/through IC that I felt were invaluable to me. The first was being set up as a clinical lab tech and phlebotomist in the college’s health center. The second was a summer experience at a low/no income clinic in Washington, DC.
​
What does a typical day look like for you?
I have two kinds of typical days. I currently work as the Hospitalist Service Chief at the hospital. When I am in my admin role, my day consists of meetings and paperwork. I have to review patient safety reports, participate in peer review, establish a schedule, etc… When I get to see patients, I work a 12 hour shift that starts at 0700 or 1900 (depending on whether I am working days or nights). I typically work with a resident teaching service. Our primary responsibility is caring for inpatients in the hospital and providing consultation to other services when requested. We round in the morning on our current patients and those admitted overnight and then work on the plan for the day (discharges, procedures if needed, continued care for those remaining in the hospital). We also admit new patients to the hospital from the ER and clinics. I also typically reserve 30-60 minutes for teaching on a specific topic, usually related to the conditions/care of our current census, but also on topics requested by the residents.

What do you like/dislike about your career? About the field?
This is a rather loaded question for me. I like patient care and the actual medicine. The human body is fascinating and I love getting to interact with people to provide their care. I also love teaching the residents and helping to train the future of medicine. I enjoy writing lectures, giving chalk talks, and curriculum development. I also love that medicine is a forever changing field that will require life-long learning. It’s not a field where you spend the first years learning to do it and then know what you’re doing up until you retire. It is constantly changing and advancing and requires one to maintain the passion for learning that likely sparked interest in the career field to begin with.
​
I admittedly dislike the administrative portion of my job. I could do without the mounds of paperwork. The current culture of medicine in this country is something I struggle with. I do not like all the billing, insurance paperwork, and hoops I have to jump through to sometimes get the resources and give the appropriate care to my patients. Finally, I struggle with the lack of health literacy in this country that can make communication difficult. The overwhelming amount of bad information that exists and the general lack of knowledge regarding how to determine what is a good source of information too often leads to miscommunication, mistrust of healthcare
professionals, and sometimes outright conflict with patients and their families. I am a great advocate for patient autonomy, however, when the information being used to make decisions is inaccurate, it can cause harm. I have seen patients refuse care in favor of something they read on the internet, including treatments that would’ve been curative early on and prevented progression or even lifesaving intervention that would not have impacted quality of life.

What have you learned being in your particular field?
This question is fairly general, but I’m going to safely assume you are not asking about my academic knowledge. I have learned a great deal about myself and what I value during interactions with patients. I have learned a great deal of patience and restraint, knowing that I cannot fix people’s attitudes or habits I can only advise and I cannot impose my values on them. I have also learned a great deal about interpersonal communication, because frequently what works for one patient will not for another.
bottom of page