Hooked on Primary Care with Mikala Cessac, BS, MS4

One question that freshly matriculated medical students become well-versed in answering is “what specialty are you interested in?”

I answered that question hundreds of times with an ever-evolving response, as I really did not know what kind of doctor I wanted to be. I received advice from a faculty member to just “do what you love, and the specialty will follow.”

I took this advice and jumped in head first, working with organizations I was drawn to: my medical school’s student-run free clinic, where three family medicine physicians advised and led the clinic; the public health interest group, where a family medicine physician who ran the local health department came to speak; and advocacy days at the Missouri capitol, where family medicine physicians fought on behalf of their patients.

At every turn family physicians were leading the way.

I instantly became excited by the multifaceted approach of physicians advocating for the patient in and out of the exam room. I saw family medicine as a vessel to practice social justice for patients who may have previously fallen through the cracks in the health care system. Whether it be in the clinic or at the state capitol, it was important to me to find a specialty that fought for the patient as a whole person.

I wanted the opportunity to meet people where they are and walk with them in their health journey, even if the road presented obstacles. Family medicine had always been right in front of me. As I think back to that advice I received at the beginning of medical school, I consider myself lucky to say that the things I love and the specialty that followed are now one.

Mikala Cessac, BS
Fourth-year medical student, University of Missouri School of Medicine
Student member, American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors