Dev, Valerio, and Roman are 11th-graders who didn't just walk away from their 10th-grade internship relieved that they had managed to find a doctor who would allow them to work in their practice -- they decided to make the way easier for the next generations of MIS 10th-graders by establishing a student-to-doctor matchmaking organization called Salus Vitae, meaning Health of Life in Latin. (MIS 10th-graders are required to do three weeks of work experience in a field that interests them to fulfill a requirement of their MYP diploma.) Dev explains that students who were interested in the medical field "were having trouble finding doctors that would let us in their workspace, mainly because of doctor-patient confidentiality. Myself, Valerio, and Roman decided that there was room for growth in this industry. Through our organization, we aim to connect 10th-graders with doctors who can provide the required work experience in their practice. We have three doctors who have agreed to be part of the program. This is our first year of matching 10th-graders with doctors".
While 11th-graders Dev, Valerio, and Roman share many things in common, they developed a passion for the medical field in three very different ways.
For Dev, His drive to pursue a career in medicine came from his extended-stays with his uncle, the President of the Plastic Surgeons Association in India. "Whenever I was with him, I would hear him talking about his patients and surgeries he'd had that day, and I thought oh, that's super interesting. As I grew older, I was allowed to shadow my uncle at the hospital for a day. So, I was already 80% sure that this is what I wanted to do with my career, but the 10th-grade work experience cemented that this is what I'm passionate about and what I want to do as a career.
For Valerio, a significant football injury in February of 2023 paused his ability to play, but "as fate would have it, this unfortunate event led me to encounter Prof. Dr. Med. Mirco Herbort, an exceptional surgeon whose impact went far beyond the operating room.
As I got to know Prof. Herbort better, I realized the depth of impact physicians have on their patients. Witnessing his dedication not only sparked a genuine interest in the intricate world of medical procedures but also transformed my initial nerves regarding undergoing surgery into a profound admiration for the art and science of medicine. Due to this interest, following the operation, my hands-on work experience with Prof. Herbort's further cemented my determination, exposing me to the diverse facets of the medical field, from surgical operations to patient consultations, and fascinating lectures.
While Dev's uncle sparked his interest in medicine, and Valerio literally fell into medicine, Roman approaches the profession from a more practical angle: "I got inspired to do medicine because I always found it interesting how important doctors are and how many opportunities they have due to all the directions you can go into after studying medicine. I currently do not know which area of medicine I would like to focus on; but through my 10th-grade work experience with a doctor, I had the chance to help collect blood and prepare vaccines along with other tasks. These experiences helped me decide to pursue medicine for the future".
As a final message to the MIS community, this medical matchmaking triumvirate asks three things:
1) We want community members to reach out to us if they are a medical professional.
2) We want to empower students to explore the sciences, which is often an intimidating field.
3) We want to empower other MIS students to start their own initiatives.
You can reach out to Dev, Roman, and Valerio @salusvitae.organisation on Instagram.