A Non-traditional Premed Turned Medical Spanish Podcaster!

Dr. Ryan Gray: The Premed Years, session number 114.

Hello and welcome to the Medical School Headquarters Podcast; where we believe that collaboration, not competition, is key to your premed success. I’m your host, Dr. Ryan Gray and in this podcast we share with you stories, encouragement and information that you need to know to help guide you on your path to becoming a physician.

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Today we have an awesome guest. We have a fellow podcaster, Dr. Molly Martin, who runs the Medical Spanish Podcast at www.MedicalSpanishPodcast.com. Now Dr. Martin shares her story with us about her journey into medicine and how it was a nontraditional journey. How she really wasn’t premed in undergrad, and how she did the- what we would consider a very cliché thing of joining her passion for science and wanting to help people. And we talked about that, how typically it’s a cliché thing but she explains it and it makes total sense, how she combined it, and hopefully if you’re struggling trying to come up with that idea of why you want to be a physician and in your mind you’re like, “Well, I like science and I want to help people,” listen to how Dr. Martin frames how she put that all together and how she obviously got into med school with that information and now is a practicing physician, and host of this special podcast.

If after the interview you have any questions for Dr. Martin, head over to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/114 and you can leave a comment there for Dr. Martin and we’ll make sure she gets them and can answer them. So let’s get to the interview.

Molly, welcome to the Medical School Headquarters podcast, thanks for joining us.

Dr. Molly Martin: Thank you for having me.

Dr. Ryan Gray: It’s our pleasure. Welcome. I should say, ‘Bienvenidos.’

Dr. Molly Martin: Gracias.

Dr. Ryan Gray: I want to start by talking about your path into medicine, and we’ll get to what you’re doing now with the Medical Spanish Podcast. But when, looking back in your childhood or whenever it was, when did you know that becoming a physician was right for you?

Getting Into Sciences

Dr. Molly Martin: You know it started with a love for the sciences. I actually used to score really poorly in these called the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills; they’re Midwestern standardized tests that we all took. And I’d get so nervous for those tests that I would score really poorly and I was always put in like the lowest level classes. And then I had a science class in 6th grade and was fascinated by the atom, and scored like the top score on that test and realized, ‘I’m not stupid.’ And that first passion for the sciences and realizing that I actually did have a brain and that I was actually smart when it came to science and math. I think that’s what got me started thinking about medicine because I gravitated towards those subjects, and then in high school I worked in a nursing home with the elderly and loved it. And I think that’s when I really started- that was my first, real step, towards thinking maybe I should be a physician.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So I want to step back for a second. You were taking these standardized tests and weren’t doing well, but then you were exposed to the atom and said, “Holy moly, this is awesome.”

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And so it really wasn’t that you were bad at standardized tests, you just didn’t find anything you were interested in at that point it sounds like.

Dr. Molly Martin: Maybe, and I think it was just being I was scared of the standardized tests. So I think it was before I realized my ability and my strengths, I was so nervous going into those tests that I couldn’t perform. And so I needed- yeah I needed an interest to be sparked so that I could get over- well, the nervousness. But it wasn’t so much that I was nervous during school, but for those tests, and so I never thought of myself as a huge student until- yeah, until the atom. Until the introduction to the atom.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s kind of funny that everything starts with the atom.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yes it is.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Literally. So how do you jump from loving the atom to getting into a nursing home? There had to be some intermediate step of, “Well let me see if being around the elderly and patients is interesting.”

Dr. Molly Martin: Well that was a step made by my- was it my chemistry professor? I think it was my chemistry teacher in high school. There were some jobs available for students in the sciences, and he recommended me for that job and that’s how I got it, so that was through my chemistry teacher.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Okay.

Dr. Molly Martin: And it wasn’t a scientific job but it was a job that would take a look into the health sciences career.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Okay.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah. And I always- yeah I think I had a few choices and that’s the one I chose just because I’ve always liked spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and the older population, and I still do. I work as an internist in the hospital so my average age of patient is like 85.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Wow so you’re like a geriatrician but a hospital-based geriatrician.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, we work mostly with the elderly. It’s very rare to- well it’s not rare but our average age is definitely in the 80’s. I have a lot of- like I just took care of a 103-year-old lady the other day.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Wow, what’s your record?

Dr. Molly Martin: 104 in the hospital, and she came in after breaking a hip.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Of course.

Dr. Molly Martin: It was amazing though. She was like out of there in two days.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Wow.

Dr. Molly Martin: She was- yeah she was wonderful, she’s one of my best patients.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s great. So from nursing home, what were your next steps?

Dr. Molly Martin: I went- well actually this is one thing that looking at students or people going into premed, I went right into college and-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Where did you go to college?

College and Premed

Dr. Molly Martin: I went to Macalester College in Saint Paul, and there again I gravitated towards the sciences. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a doctor, I actually didn’t decide until after I graduated. I went back and forth between molecular biology and health sciences like which I would do if I wanted to do research. And so when I graduated I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, and that was a good thing because I didn’t go right into school again, I spent time travelling.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Graduated high school or college?

Dr. Molly Martin: No this is college.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Okay.

Dr. Molly Martin: This is college.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So you went through your college years not really being premed.

Dr. Molly Martin: No I just ended up doing all the premed because I liked those classes.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Okay.

Dr. Molly Martin: And so I realized I’m getting all the premed requirements anyways, and so I did take like a philosophy course or something in order to round out my premed requirements, but no I didn’t purposely choose premed. It just kind of came to me because that’s what I liked. And so it was- yeah, it was a natural progression. And after college I didn’t know what I was going to do so I did not apply for medical school right away, I decided to travel and do research in a lab when I wasn’t travelling. And then during that time I realized, you know I really don’t like not being- like I love customer- like being with people and serving people when I’m working and in the lab I was all by myself all day long. I didn’t really like that and so I realized no, I need to do something where my- I’m doing something scientific but I’m like directly working with a person, or like helping a person through science. So that’s why I decided to go into medicine, and so I applied a year later and then I got in, and then I said, ‘I don’t want to go yet,’ and deferred another year and I totally recommend not going right into medical school but to travel. And I was also able to- after I got in I took a year to volunteer a lot and that was really good. I worked with Planned Parenthood and I worked with a Latino group.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Interesting.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah. Yeah, it was funny I did all my volunteer after I got into med school. I was like, “Damn I could have had this on my-”

Dr. Ryan Gray: You obviously didn’t need it.

Dr. Molly Martin: No, yeah. Oh well.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So it’s funny. You ask a lot of premeds, “Why do you want to be a doctor?” And a lot of them will say, “Well I like science and I want to help people.”

Dr. Molly Martin: I know, it’s such a standard answer.

Dr. Ryan Gray: It is a very clichéd answer, but when you hear it from somebody now like yourself who is a physician, and looking back, and listening to your path of doing the bench research and really not liking to be by yourself, but loving the science part and missing the- I think you were going to say the customer service part of it.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, I did. I guess I did like customer service.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, and that’s what we do.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, it is.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And so it’s- and you merged those two, and you realized that being a physician was the perfect avenue for that. So I think for those listening, if you like the sciences and you like helping people, think about what Molly was just talking about of how she merged those two, and if that’s really something. Because I think it’s important to- especially nowadays when you’re at your med school interview, of articulating why you really want to be a doctor and it’s really not a great answer now in an interview to say, “Well, I want to help people.” So you need to really articulate it and figure that out for yourself, and you did.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah I think about that a lot though, it is a very standard answer but it’s the truth, and you’ve got to be yourself. So you have- so if that’s your answer, give it, and just back it up. Yeah.

Applying to Med School

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah. When you applied to medical school, obviously you had these couple years off. What was it like for you to apply and kind of- I’m assuming maybe you were on your own when you applied. How did you kind of tread those waters of applying and figuring all of that out?

Dr. Molly Martin: I’m kind of a weird person, I just decided one night, ‘Okay I’m going to apply for med school,’ and I applied and pretty much did everything pretty quickly and studied for the MCAT and did it all very quickly just decided that’s what I’m going to do, and once I decided, I did it. So I didn’t put a lot of thinking into it, that’s kind of how I do things. I never- I don’t like to mull things over, pros and cons, once I feel like this is the right thing. Once I decide- like I feel something in my gut I just go for it, and that’s how I did it with med school. I don’t remember a lot of- once I decided I just went for it and I remember I did my whole application like within a few days.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Wow.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, but that’s- yeah I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

Dr. Ryan Gray: You applied pre-electronic, I’m assuming. Electronic applications; when did you apply to med school?

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, I applied in 1996 or ’95.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So we’re dating you.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, you are. 1996 I think.

Dr. Ryan Gray: So pre-electronic applications.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah it was, definitely. I remember, I mean I did it all on the computer but I had to print it out and then- yeah, put it in a big yellow envelope and mailed it.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Mail it off.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Awesome. And so obviously you got into med school, where did you end up going to med school?

Dr. Molly Martin: The University of Minnesota.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright.

Dr. Molly Martin: I’m from Minnesota, so-

Dr. Ryan Gray: The Gophers.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Awesome. So I want to talk about what you’re doing right now with work, and then we’ll talk about the podcast because I think that’s very interesting. So talk about your journey into kind of being hospital now, what was that like? Because that’s still a relatively new field.

Physician Beginnings

Dr. Molly Martin: Mm hmm. Yeah, well actually when I graduated from Internal Medicine- and I always knew I wanted to do Primary because I like to know the whole picture of things; it’s hard for me to let go and just focus on one little part. Especially right now with the complexity of patients, it’s hard to just focus on one little part, they’re all interacting and so I wanted to see the whole patient. So that’s how I decided Internal Medicine and then also I like the diagnosis part like the puzzle and figuring out like what’s going on here? And putting everything together, the history, the exam and the labs and images. And so when I graduated from Internal Medicine residency I actually went to the traditional mode of practice where you- I went up to northern Minnesota to a small town named Bemidji and it’s like three hours from the nearest main hospital, or big hospital with multi-specialty hospital. So we actually had to take care of a lot of things that usually would go somewhere else, because we didn’t have a nearby hospital and people didn’t want to travel to a hospital three hours away. So that was- I really enjoyed that part of it, but I also did clinic. So I did clinic five days a week and then I would take call like every- I think it was fourth weekend, and then you take call during the week as well. And I liked it, but I didn’t really like the clinic to be honest.

Dr. Ryan Gray: What about it?

Dr. Molly Martin: Clinic turned into a lot of problems that we don’t have good solutions for. And a lot of people want an easy fix and a lot of the problems that people came in with were things that needed lifestyle changing and not a pill. And people who come to the doctor for those problems don’t usually like to talk about that option. They want a pill. And so it got kind of exhausting to just always be trying to go towards the lifestyle cheerleader and people wanting you to give them a pill; because I’m very anti-medicine. I mean- let me back up there. I’m very anti-polypharmacy and I was always trying to get people off medications. And it was- people didn’t want that, they wanted their pills. And so that’s why I chose to go to hospital medicine because I am- I like more natural means of healthcare and trying to keep yourself healthy through good lifestyle choices and only going to the medicines when it’s absolutely necessary, and that’s why the hospital is such a good fit for me. It also- you see the acute illness that comes in is really interesting to try to figure out and treat; so I found it more interesting to address the problems that came in. That’s why I switched over to hospital medicine. Some people are so good at the clinic and I wouldn’t discourage it, but it takes a special touch. And I think a wonderful niche would out there for the clinic- and something I might think of doing in the future, is doing more of a holistic medical clinic. So you’re kind of attracting that population that wants to get away from the medications and more into nutrition and exercise.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, and it’s interesting you mentioned the patients that would just say, “Give me the pill, give me the pills,” and you’re like, “Well you need to exercise first,” and the way healthcare reimbursements are going with patient satisfaction scores being tied to reimbursement. And so if you have patients that just want a pill and you’re not that type of physician, your satisfaction ratings might not be very high.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, you know I have to say I was lucky I had good- I mean, yeah it’s true. But that’s not what discouraged me. I’ll say I just ignore the patients that- I mean, don’t ignore the patient satisfaction with the direct patient relationships, but as far as scores and things I just focus on my day-to-day interactions and trying not to look at the scores because it’s just- you can’t win. And I do truly believe if you start- you need to focus on what is right for the patient and not what will make them give you a good score. Because once you start doing that, then you have a conflict of interest that shouldn’t be there.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, without a doubt.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah.

Medical Spanish Podcast

Dr. Ryan Gray: So let’s talk about the Medical Spanish Podcast. When did this kind of idea get birthed in your mind?

Dr. Molly Martin: Okay, it’s when I went to Honduras actually. I was up in
Bemidji and a group of- it was through the Bemidji Rotary Association I think it was. They were going to Honduras on a medical mission and I thought, “I’m going to go with,” because I went to Bolivia when I was in college and had kept up my Spanish and things, so to be honest it’s because I love Latin America and I love the Latino culture. They’re relaxed, they deal on a daily basis with crisis with such grace that you don’t see in the United States where we have so many privileges and life comes so easy to us. And I’ve gotten so much strength from just being around Latinos and that culture. So I always have a passion for Latin America and its culture and the people that I’ve met from Latin America, it’s enriched my life. And so I was up in Bemidji where there aren’t a lot of Latinos, and ended up having this opportunity to go to Honduras and after coming back from that trip I thought, ‘I can’t let this go, I need to keep my connection to Latin America and with Spanish and that I’m going to start this podcast because this will be a way to keep me connected even when I’m way up here in Bemidji.’ And I had a friend- a good friend of mine, Maria, she was in the beginning of the podcast. And she and I put together the first episodes, and it became a passion. Because it was my connection to Spanish and Latin America that I needed to keep strong even when I was up in Bemidji, Minnesota.

Dr. Ryan Gray: And so why medical Spanish? Obviously you think there’s a need there.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, because whenever I went to look for medical texts, the medical Spanish texts, they were like beginning Spanish- medical Spanish. And I thought- now I was at a pretty good level when I started the podcast and I thought, ‘Well none of these serve me very much because I already know the basics of Spanish,’ and it was like getting through all of the basics to get to the information I needed. And so I thought, I’m going to start at an intermediate level and go beyond that to focus just in on the medical Spanish for people who already have a good basis of Spanish and want to become fluent in the medical jargon with patients. It’s definitely for like patient-centered medical Spanish, not for physician-physician medical Spanish but- because I wanted to take people who already knew Spanish and go beyond the basics.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Do you have any data of like the percentage of Spanish-speaking population that are in the hospital on a daily basis where physicians would need this medical Spanish?

Dr. Molly Martin: No, I do not. No, I don’t. I don’t have that data.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Okay. Interesting. Obviously the Spanish-speaking population in this country is huge, there’s no denying that. And so from what you’ve seen, what are some of the advantages for a physician to know even basic Spanish which I lot of physicians don’t even know basic Spanish.

Dr. Molly Martin: You know whenever you’re able to directly communicate with someone that speaks a language you don’t- or that you’re not fluent in, even if it’s just a few words I think that connection is invaluable. I mean because I work with interpreters every day in other languages and comparing that experience to when I can actually talk directly to my Spanish speaking patients, even if it- the difference that makes is huge and if you do need to use an interpreter that’s good, I mean you should use an interpreter if you don’t have the skillset yet to competently communicate with the patient about their symptoms and what’s bringing them to the clinic or hospital, you should use that interpreter. But if you can learn just those basic- or if you can just phrase- attempt to phrase your questions and then have the interpreter help you out; that attempt is going to build that trust and that relationship with the patient that I think is invaluable when you’re trying to figure out- when you’re trying to help them and get them to open up to you about what’s going on.

Dr. Ryan Gray: That’s an interesting take on it, I don’t know if I’ve ever thought about it in that way. That it’s more of a- or can be a relationship builder and rapport builder.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, now there is- I did recently read an article about data on when you’re able to- just that compassion and the direct relationship with the patient, if you can give a compassionate, positive aura or whatever. If you can-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Just give them that vibe.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah, that vibe, that’s exactly what I’m looking for. If you can give your patient a compassionate, positive vibe, that actually helps them get well better. Like in the hospital even; they’ll get out of the hospital faster and I think that kind of goes along with if you can say a few words in their native language it shows that you care and you are going to connect with them. Because once you have that interpreter there, it does- that breaks, it does interrupt the connection somewhat. And so I think it’s invaluable and I think it helps the patient, it helps them feel more secure and safe in there.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Yeah, I agree. So let’s have a medical Spanish session right now.

Dr. Molly Martin: Okay.

Brief Medical Spanish Lesson

Dr. Ryan Gray: Let’s learn what are some maybe like just two or three key things. Like everybody knows, ‘Donde esta el bano.’ Like, ‘Where is the bathroom.’ That’s the most important thing if you go to a Spanish country. As a physician and walking into a patient room that has a Spanish speaking patient, what are some maybe two or three key phrases to open up that relationship that maybe we could say in Spanish?

Dr. Molly Martin: Well I guess you would just simply start with a greeting. So usually you would start with a greeting; if it’s morning you would say, ‘Buenos dias.’ Afternoon, ‘Buenas tardes.’ So those would be the two things, I think that would help a lot just know when to use buenos dias or buenas tardes, and then you would introduce yourself. So it is the basics. So if you’re a student you would say, well you could say, ‘Soy el estudiante,’ and then you would say your name. So I would say, ‘Soy la-‘ because I’m a woman I’d say, ‘Soy la estudiante Molly Martin.’ And if you’re a doctor you’d say, ‘Soy la [Inaudible 00:25:14] Molly Martin.’ And then it’d be good to ask and confirm you’re with the right person, ‘Es usted.’ ‘Es usted la senora,’ and then you would say their name. So then after you greet them and you’ve introduced who you are and made sure they’re who you think they are, just say, ‘Mucho gusto.’ Or, ‘Es un placer.’ [Inaudible 00:25:36] depending on if it’s a man or a woman. So but I think the easiest way if you don’t know Spanish is just say, ‘Mucho gusto.’ You can say it after you meet anyone, “Mucho gusto.’

Dr. Ryan Gray: And what is that conveying?

Dr. Molly Martin: It just means- that means it’s a pleasure, it’s good to meet you. So, ‘Mucho gusto,’ and it works for a man or a woman. It’s a great way to just say, ‘It’s good to meet you.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Great.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: What about I’m going to get an interpreter or whatever phrase that would be? Like I’ve introduced myself, I’ve made that attempt but I really need an interpreter to finish this off.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah then you would say- if you’re going to leave the room you’d say, ‘Un momento, voy por un interprete,’ and that just means ‘I’m going to get an interpreter.’ So voy-

Dr. Ryan Gray: Awesome.

Dr. Molly Martin: Yeah.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright, so everybody that’s listening, rewind that multiple times, go practice, roll your R’s.

Dr. Molly Martin: Oh I have a good one for people who want to learn how to roll their R’s. Because I could not roll my R’s even after I had like studied Spanish for many years, I still couldn’t roll my R’s. And so Mercedes, a friend of mine from Peru, taught me this saying that helped me roll my R’s and I’d say it all the time in the bus, everyone would look at me. And so- and I was in the Providence, Rhode Island bus so they were mostly Latinos and from the Dominican Republic and now they’re like, ‘What are you doing?’ But here’s the phrase. It goes, [Inaudible 00:27:04]. And it will work if you say it over and over, you will learn to roll your R’s.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Interesting.

Dr. Molly Martin: Mm hmm. If you wanted to learn your R’s I just- it works, it’s never failed anyone I’ve taught it to.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright. So I want- for everybody listening I want a videotape of you doing this and then you can go post it on the website.

Dr. Molly Martin: Okay, I’ll do that.

Dr. Ryan Gray: Not you, not you. For everybody else listening, that’s their homework.

Dr. Molly Martin: Oh, okay okay.

Advice from Dr. Molly Martin

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright Molly, what’s one piece of advice now that you’re out practicing as a physician kind of distanced yourself from being a student. Looking back for the premed that’s listening right now, what advice would you give him or her?

Dr. Molly Martin: Well first what I said is don’t go- I would not spend all your years in school before entering med school. I think taking some time off to travel and make money and make your living for a little bit before you go into med school is a good idea. And so I think that would be my- and to travel. Or if not travel, do some sort of exploration, something that’s passionate to you and take a year and do that. Explore, because you’re not- I mean once you get into med school, you’re going to be busy. And if you’ve already started that exploration before med school you’re going to find a way to keep exploring afterwards. But I really would recommend starting the exploration before you get into med school, so it’s that much easier to pick it up and keep it going.

Closing Remarks

Dr. Ryan Gray: Alright, again that was Dr. Molly Martin from www.MedicalSpanishPodcast.com. Go check her out, say, ‘Hola,’ and let her know you heard about the Medical Spanish Podcast here at the Medical School Headquarters Podcast. You can reach out to her, she’s on Twitter @MedSpanishPod; go say hi to her on Twitter, go follow them. They’ve got tons of great resources for your Spanish speaking endeavors.

If you haven’t yet left a rating or review for our podcast, or even the Medical Spanish Podcast, you can do that too, go to www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/iTunes and leave us a rating and review. This greatly helps us in iTunes in Apple’s podcast store so that others that are looking can find us. If you do that, we’ll read your review right here on the show. Our latest one is from RelentlessAndCommitted who says, ‘Thank you.’ They start off their review saying, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you Dr. Gray. I really appreciate every single podcast.’ They’re hoping to apply this summer and 2016 be a physician- or a medical student, actually. It would be nice if you can just skip medical school and go straight to physician, wouldn’t it? So www.MedicalSchoolHQ.net/iTunes.

You can email me, Ryan@medicalschoolhq.net if you have any questions, comments, concerns, if you’re looking for any one-on-one advising you can email me there and we can talk. So go do that as well.

Alright as always I hope you enjoyed the information today. Go say hi to Dr. Martin at Medical Spanish Podcast and I hope you join us next time here at the Medical School Headquarters.