Student Doctor Jessica Bailey hails from Montana and is a fourth-year medical student at Pacific Northwest University College of Osteopathic Medicine (PNWU-COM).
Katina Rue, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP Program Director for Trios Health Family Medicine Residency, had this to say about Jessica, “I first met Jessica as a first-year student in the OPP Lab and interacted with her in various Family Medicine Interest Group activities. She quickly garnered my attention as a student I would love to mentor. After getting to know her more, I learned how compassionate, focused, and goal-driven she is. She shows a passion for working with the underserved and caring for communities in the northwest. She has given back to the Yakima community while she was living here, including volunteering at the Union Gospel Mission and acting as a mentor in the Roots to Wings Program. She has been a steadfast champion for family medicine in her FMIG leadership roles.
“She and I have continued to maintain our mentorship relationship as she has moved from on-campus life in Yakima to clinical rotations in Montana. She asks thoughtful questions about the future of medicine, career opportunities, and ways to enhance the practice of medicine to better serve our communities in the future. I can’t wait for her to be treating patients as a full-blown physician!
“She is an exceptional student and embodies the osteopathic approach. For all of these reasons, I would want her to care for me and my family as our physician”.
Jessica talked to us about her future goals, “
“As I’ve grown older, I continue to meet more individuals who have struggled with their mental health. With every year, I hear more testaments of my peers’ struggles. With the recent pandemic, the prevalence of mental health issues has been astounding. This is something that I have seen in the healthcare realm and among my friends and family. With this, I have found a greater drive to lend a hand to those in need. I struggled with how to become an accessible resource to those struggling until a friend told me of a text-based crisis line. By serving as a crisis line volunteer, I can support those that are in a time of crisis. Volunteering as a responder is something I plan to continue for a long time. Mental health will always be of great importance and there will always be a need for support systems. With my continued education, residency, and my future practice I will continue to support those in need. In addition to this program, I aim to make mental health a priority in my future practice as a physician and hope to someday help to create a similar crisis program for physicians. In addition to mental health, I am passionate about removing barriers to accessing health care.
“As a medical student, I have volunteered at the Union Gospel Mission in Yakima, WA. This is a free clinic that allows students to offer aid. During my time volunteering I used a translator religiously. In my encounters, I knew there were things lost in translation – facts, details, and most importantly, empathy and compassion. I worried that these important parts of the physician-patient encounter were missing; three of my Pacific Northwest University (PNWU) classmates felt similarly. We formed a group and applied to be a part of the Primary Care Leadership Core of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Our application was focused on our goal of diversifying the healthcare field. With our acceptance, we have been working on a project that will allow us to create a source of encouragement and aid to minority groups with hopes of becoming healthcare professionals. Our goal is that medicine will be more diverse in the future. With that, fewer translators will be necessary for individuals of different ethnicities to receive adequate care and these patients will face fewer challenges when pursuing medical attention. One’s race or ethnicity should never stand in the way of adequate care. This type of mentorship is something I plan to continue as a physician and to recruit further students, residents, and physicians to serve as mentors in a similar fashion”.
Excellent goals, Jessica. The Foundation looks forward to seeing what you can do with your career. Job well done.