Moments in Medicine at Michigan

Interview by Whitley Hill
Photograph by J. Adrian Wylie

“I look at that picture and still remember my excitement, probably because it was similar to what I feel now as I approach my residency. I was honored to have been accepted into medical school, to know that I would one day be a doctor.

“The past four years have been filled with life-changing moments — some subtle, some not so subtle. There was a patient last year who was diagnosed with metastatic brain cancer. He was a wonderfully humorous patient who always kept a positive outlook. He reminded me a lot of my maternal grandfather. One morning I was in his room with my entire team — other students, residents and the attending — explaining about the surgery and radiation he would undergo. I told him that the doctors taking care of him would be excellent, and he looked at me and said, ‘I have only one doctor, and that’s you.’

Danielle Turner-Lawrence, from the Kalamazoo area, is a member of the Class of 2005 who begins her residency in emergency medicine this fall at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Turner-Lawrence appeared on the cover of the spring 2001 issue of Medicine at Michigan just prior to beginning her medical studies, for a story about the Medical School’s admissions process.

“I realized then that my dream of becoming a physician was basically realized. I have lots more to learn — in fact, I’m not sure I’ll ever know enough — but that connection, that feeling of having an impact on someone’s life, was what I had strived for.

“The idea of being the responsible party for patients’ lives is somewhat daunting. I remind myself that I’m just moving on to the next phase, one where I have more opportunity to help others, to learn about medicine and to grow into an excellent clinician. I know residency will have its rocky spots, just like medical school, but I also truly believe that the journey will shape me into a ‘great doctor.’”