Erik Anderson

Erik as a medical student

Pronouns: Him/His

• A few basic facts about me:

  I’m currently a medical student at Touro University California.

• What kind of identities do you inhabit?

  First generation to college, non-traditional pathway from community college to medical school

• The path to medicine is not easy. Can you tell us why you decided to pursue it?

  My attraction to medicine developed over the period of many years. I have always wanted to have a career in which I felt I could have a positive impact on the community. I initially worked as a firefighter/EMT for a few years where I discovered that I loved being in a position to help people in times of need. I also craved further knowledge of the human body which inspired me to continue my education at my local state school, California State University East Bay. While majoring in Kinesiology, I decided to pursue medical school because being a physician would enable me to help people improve their health and quality of life.

• Can you describe a challenging moment in medicine that made you rethink your career path?

  A professionally challenging time was when I did not obtain a match with a PM&R residency program. In the days and weeks after Match Day I thought much about why I didn't match and if there was any pathway into Physiatry for me. After discussing with family, friends, and a lot of introspection, I decided to reapply into PM&R the next cycle because I couldn't see myself pursuing any other specialty or career.

• Why are you interested in this organization? Why equity and PM&R?

  I see PM&R as a field that is uniquely positioned to advance equity. Being that physiatrists work closely with disabled patients, PM&R has an obligation to push for equity for the disabled population both inside and outside of the medical field.

• Can you tell us a little bit of your aspirations - either for your career or for the field of medicine (if you’re a medical student?)

  Based on my previous experience on medical student rotations in PM&R, I aspire to work with patients with neurological injuries such as spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. I can see myself working in either inpatient or outpatient settings but it is the unique patient population in PM&R that I really love working with.

• Where can we find you on social media?

  Twitter

Last updated 04/2022