Blog from Ty Merril

Life experiences are often what subconsciously develop us, human beings, emotionally and physically. We formulate new conceptions and different perspectives from experience in which we perceive as truly invaluable. Without such experience, we cannot evolve, and in turn professionally, socially, and physically we may fall short of reaching the intellectual standard we oblige. This remains true for myself in terms of using experience to shape my path through education and my pursuit of a degree in medicine. In October of this year, I plan on traveling to Rwanda with the team from Center of Digestive Health at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center to create an invaluable experience as such for myself. Joining the team in Rwanda has been a plan and aspiration for a few years, yet been obstructed by my pursuit for education. However, I now have the opportunity to be a part of this global health engagement.

 Powerpoint to notebook, textbook to exam, education as I perceive it can, and does extend far beyond the classroom. Life experience has allowed me to develop further than I ever could have by restraining myself to the norm of American education. Being a part of this trip to Rwanda this year represents far more than a journey across the globe, but rather an opportunity into a new division of understanding what it means to provide care for others. In witnessing healthcare in a setting entirely different from what I’ve known, I expect to be challenged not only intellectually and physically, but morally and spiritually. I will encounter resilience and perseverance in its rawest form: patients and providers navigating health care with limited resources and doing so with dignity, ingenuity, and compassion. This exposure will deepen my understanding of medicine as a human practice which should be rooted in empathy and justice. This trip will sharpen my awareness of global health disparities and expand my vision of what it means to be a provider of health.

As I pursue a degree in medicine, this experience will become a cornerstone of my education, and resonate with me throughout my entire career as a provider. Not because of the unfamiliarity I will feel, but because of the people I meet and the perspectives I gain. It will teach me to think critically, to understand fully before I make decisions, and to broaden my thought process in terms of providing care. Ultimately, it will make me a more compassionate, thoughtful, and globally conscious medical professional.

One day, I aspire to return, yet not as a student, but as a provider. I want this trip to be the root of something greater; a long-term investment in service and partnership. The opportunity I’ve been given to travel to Rwanda is not simply for my benefit, but for what I hope to give back in return. This trip is not just an investment in my professional development, it’s an investment in a future where I can stand beside those I meet now, working collaboratively to improve lives and strengthen systems using the knowledge and skills I will gain along the way in working towards a degree in medicine.

I would like to finish by saying thank you for supporting the work my colleagues and I look forward to doing in Rwanda. It would not be possible without such support, and allows for us all to share a niche experience which can better us as health professionals.   

• Ty Merril, premedical student and endoscopy technician