Pulmonology and critical care are two fields that have grown significantly over the past few years. Second-year College of Medicine student Sahil Patel and a number of his peers who are also interested in these fields wanted to connect with physicians. As a result, they started NEOMED's Pulmonology and Critical Care Interest Group (PCCIG) this year. Patel, the group’s president shares more.
Tell us about PCCIG.
SP: The Pulmonology and Critical Care Interest Group’s main purpose is to spark student interest and raise awareness of the fields of pulmonology and critical care. We hope to network with local physicians to help provide guidance to those interested in pursuing these fields as a career.
What do you want students to know about PCCIG?
SP: You don’t need to be set on pursuing a career in pulmonology or critical care to be a member. It’s perfectly fine just to join and hear what our advisors and speakers have to say, so you can learn more about the fields.
Tell us why you encourage your peers to join.
SP: We are unique in that we have a residency director as one of our advisors. Our members will get to meet and work closely with him and learn what exactly residency directors are looking for in prospective applicants.
What type of activities is PCCIG planning this academic year?
SP: We are planning to coordinate with the Internal Medicine Interest Group and a residency director at Cleveland Clinic Akron General to host a diagnostic workshop that will help students practice skills taught during their preclinical coursework. We also plan to have a number of speakers come in and share their personal stories about how they became interested in these fields.