Dr. David Emaikwu c/o 2022

My time at Howard University was a mixed bag of emotions and experiences. There were moments of triumph such as receiving grants that I automatically qualified for and the harder moments such as my Spring 2020 semester when I was unable to register for courses for several weeks because of financial aid delays. The professors were some of my favorite aspects of the program. Beyond didactic interactions, they were mentors outside of the lecture halls.

My experiential rotations were also variable, but mostly positive. I had several unexpected rotation schedule changes due to a lack of communication on the part of a preceptor and COVID restrictions. Although these changes were disruptive to my plans, they ultimately were for the better. My rotation in Howard University Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU), a direct result of a “disruptive” schedule change, helped me develop a love for cardiology. My surgical ICU (SICU) rotation at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital fostered my budding interest in critical care medicine. Overall, I wish there were more specialty medicine options for students. I would have liked to have at least one oncology, or related (BMT), rotation as that is my primary area of interest. More exposure to specialty pharmacy would be great as this is a growing area of the industry. I sincerely appreciate Drs. Robinson and Jorden for walking with me throughout the process and triaging every issue.