A Medical Education: My Journey - Kurt T. Jackson, MD

A thirst for knowledge coupled with the zeal to help others, can provide a powerful catalyst for achievement.  As the old saying goes Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work. Becoming a physician is the result of hard work, commitment, and dedication. It requires sacrifice and focus; there is no way around that.  If one has the zeal and is willing to commit though, it becomes a most worthy endeavor. Being a physician offers one the ability to make a difference in peoples lives on a daily basis. It also provides a very stable and strong source of income that can redefine one’s standard of living.

My journey began a long time ago, long before I even recall having thoughts of being a physician. My mother tells the story of me being a 5-year-old boy and expressing my desire to become a doctor. I recall my doctor,  “Doc James”, an icon, implanting in me the desire to become a physician. Not by his words, but by his deeds. He not only healed my ailments, but showed me that compassion for others could be a virtue.

As a high school student, I performed quite well. I graduated in the top 5% of my class. But because of my financial situation and poor planning on my part, I would not be attending college. I made a decision as a high school junior that I would find a way to provide my mother with some financial assistance before I embarked on my own career. This decision led me to enlist in the Army, which allowed me to save money for college and help my family at the same time. During my time in the military, I attempted to begin my college career. Though I lacked focus and got caught up in being “young and free,” I did manage to complete a few college courses.

Six and a half years later, I completed my military tenure and embarked onto my college years. I got advice during my military years that being a doctor “wasn’t worth it” and that I should become a physician assistant. This way I wouldn’t have to deal with the headache of being a doctor but I would still get to take care of people.

My initial plan was to do things the “quick and dirty” way. I would become a physician assistant, which would take about 4 years, and go out into the workforce and earn a living doing something I enjoyed.

Following my first year of college, I realized that the coursework was not challenging enough. Furthermore, I realized that having someone looking over my work was not what I wanted. I wanted the ability to be in charge of myself and to be the final decision maker. I did not want to spend my career being anyone’s assistant.

With that in mind, I switched my major to Molecular Biology with a minor in Biochemistry. This was a fortuitous move because my Molecular Biology professor took notice of my performance and voluntarily became my mentor and advisor.  All the hours of hard work, sometimes skipping parties for studying, had begun to pay off already.  He advised me to participate in summer research programs and to even consider applying for combined MD/PhD programs.

I took his advice to heart, spending my summers at the University of Wisconsin conducting lab research on a variety of topics.  Once again, this was a fortuitous move.  My summer program advisor took notice of me and offered to connect me with a director in the medical school.  I met with this gentleman, who gave me further advice on applying for medical school. He suggested that I do everything I could to perform well on the MCAT, which was the medical school admission exam.

Once again, I took this information seriously and studied very hard for my test. My first time taking the test, I scored well enough to be accepted to medical school, but now I had a bigger goal.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could apply to and be accepted into MD/PhD programs. These programs offer a free medical education along with gaining a PhD degree.  Free housing and a yearly stipend was also part of the deal.

 I took the MCAT a second time, scoring much better and putting myself in position to interview for MD/PhD programs. Four years after leaving the Army, I graduated from college.  I had performed so well that I was selected as the Valedictorian of my class.  I got to stand in front of my graduating class to give the valedictory speech. This was incredible because it gave me the opportunity to thank my God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, to a rousing applause.

My journey though, had just begun.  I was accepted into the MD/PhD program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and began my graduate studies. The level of competition and difficulty increased exponentially. I looked back at my undergraduate training and realized that I had not been prepared properly for the level of difficulty and the sheer volume of information that I needed to assimilate. Things had almost come “too easily” during my undergraduate studies.

Frustrated, but not undaunted I continued on.  Medical school courses were challenging and difficult. I struggled to keep pace with the volume of information.  During my first year medical school, I was required to complete an anatomy course. This meant spending four months away from my brethren and dissecting cadavers.  I was so proficient at this, my anatomy professor asked me to join his group of summer medical students who dissect the models that were used for the incoming class. I was eager to reunite with my brethren and declined his offer.

After my first year of medical school, I realized that I longed to be a physician, not a lab scientist. I subsequently withdrew from the PhD portion of my studies and went into the medical program fully. I continued to struggle with the coursework, although less so than before.  I even struggled with the major exams, which are required along the road to gaining a medical degree. They are called the STEP exams. STEP 1 is tremendously difficult, STEP 2 is less challenging and STEP 3 even less so.  I was successful, passing all three exams.

During my years in medical school, I learned more about myself and my God.  I got married and started a family. I also stayed focused long enough to achieve my goal and get my medical degree.  I carved out a life outside of the classroom, making personal sacrifices along the way. Five years after graduating from college, I graduated with my medical degree.

Upon completion of my medical degree, I decided to specialize in Ophthalmology. I worked as an eye technician in the Army and was intrigued by the idea of being able to give someone sight.  Again I chose a difficult path because Ophthalmology was one of the more difficult fields to get accepted into.  I was accepted into the Ophthalmology program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

I spent one year as a transitional intern, spending months at a time in fields like medicine, pediatrics and surgery. After my internship, I spent three years in the Albert Einstein Ophthalmology program. Fours year after graduating from medical school, I completed my residency training and could have started working as a general ophthalmologist.

If your keeping score, this is now 13 years after starting college, but I wasn’t finished yet. I felt like there was a little more to learn about the eye and decided to subspecialize in retinal diseases and surgery. The retina is the nerve portion of the eye that gives us vision. This was yet again a very difficult field to enter.  I was accepted in and completed a two-year fellowship in vitreo-retinal surgery in Corpus Christi, Texas.  I have now been working as a retinal specialist for the past two and a half years.

So, 15 years after starting college, I completed my training. Was it worth it? You bet! I get to do something I love doing every day. I stay on the cutting edge of medicine constantly figuring out new ways to bring better care to my patients. I am able to provide for my family as well as enjoy tremendous job security even with the fluctuation in the economy. The road has been quite challenging with bumps and bruises along the way, but I never conceded. There was always a “helping hand” that always seemed to come along at the most difficult times.

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”- Booker T. Washington.