Day in emergency room opens door for potential new career exploration

When Dr. Billy Kumprey, Arts '93 and emergency physician, hosted Karan Soni, health sciences mentee (Dr. Rob Panther, Arts ’86, mentor) for a job shadow visit last week, it provided Karan with a shadowing opportunity unlike any other.

Among Karan’s experiences were to “witness firsthand the daily barrage of complicated enigmatic patients we multitask through in a single shift,” says Dr. Kumprey. “We unfortunately (or fortunately!) didn’t get any good trauma or emergency procedures, but he did experience myriad medical problems and see firsthand how we try to understand them - and then treat with compassion.”

According to Karan, the shadow visit was extremely beneficial with an unexpected outcome.

“Seeing firsthand what an emergency room doctor undergoes during a normal day is very valuable as I begin applying to medical schools,” Karan says. “It may even be a career choice for me in the future. Dr. Kumprey helped me understand ER-related terminology, his typical day and demonstrating perfect professional patient skills in the most frustrating situations. He was one of the best doctors I’ve shadowed, and I’ll much of the advice he provided in my journey to becoming a physician.”

2018-19 MUAA Mentor Program Resource Guide