Precious-medical student & creator of popular med student Vlog “White Coat Chronicles”

Check out her YouTube Channel – White Coat Chronicles here!

Why medicine?

Growing up I knew that I wanted to be in the medical field, simply because that was what I was surrounded by in my family. My mom is Nurse, both of my sisters are Nurse Practitioners, and my brother is a Pharmacist. Initially I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. I loved sports, and I still do, so I thought Physical Therapy would allow me to combine two passions: sports + medicine. I shadowed a Physical Therapist during my junior year of high school and I realized that PT was not the path for me. I felt I could have much more of an impact through pursing a doctorate in medicine, so I made the decision to attend Augusta State University, which had a medical school (MCG) affiliated with it. Looking back, choosing Augusta State was the best decision I could have made. Immediately during my freshman year, I started shadowing in the emergency department at the teaching hospital and I just fell in love with the field. Emergency Medicine is the specialty I want to pursue.

When did you start your vlog? What inspired you to get started? 

I started my vlog during my first year of medical school, at the start of second semester. During first year, I began to watch other medical school YouTubers. I didn’t even know that was a thing until I started medical school lol. It was cool seeing them document their journey, and I felt it would be nice to be able to look back on my own journey and my experience through medical school as well. I also wanted to be able to show an authentic medical school perspective. I think a lot of people have a certain idea in their head of what “med school life” is like. Medical students are diverse, and we’re not always in our books 24/7 (although we do study A LOT). Life continues while you’re in med school, and I try to stress that in my vlog. It’s important to make time for yourself, your friends and family, and to continue to pursue your hobbies. I don’t want to look back at my 4 years of medical school as a time of stress, hardship, and isolation. Don’t get me wrong, med school is TOUGH, but it is also manageable, and there are times to wind down and have fun.

Lastly, I wanted to start this vlog for the pre meds. Admissions is no easy feat. Students get discouraged by their advisors if they don’t have certain stats, or sometimes they don’t even have an advisor to seek advice from. I try to provide the best pre med advice that I can through my channel. 

How do you find time to record and edit videos with your load as a medical student?

Most of my videos are “a day in the life” type of vlogs. Which means I literally film whatever I have going on that day. If I go to class, I film that. If I go to the gym, I film that. If I go to the coffee shop, I film that.  So I don’t do anything extra for my videos (I honestly don’t have the time lol). I try to get creative with the angles I film and the music I put in the videos, but I make sure that what I film is manageable, and it has worked thus far. If I do a sit down video, then I typically save that for an early Saturday morning. What’s most important is that I don’t allow YouTube to cut into my study time. When I’m done studying in the evening, I’ll spend a little time editing. I never carve out time during the day to edit, because school comes first. Editing is done during my down time. To make things even more simpler, I do all the video editing on my iPhone using iMovie. I film with a Canon G7x, then transfer the files to my phone. SUPER convenient. I can literally edit during a lunch break at school. When I’m done editing on my iPhone, I upload it to my MacBook to add the music.

How did you build your fan base & What advice to you have for other students trying to build their presence on social media while in school?

I believe consistency is key. I started my channel January of this year and I put out a video every single Sunday during Spring semester, with the exception of one week. If you’re consistent and you have good content, then your channel/blog/social medical account will grow. When I do sit down videos, I take the time to research the topic I will discuss to make sure I’m providing my viewers with the best information possible. Quality is very important. Before I started up my channel, I did so much research about YouTube (this was during Christmas break). Camera choices, video titles, thumbnails, how to edit, etc. For me, if I was going to put myself out there for so many people to see, then I had to come correct. So my advice is to make sure you’re consistent with whatever platform you’re using, make sure the quality is up to par (do some research on other youtubers, bloggers, instagrammers, etc), and lastly, just be yourself. I’m a very chill and laid back person and I think my viewers can see that. I’m grateful that people have gravitated to my channel.

What has medical school taught you about yourself?

Hmmm. This is a good question. Medical school has made me truly value time. With time being so limited, I make a conscious effort to only give my time and energy to things that are worth while. I’m now more appreciative of the quality time that I get to spend with family or friends.

What piece of advice would you give yourself as a first year med student? As a premed?

As a med student: Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own unique capabilities. What works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa. I’ve always felt this way, but even more now that I’m in med school…. why look at the next person’s grade? Your classmates grade or study habits should not affect you in any way. Are y’all submitting a residency application together? Taking STEP together? No. So stay in your lane and follow your own path. I see comparison a lot, and honestly it can be detrimental. We have all made it to medical school for a reason; we are all capable. Embrace your strengths and push forward.

As a pre med: Just trust the process and keep your faith. When it comes time to apply, the application process is LONG. You submit applications as early as June, and can wait to hear for an acceptance as late as April the following year (in my case). Don’t get so bogged down with the wait and the different scenarios of “what if”. I was blessed and fortunate to be accepted the first time I applied into my top choice school. The waiting process really taught me patience and my faith grew stronger during that time. God is able. 

Check out her YouTube Channel – White Coat Chronicles here!