Mike Amador is our newest team member with the Gap Year Scribe and Practice Assistant Education Program. He is a recent graduate from Boston College, and he is excited to get started and work with the Dr. Novikov Wellness and Skin Care team.
Background
His previous internships focused on research, shadowing physicians, and interacting with patients as part of a smaller team. That smaller setting appeals to Mike as he feels his voice can be heard on a day-to-day basis.
Mike especially enjoyed his work with an orthopedic surgeon.
“It was really nice to see how patients progressed and how the doctor was able to physically heal patients and emotionally heal patients as a result of the surgery” he said.
He sees the scribe’s role in the process as an important one as it “helps physicians be able to focus more on the patient and less on the paperwork.”
Mike grew up around medicine–his dad is an internal medicine physician. He also was a hockey player who had several injuries needing orthopedic care. These days, he plays hockey on an intramural basis as his schedule is full with work and starting the medical school application process.
Thoughts on his new role
So far, his new role with the practice has been good and has exposed him to new environments. He said that even from the first interviews he felt it was a good fit.
“Everyone is welcoming and helpful with the transition,” Mike said. “There is a lot of information to process, like the terminology. I’ve never been in a nursing home environment; I’ve been able to see a wide variety of things. It’s a very small team so everyone has a say and everyone has a voice.”
He acknowledged the educational piece that will be a part of his scribe role.
“Dr. Novikov loves to teach and pulls me in,” he said. “I’m seeing all of this for the first time–how it works, what it is–and have learned so much already. The information I am learning is not just for med school, but for beyond. I love how they [the providers] connect with their patients; it’s the social aspect that you don’t see in some doctors. It’s really something to aspire to be like in the future. It lays the groundwork for future work relationships and patients.”
Although the areas of oncology and orthopedic are of interest, Mike is not ready to choose an area of medicine to focus on. Instead, he wants to “get a broader look once he begins medical school as he might find a passion that he didn’t really think of.”
A Florida native, Mike still has a lot to discover in the Boston area. He would like to learn how to play golf, start fishing again, and continue to walk around the area including the Freedom Trail.
Give Mike Amador a big welcome!