I know many of you have been in attendance at those high school events during one's senior year where the announcer tells a little bit about the student, where they plan to attend college and their future goals. Sometimes those goal are never met, for whatever reason, but David kept his head in the books with fierce determination to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming a physician.
I can remember clearly when David was in junior high school, he approached me and said he wanted to become a doctor. I looked at him seriously and told him that goal was attainable but he would have to make many sacrifices to achieve it. He set forth making the grades and taking all of the advanced classes in high school that he could, graduating in the top ten percent of his class. From there, he enrolled in college, where he not only played football, but also graduated Suma Cum Laude in four years. During his senior year, he began attempting to get accepted into medical school.
The journey to just getting accepted into a medical school was no easy task. He took the MCAT, applied and was then wait listed. At the end of the day, David did not get into medical school on that first try. He did not, however, just sit around crying in his Cheerios. He received a letter from one of the schools where he had been wait listed and they invited him to join their post baccalaureate program for one year. In that one year, he would take the same classes that first year medical students took; it would be a chance to prove that he could do the course work. The school was in Erie, Pennsylvania!
During that year in Pennsylvania, David began re-applying to many different medical schools. Thankfully, he was accepted into one in Kentucky! The first few months alone, found him 30 pounds (which he did not have to lose...) lighter. The work was grueling and I can remember him calling me late at night while taking short breaks, just to talk. I was his cheerleader, telling him that it would all be worth it one day.
After two years of classroom studies, David got married and moved to Mississippi to do his two years of clinical rotations. This was a bit closer to home and I was happy for that. The rotations were hands-on, more like a job (except without pay...) and he loved it. Medicine was a passion for him. During that second year of rotations, it came time to apply for a residency program and prepare for the next four years of his life. Once again, the application process began. We were thrilled when he was accepted into the PM& R (Pain Management and Physical Rehabilitation) Residency Program in New Orleans! Yea!!! He had finally made it back to Da Boot!
And so, this weekend, we celebrated a milestone in David's life. Graduating #5 in his class, we witnessed the making of a doctor! Dr. William David Rogenmoser.
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