Welcome to UNLV HOSA Happenings
In Conversation: Mitchel Forman, DO on Medical School, Rheumatoogy, and More
Interview Conducted by Mya Lofton
Interview Conducted by Mya Lofton
For the third edition of the UNLV HOSA Newsletter I was granted the opportunity to speak with Dr. Mitchel Forman, a practicing rheumatologist at the UNLV School of Medicine, as well as a serving Dean Emeritus and Professor at Touro University Nevada. Dr. Forman has also been elected to Mastership by the American College of Physicians in 2013, a prestigious honor granted to those who display "integrity, positions of honor, eminence in practice or in medical research, or other attainments in science or in the art of medicine." We here at UNLV HOSA are grateful for the opportunity to speak with such an accomplished professional and we hope our members find this interview to be enlightening.
Why did you choose to pursue a DO program instead of an MD program?
According to Dr.Forman, since childhood, his primary motivation was to become a physician. In fact, his primary care physician was a DO. As an undergraduate at the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York Dr. Forman applied to both MD (allopathic) and DO (osteopathic) programs. While at an interview, Dr. Forman was offered a position at the (then) Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine with a partial scholarship. Dr. Forman accepted the position as it was one of his first interviews, and it allowed him to circumvent some of the expenses associated with travelling to various schools. While in retrospect Dr. Forman wishes he explored the differences between MD and DO programs and professions more deeply before choosing a school, he found that the more he learned about Osteopathic Medicine, the greater he appreciated the philosophy behind it.
Dr. Forman also addressed the common misconception that DO programs are somehow inferior to MD programs. He notes that the two programs are “absolutely equivalent” in preparing students for medical careers, although DO emphasizes primary care careers and “additional diagnostic and treatment modalities”. However, at the time of his enrollment at Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine osteopathic medicine wasn’t universally accepted, it is now regarded as equivalent to the traditional MD program and widely accepted throughout the medical community. Additionally, Dr. Forman has been a faculty member at both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and has worked with and observed both DO and MD students, residents, and physicians throughout the course of his career.
How would you describe your work-life balance?
Dr. Forman admitted that his work-life balance at the beginning of his career wasn’t ideal. He married his wife, Pearl, a Physician Assistant and Professor at Touro University Nevada, during his first year of medical school. He spent quite a bit of time focusing on his studies, and then later on his internship, residency, and fellowship, resulting in a lot of time away from his family. He recalls that he would often spend 48+ hours on rotations. Later in his career, Dr. Forman was a faculty member at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and had his own private practice in Rheumatology. Despite his hectic schedule, Dr. Forman was fortunate enough to be able to dedicate more time to his personal life. This change allowed for his children to come to work with him and observe his practice. He wants students to be aware that they don’t need to give up on their personal life to become a physician and he encourages students to find something that lets them “recharge their batteries”. For Dr. Forman, he enjoys going to concerts with his wife. In fact, 15 years ago, in collaboration with UNLV, the couple created a Classical Guitar Series.
What drew you towards your current specialty (rheumatology)?
For Dr. Forman, he knew he had found his calling after his first rheumatology rotation in medical school. He found his time spent on rotation exciting, interesting, and rewarding and had a variety of mentors. Based on his personal experience, after several specialty rotations and his internal medicine residency, most of which he enjoyed, rheumatology was the most exciting area of medicine. His decision to specialize in Rheumatology was made with an open mind. Dr. Forman believes that students who determine a specialty too early on in their training may put on “blinders” and limit their career choices.
What drew you towards teaching and administration? What made you want to work at a medical/professional school?
For Dr. Forman, a lot of what drew him toward teaching and administration was opportunity. According to Dr. Forman, “teaching, education, and learning is part of the medical school residency experience. It is common for upper class medical students and residents to teach those under them”. He first ventured into formal teaching after being hired as a faculty member at an allopathic medical school in New York. Then, in 1992, he accepted the opportunity to teach and practice rheumatology at the University of North Texas Health Science Center as an academic faculty member. During that time, he became the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and subsequently accepted the position of Vice President of Student Affairs of the entire Health Science Center. He served at the University of North Texas Health Science Center for about 12 years, all the while continuing to see patients at the University’s clinic. As a result of his medical, teaching, and administrative experiences, He then was given the opportunity to be the Founding Dean of Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, here in Henderson, Nevada.
Dr. Forman revealed that it’s important to explore the opportunities presented to you and take advantage of those that may enhance your “educational or research experiences, career advances, or lifestyle improvement”. Dr. Forman also revealed his key to success, “as an administrator, I found success in surrounding myself with quality people who shared my vision, work ethic and humanistic quality. Having an ‘open door policy’, being available, being a good listener and treating people with respect are characteristics that create an atmosphere where students, faculty and staff want to work. Touro University Nevada’s success was also related to our reaching out to the Las Vegas medical community for assistance in developing and growing a quality medical school and academic health center. Doing so, permitted the community to have a stake in our success. Likewise, it was important for Touro to become an active part of the community with an opportunity to influence regional healthcare and health education issues.” As a result of this mindset, Dr. Forman was elected the President of the Clark County Medical Society and subsequently the Nevada State Medical Society.
Do you have any advice for students who may want to pursue a career in rheumatology or become a D.O?
“Doing your research in exploring the important differences in philosophy between the DO and MD professions is a start. While there are overwhelming similarities in the medical education and training between the professions, there are philosophical differences that may be more attractive to some individuals. Most DO medical schools strive to prepare their graduates for careers in Primary Care. As far as a career in Rheumatology is concerned, the decision to pursue a particular career path is as much an emotional one (i.e., feeling), as a financial, geographic, and physical attribute (e.g., hand-eye coordination for surgery) one.
Dr. Forman encourages students to work hard and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. He also emphasized the benefits of having a strong support network and urges students to maintain strong familial relationships. Dr. Forman encourages students to seek help when they find themselves in physical, emotional or mental health need. He also suggests that students think carefully on where they choose to complete their residency as most physicians tend to practice within 50 miles of where they complete their residency training.
This interview has been edited for length and/or clarity.
Why did you choose to pursue a DO program instead of an MD program?
According to Dr.Forman, since childhood, his primary motivation was to become a physician. In fact, his primary care physician was a DO. As an undergraduate at the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York Dr. Forman applied to both MD (allopathic) and DO (osteopathic) programs. While at an interview, Dr. Forman was offered a position at the (then) Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine with a partial scholarship. Dr. Forman accepted the position as it was one of his first interviews, and it allowed him to circumvent some of the expenses associated with travelling to various schools. While in retrospect Dr. Forman wishes he explored the differences between MD and DO programs and professions more deeply before choosing a school, he found that the more he learned about Osteopathic Medicine, the greater he appreciated the philosophy behind it.
Dr. Forman also addressed the common misconception that DO programs are somehow inferior to MD programs. He notes that the two programs are “absolutely equivalent” in preparing students for medical careers, although DO emphasizes primary care careers and “additional diagnostic and treatment modalities”. However, at the time of his enrollment at Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine osteopathic medicine wasn’t universally accepted, it is now regarded as equivalent to the traditional MD program and widely accepted throughout the medical community. Additionally, Dr. Forman has been a faculty member at both allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and has worked with and observed both DO and MD students, residents, and physicians throughout the course of his career.
How would you describe your work-life balance?
Dr. Forman admitted that his work-life balance at the beginning of his career wasn’t ideal. He married his wife, Pearl, a Physician Assistant and Professor at Touro University Nevada, during his first year of medical school. He spent quite a bit of time focusing on his studies, and then later on his internship, residency, and fellowship, resulting in a lot of time away from his family. He recalls that he would often spend 48+ hours on rotations. Later in his career, Dr. Forman was a faculty member at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and had his own private practice in Rheumatology. Despite his hectic schedule, Dr. Forman was fortunate enough to be able to dedicate more time to his personal life. This change allowed for his children to come to work with him and observe his practice. He wants students to be aware that they don’t need to give up on their personal life to become a physician and he encourages students to find something that lets them “recharge their batteries”. For Dr. Forman, he enjoys going to concerts with his wife. In fact, 15 years ago, in collaboration with UNLV, the couple created a Classical Guitar Series.
What drew you towards your current specialty (rheumatology)?
For Dr. Forman, he knew he had found his calling after his first rheumatology rotation in medical school. He found his time spent on rotation exciting, interesting, and rewarding and had a variety of mentors. Based on his personal experience, after several specialty rotations and his internal medicine residency, most of which he enjoyed, rheumatology was the most exciting area of medicine. His decision to specialize in Rheumatology was made with an open mind. Dr. Forman believes that students who determine a specialty too early on in their training may put on “blinders” and limit their career choices.
What drew you towards teaching and administration? What made you want to work at a medical/professional school?
For Dr. Forman, a lot of what drew him toward teaching and administration was opportunity. According to Dr. Forman, “teaching, education, and learning is part of the medical school residency experience. It is common for upper class medical students and residents to teach those under them”. He first ventured into formal teaching after being hired as a faculty member at an allopathic medical school in New York. Then, in 1992, he accepted the opportunity to teach and practice rheumatology at the University of North Texas Health Science Center as an academic faculty member. During that time, he became the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and subsequently accepted the position of Vice President of Student Affairs of the entire Health Science Center. He served at the University of North Texas Health Science Center for about 12 years, all the while continuing to see patients at the University’s clinic. As a result of his medical, teaching, and administrative experiences, He then was given the opportunity to be the Founding Dean of Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, here in Henderson, Nevada.
Dr. Forman revealed that it’s important to explore the opportunities presented to you and take advantage of those that may enhance your “educational or research experiences, career advances, or lifestyle improvement”. Dr. Forman also revealed his key to success, “as an administrator, I found success in surrounding myself with quality people who shared my vision, work ethic and humanistic quality. Having an ‘open door policy’, being available, being a good listener and treating people with respect are characteristics that create an atmosphere where students, faculty and staff want to work. Touro University Nevada’s success was also related to our reaching out to the Las Vegas medical community for assistance in developing and growing a quality medical school and academic health center. Doing so, permitted the community to have a stake in our success. Likewise, it was important for Touro to become an active part of the community with an opportunity to influence regional healthcare and health education issues.” As a result of this mindset, Dr. Forman was elected the President of the Clark County Medical Society and subsequently the Nevada State Medical Society.
Do you have any advice for students who may want to pursue a career in rheumatology or become a D.O?
“Doing your research in exploring the important differences in philosophy between the DO and MD professions is a start. While there are overwhelming similarities in the medical education and training between the professions, there are philosophical differences that may be more attractive to some individuals. Most DO medical schools strive to prepare their graduates for careers in Primary Care. As far as a career in Rheumatology is concerned, the decision to pursue a particular career path is as much an emotional one (i.e., feeling), as a financial, geographic, and physical attribute (e.g., hand-eye coordination for surgery) one.
Dr. Forman encourages students to work hard and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. He also emphasized the benefits of having a strong support network and urges students to maintain strong familial relationships. Dr. Forman encourages students to seek help when they find themselves in physical, emotional or mental health need. He also suggests that students think carefully on where they choose to complete their residency as most physicians tend to practice within 50 miles of where they complete their residency training.
This interview has been edited for length and/or clarity.
|
UNLV HOSA's Pumpkin Smashing Fundraiser
Our pumpkin smashing fundraiser was a huge success! Thank you to all the members who volunteered and helped spread the word. Students and faculty at UNLV had the opportunity to smash pumpkins using either a baseball bat or sledge hammer and relieve some stress.
Check out our instagram, @hosaunlv to see some pretty cool slow motion smashing videos. |
|
UNLV HOSA's Fall 2019 Orientation Meeting
Thank you to all the students who attended our orientation meeting. During the meeting, prospective members got to know more about UNLV HOSA's membership requirements, how to join our organization, and what opportunities are available to our members.
We welcome our new members and are excited to see you throughout the year at some of our various fundraising and volunteer events. If you, or someone you know are interested in UNLV HOSA, feel free to contact us at info@unlvhosa.com. We look forward from hearing from you. |
|
It's Recruitment Season! UNLV HOSA at UNLV's New Student Orientation
Throughout the summer, UNLV HOSA members have been actively recruiting new members at various orientation events held here on campus. Our members have had the chance to speak with many prospective students about the benefits and opportunities UNLV HOSA offers.
If you, or someone you know are interested in UNLV HOSA, feel free to contact us at info@unlvhosa.com. We look forward from hearing from you. |