Interview Questions

What do you anticipate being the biggest challenge of medical school.

*Balancing intense academic pressures without burning out. Because knowing that med school is so high stakes, I know part of me will be stressed about learning all of this material that will literally be life-or-death for my patients. And I will want to focus and only study. But it's a balance. So finding people to go on hikes with or just a quick little bike ride or a run around the neighborhood will be important to me to alleviate stress.

What are your weaknesses?

- I sometimes lack confidence when put in a team position. I'm a natural leader and can delegate and time manage tasks excellently, but in positions where I don't have that responsibility, where I'm at the bottom of the ladder and am learning new things or I'm in a new place, I tend to second guess myself - Perhaps another weakness that I've improved at significantly would be maintaining a healthy work/life/study balance. This came to pieces in college a bit because coming from a very small high school, I was so excited and focused gaining unique experiences and memories and building connections in college that unfortunately my grades suffered for it. I'm now at that point where I have networked excellently and I built my character so that I do have the focus and determination to really grow academically.

What are your strengths?

- positive energy - patience with others - ambitious attitude

What special qualities do you feel you possess that set you apart from other medical school candidates? What makes you unique or different as a medical school candidate?

- undergrad clinical research - certified as a professional skier, a professional athlete, certified as an avalanche safety expert - education experience: ski instructing ages 2-9, groups, families, 7th grade STEM, tutored middle school and high school - customer service experience: restaurant and retail - college recognized leader: HA, players, Harwood, coxswain - this summer I will be a published author I love working with people but I've also learned after working 14 hours shifts and balancing 4 different jobs at once that I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck for the rest of my life. I'm determined to become a physician, and when I have my sights set, one way or another, I'll get to where I desire to go

If you could invite 4 people to dinner who would they be?

1. my grandfather 2. Dan Brown - clever, organization, detail-oriented, his 2019 book Origin worked to reconcile science and religion, and as a big believer in both, I would like to have more discussion with him on that and how we can better educate students in that regard. 3. Shinya Yamanaka - Japanese Nobel Prize-winning stem cell researcher. He received the prize in 2012 for his co-discovery that existing cells of the body can be converted to stem cells. Removes unethical aspect of embryonic cells, and I think there's a lot of potential in that field. 4. Les Brown - favorite motivational speaker

What was your most meaningful healthcare experience? And why?

I think just in general working with the premature infants in the NICU was meaningful to me, because I didn't necessarily form relationships with the infants of course because they were so young, but it was the parents who were so stressed. And they were just looking to the physician or to me, as I was explainingthe study to them, they were looking for some kind of relief, looking for hope that their baby would be ok. And with each baby infant that we sent home healthier, I felt that that was just a miracle in itself, and the whole experience was so important to me.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I'm a very location oriented person. That's why I'm in Colorado. I love the mountain region. I haven't been to Meridian specifically, but I've visited Boise a lot. I've been to the mountains of Idaho a lot. I love the region. I love the people. I do intend to stay here and build a home in the area. Hopefully in 10 years, I still feel happy and fulfilled and challenged in whatever specialty I choose. I don't think I've had enough exposure to different departments in medicine. But I would guess that I would choose something clinical and pediatric. Maybe I would pursue something in academia, but working with children is probably my ultimate goal.

Why DO?

I've always been insterested in structure, which is why I've always found physiology to be quite cool with all the interconnectedness. My first introduction to this interconnectedness was actually through a DO physician. She was my childhood opthalmologist and in a very basic sense to 3rd grade me she loved explaining how it might seem like it's just my eye that's wonky but really it's your brain and everything that affects your brain - from you sleep and stress and diet - it'll all add up and potentially cause health issues. That was very elementary but the overall message stuck and I think a holistic, interconnected approach to the body as well as the benefits of particular hands-on manipulation to encourage the body to heal are so interesting and something I want to learn. At an MD school or even another DO school, it might be discussed but it might not be the focus of learning. And I know from participating in one of the 360 virtual school tours a few months back, that osteopathic manipulation is something that the school holds in high regard.

Why are you interested in medicine?

It's been a developing interest for sure. My parents are physicians, so as a child, as the only thing I knew, I wanted to be a doctor just like my parents. They were supportive of course, but they were also like Ania are you sure? [list clinical experience] I want to help people. And I know, I know that I could help people by becoming a nurse or a social worker or a teacher, but beyond everything else, I want to live that challenge. Being a physician is both a career and a lifestyle. I want the responsibility that comes with people relying on you for their health and wellbeing. I've seen the stress and significance of feeling like someone is putting their life in your hands. And to an extent, I'm terrified of that, but I'm more terrified of letting someone else take that opportunity from me. Because if not me, than who? I feel like my skill set is the perfect fit for this profession

What gets you up in the morning?

Mornings= new opportunity and potential to work toward goals Goal chart = visualization of realistic step by step instructions to achieving the next goal

Describe your greatest strength and greatest weakness

My greatest strength would be my energy, I work with a lot of kids, you need to be the instigator of that energy to start it. So they feel comfortable because they're in a new place. And once they catch on to your energy, they will multiply it by 10,000. And make the day so much better. So even when I'm working in, you know, customer service, or in an adult world, I have been told that I do bring a certain light to the room. And I don't know if that's true, necessarily. But I do try to make that my goal because once people are excited about what they're doing, once they're enjoying their time, time goes faster, and the work environment just thrives. So that would be my strength. Um weakness. I tend to struggle with having confidence in a team setting. So I'm a natural leader. So I'm really good at delegating tasks and time management and overseeing things. But when I'm not at the top of that ladder, when I don't have that responsibility, and I'm more like a team player, I and I'm in a new place or learning a new thing, I tend to second guess myself with what I'm doing, and I've had a lot of opportunity to work on that in the past year. Moving out to Colorado all by myself, I didn't know anyone I picked up all these new jobs that I was brand new at ski instructing and teaching teenagers and my experience working in restaurants or currently I'm working in retail. I've learned that it's always the more you reach out to people with more experience that you the new they're always He's willing to help you out. And then once you get your footing, confidence just kind of comes naturally.

* Tell me about yourself

My name is Ania Luckiewicz, and I am currently in Colorado working as a children's ski instructor as well as an after-school STEM instructor at two different middle schools out here. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA to a very traditional Polish immigrant family, and they're the most important thing to me, but I decided to graduate early and move across the country to pursue two passions really: one for the active mountain experience and the other for children's education. I really like working with kids, I hope to continue doing that within a career of medicine. I spent several years during my time in college working on a clinical research study in a NICU in Pennsylvania where I authored and led a very neurospecific music therapy project with premature infants. Of course working with those kinds of children is worlds different than working with a skiing 5 year old or coding 7th grader, but the entire concept of oh you know, naturally this child wouldn't be alive right now but with the power of medicine, we're giving this 3 lb child a chance to one day ski, one day go to school, and just live. That was super special to me, and I want to keep being a part of it. Hobbywise, I really enjoy music. I'm a pianist and I minored in performance. I still play for nursing homes, they recently started letting certain volunteers back into the facility in Eagle, Colorado. I think it has enormous healing benefits and it was a huge component in setting up my clinical trials in the NICU. There's also skiing. I've been doing it since I was 2.5 and there's nothing I enjoy more than being outside on the mountain. I am probably one of the most if not the most technically skilled female skiers working in Vail right now. And I also love reading and writing. That's how I choose to spend my free evenings. And very recently, I've taken the risk to actually publish a book, so I did sign a publishing contract with New Degree Press that has me on track to publish my novel this summer. Which is exciting. I've been busy this year.

*What is one concern that you have about the future of medicine?

One of the reasons that I am very interested in applying to icom is because I'm aware there is a huge physician shortage in the state and that a lot of it is rural medicine bc the counties are very rural. You can have a entire county where maybe they don't have even a single doctor there. So my concern on behalf of patients is access to good health care. Unlike working as a physician in a big city like my parents do - and of course that has it's own problems with the competitive bureaucracy of medicine and so forth - but in a rural county, you might just be the end all, be all for your patient. The nearest specialist might be 70 miles away or more, so you have to be more confident in your abilities or more creative in getting a second opinion without asking your patient to drive across the state. The interactions are so much more personal, you have to understand your patients so much deeper, more holistically, and that's the type of doctor I want to be, despite its challenges.

What qualities do you look for in a physician? Can you provide an example of a physician who embodies any of these ideals? How do they do this?

Professionalism, knowledge, compassion, passion for their work. Torok speaks to me at a level that I can understand and not velow or above that.

Do you have any questions for us?

So, as a newer institution, what are the plans for the next five years? While I'm there. (clinical sites, research expansion) As an undergrad, I was very involved in clinical research and would love to potentially continue that. Are there opportunities for students to get involved in clinical research and at what point? to panel: As a student, did you feel like you were able to get a broad range of clinical assignments that were relatively local?

What motivates you?

Time. I only have so much time and I feel the need to take advantage of it. There's so much potential in every single day. Also family history.

What do you know about the current trends in our nation's healthcare system?

less private practices, more PAs, etc

How do you handle failure?

resilience. (NICU research)