April 20, 2025

Happy Easter!
Welcome to The Medical Scholar!

We hope you are enjoying your Easter weekend.

This is the first issue of The Medical Scholar, a newsletter designed to keep you informed and updated about the Krueger-Sentara Medical Scholars Program helping upper level high school students learn more about the practice of medicine, nursing and healthcare in general.

Furthermore, The Medical Scholar is dedicated to young scholars who have heard the call from the healing arts. They want to help people, to prevent and treat illnesses and injuries. There is no profession more noble and worthwhile than that associated with controlling disease and preventing human suffering.

The Medical Scholar is intended to provide support, inspiration and encouragement to you as you begin to make choices about whether to enter any of the medical fields and if so, which one. There are so many different facets to health care, it would be difficult to list them all. The more choices a person has, the more difficult to choose. Sometimes you just have to go for what feels the most comfortable.

Getting involved in the Medical Scholars Program is one of the best ways to help you figure out what is best for you. Here you can determine some of the bigger questions. For example, do you like surgery or procedural positions or would you rather stick to the non-surgical specialties, like general practice or internal medicine? Would you rather help adults, or do you have an inclination to take care of children? You may be able to find that out as you observe doctors in different specialties and see what they do day to day. You may already know what you want to do, and this program may help you firm that up; or you may be confused and not know which direction to go. If that's the case, no need to despair, you'll have plenty of time to figure it out. Some still are trying to decide when they are in their residencies, although it's probably better if you can figure it out before then so you don't waste years of education on one field and then suddenly decide to change to another. Those things can be done but with some difficulty.

Shadowing physicians and observing procedures can put good marks on your record as you try to advance in your field, but each experience should be documented as to what it meant to you. Just trying to go to as many as you can for the purpose of adding them to you record will not work. Go to the ones you find most interesting and that mean the most to you personally.

On April 25, 2025, Norfolk Academy (NA), in conjunction with the Krueger-Sentara Medical Scholars Program, will be hosting a Medical Professionals Day. This will be held at NA from 11AM - 1PM. There you will be able to meet multiple physicians and other health professionals who have agreed to be with you because they realize how important this is you as it was to them in the past, and to answer any questions you may have about all the different specialties. They each have their own story to tell about how they got into medicine, what difficulties they may have had along the way, how they ultimately succeeded, and whether they enjoyed the journey. Please don't be shy. They have all been through the same things you are doing now. Go to each table and speak directly to each practitioner. Ask questions. Ask if they can give you any advice on anything related to your future career. Your situation may be somewhat unique, but whatever it is, you can be sure it has happened before and can be overcome.

We will provide updates as you go along in the program. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Contact information is listed below.

Thanks to all the students who are participating and to all the professionals who have agreed to be involved in the program. This is important. The future of medicine starts here.

Warm regards,
Gregory J. Warth, MD, FACP
Chair, Medical Scholars Committee
757-816-8399

Coordinators: Susan Milne and Karen Richendollar 757-395-6792