THIS IS WHAT A SUCCESSFUL STARTUP FOUNDER LOOKS LIKE.

Candice Blacknall, Founder on Earning an MD/MBA Degree and Building a Successful Startup

Q: Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?

My journey to medicine was absolutely non-traditional and I actually think medicine initially chose me rather than the other way around. I imagined myself working as a cultural anthropologist in the early parts of my formal education. Even though my military role was combat medic (68W), I didn’t have medicine on my radar until after my first deployment to Iraq. I had always valued the community service and team driven environment of the military and the diversity and creative environment of the social sciences, but forming a career that encompassed the two was not something I considered possible. Through my overseas service as a combat medic, I discovered that medicine was an opportunity to combine these seemingly different worlds. Much like an anthropologist, when I enter a patients’ room, I am entering a world separate from my own. I have to learn their language as I assist them in devising goals for their health and mapping the route to get there using their preferred means of achieving those goals. Simultaneously, I am part of a medical community with a vested interest in improving patient outcomes and community advocacy. As a non-traditional student, I view med-

icine through a very different lens. I think it’s one of the few careers where challenge and opportunity are perpetual roommates. The science certainly teaches you the algorithm of medicine and you gain confidence in that framework, but it’s the patients you encounter that teach you how to heal. Those are the relationships that keep you humble, motivate you to find that 25th hour in a 24 hour day or, conversely, take a break from your tasks to call your mom (a patient actually asked me when I last called).

In one word, how would you describe your pre-medical years?

Unpredictable

Do you think you had to sacrifice a lot during your undergraduate years to get where you are now?

I don’t think I sacrificed a lot. I didn’t pursue medicine as an undergrad so I was able to follow my curiosity as an undergraduate for the most part. Completing a self directed post bacc cost time and money, but I think I was able to still have experiences that refueled me even as I navigated the challenging parts of that journey

What do you think best prepared you during college to be successful in getting admitted to medical school?

Having a refined relationship with myself. Unfortunately, the journey to medicine can often time be all consuming. We get so fixated on the scores and the grades that we forget the most important piece in the experience is self. I took the MCAT twice. The first time I scored a 23 and the second time I scored a 498. Both were not stellar scores, but because I had a strong relationship with who I was in addition to what I wanted to do, I did not let those numbers define my value as a person. I was able to stay grounded in my “why” and fortify my resolve to accomplish my goals. When the time came for me to interview, I was able to share not just why medicine, but also what I could contribute to the field. Ultimately, I think it’s this ability to retell my story that helped the admissions committee see the person beyond the points.

Is there anything you found out after you applied and were admitted into medical school that you wish you would have known beforehand?

I wish I had known that I would need to invest in so many study tools and resources to be successful on USMLE Step exams and even in house exams. It is extremely expensive and there is a new product every year. I was truly underprepared when I made my budget during my preclinical years to pay for equipment and resources.

“When I sat down to prepare my residency application for a fourth year student, my worldview had shifted. I was ready to speak up, and I wanted to train in a program that wanted to train someone like me.”

What is the best advice you received as an undergrad?

Have as much fun as possible and make friends. Yes, you want to go to medical school and there is pressure on that journey, but you have to make time to refuel and build your tribe. The college friendships with people outside of medicine were often what kept me sane. They were what I relied upon to remind me why I started the journey and my ability to excel when my personal confidence faltered. You can’t build those kinds of relationships if you don’t take time to smell the roses every now and then

Are there any courses you did not take, but wish you would have taken during undergrad?

Creative writing, public speaking, and negotiations if you have them available. The personal statement is really a creative writing assignment. You’ll have to retell your story in a way that doesn’t repeat your resume/CV. Public speaking will help you gain experience and tools to speak to people you aren’t familiar with and that will help you with the nerves of interviewing. Negotiations will teach you how to construct mutually beneficial agreements with people that have different priorities and that is the fundamental skill necessary to collaborate with patients in the care and create care plans that are feasible for your patients.

Do you remember how you prepared for the MCAT? What advice would you give to students preparing for the MCAT?

Initially I used cram masters (or something with the word ‘cram’ in it), but I admit I only completed a portion of the series because I was also working nights as a CNA full time. The second time I used a Kaplan course provided in a summer enrichment program. Aside from studying, I’d also tell students to ask themselves “what does the MCAT mean to me?”, because what I find is that students that underperform usually do so because of test anxiety.