Maria has a passion for anything in the medical field, and the pandemic has only deepened her interest.
By Risa Dorf
Shonda Rhimes has single-handedly transformed a whole generation’s career path. She is best known for her work producing Grey’s anatomy, which was first released to the public on March 27, 2005. The medical drama was well known for the lust-filled character arc of surgical residents and physicians, such as characters Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd, Maranda Bailey, and many others. Now decades later, as Grey’s is approaching its 18th season, not only has the show grown, but the fan base has grown with it. Although avid consumers of medical dramas are typically confident that they know the necessary information regarding medicine and medical procedure. The onslaught of medical shows like ER, Chicago Hope, House, Chicago MD, Night Watch, Grey’s Anatomy, and many more have contributed to the Millennial and Gen Z craving for the OR. This is no different than with Maria Gonzales Fitzpatrick.
Maria, a Field School junior, has repeatedly found herself wrapped into the continuing complexity and drama-filled episodes of medical shows. “I was probably around ten [when I first started watching them], my main show was probably Grey’s Anatomy… When I was younger, I would also watch ER videos on YouTube.”
Additionally, Maria mentioned her want to be a doctor when she was young “When I was little I always wanted to be a doctor. I was obsessed with first aid kits and bandaids, and bandages. I used to take my stuffed animals and pretend they were hurt and use the stuff to help them.” Many kids experience this point in their life when they play doctor or teacher with their friends and family members. However, for Maria, the realization of the desire to join the medical field just increased with age.
Family became an essential part of surviving lockdown and is incredibly important to Maria. “During COVID, I spent a lot of time with my family. Especially my sister. She had just graduated college and was searching for a job. She stayed at home with us for a while”. However, lockdown also brought the ability of self-reflection that few have time for in typical day-to-day life. Maria reflected on her time spent during COVID, “during lockdown, we had so much time to ourselves. I think it was the perfect time for self-reflection on ourselves and our lives, that is what I did. I had a lot of time to think, and I was just very stressed. I was like, ‘what am I going to do with my life? I have no idea’. And then the stuff with my grandfather happened, and then that kind of inspired me.”
With COVID-19, our doctors, first responders, and the overall whole medical community were thrown under a microscope. Not only were they grappling with a pandemic but also a war on misinformation and lies. There have been nearly 4.6 million deaths globally due to COVID-19. These experiences have led to a massive increase in medical school applications. Some are calling it the “Fauci Effect.” According to the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), applications increased 18% over the 2020 cycle. The year prior, they grew less than 3%. Boston University School of Medicine received over 12,000 applications for 110 seats during the most recent application cycle. Stanford University School of Medicine received 11,000 applications for only 90 seats. It would be foolish to suggest that the rise in applications is not related to applicants’ results and personal experience during COVID-19.
Maria was very close with her grandfather, so it greatly affected her and her family when he fell ill during the middle of quarantine. “I think my main inspiration for nursing is my grandfather. There were a lot of nurses that really made a big impact on me personally, obviously, and my family as well. They basically helped my grandfather live a lot longer than we expected.” The role that healthcare workers and nurses play in society is incredibly unique. Maria states, “Just thinking about that. It’s so amazing. I am so grateful and just the feeling that I got from that experience [with my grandfather]. I want to be able to make that feeling for other people and other families. As a nurse, you can do many amazing things like helping to save someone if they’re dying or if they are injured or going through a hard time.”
Maria wishes one day to work as a nurse with two of the most affected demographics for COVID, “I would want to work with babies and older people because they’re all very vulnerable. Something about that really makes me look forward to being a nurse, and it excites me. Just like knowing that I can take care of people like that. Like people who are so fragile.”
Throughout COVID-19, doctors and nurses were able to do that very thing. But also many struggles came with it. Not every patient survived, and very few had happy endings like in the medical shows on television. A realization that Maria had about being a nurse significantly was shaped by her time during COVID. Many teenagers now feel the role that lockdown and COVID have played in their own lives. According to NYU Children’s Hospital, teenagers have been the demographic that COVID-19 has affected most in regards to mental health. According to a poll done by the Michigan University Health department, 1 in 3 teenage girls and 1in 5 teenage boys show signs of worsening anxiety directly associated with COVID.
To really impact someone’s life is not only the greatest gift one could have, but doing it every day for your occupation is one of the most extraordinary careers you could ever have. A lesson that Maria learned in her experiences in the past few years.