From Co-op Challenges to Career Aspirations

In this episode, Alyssa and Nadia catch up on Nadia's job search for a clinical research co-op and reflect on the "soft skills" she's been building for her future medical career.

Nadia opens up about the humbling reality of applying to 20+ co-op positions over two months and receiving just one interview. She's specifically seeking clinical research or clinical trials work — not another medical assistant role — because she wants to explore new sides of healthcare before committing to medical school. They discuss the pressure of being selective while also needing to secure something, and how different this process feels when you're still a student versus someone with a mortgage and kids to support.

The conversation shifts to bigger healthcare issues: the loss of SNAP benefits for November, Nadia's past research on sanctuary policies and undocumented immigrants' access to food stamps and prenatal care, and how these social determinants of health matter for doctors. Alyssa reflects on what makes a good physician beyond just medical knowledge — communication skills, empathy, awareness of patients' lived experiences, and the ability to work with a healthcare team.

They also touch on internet outages affecting work and school, Nadia's love of rewatching Gilmore Girls, and a new Netflix medical show called "Doc" about a brilliant but cold physician who becomes kind again after a brain injury erases 8 years of her memory.

At its core, this episode is about preparation: the unsexy, uncertain work of building a foundation for a career that demands not just knowledge, but compassion, adaptability, and real-world understanding.

Takeaways

• The co-op/internship process can be humbling — even when you're qualified and confident in your skills
• Being selective about opportunities is important, but so is recognizing when to be flexible
• Clinical research experience doesn't always "count" the way traditional lab research does for med school applications
• Pursuing what genuinely interests you (not just what looks good) shows authenticity to admissions committees
• Understanding social determinants of health — like access to food stamps, immigration status, healthcare barriers — is critical for future physicians
• A good doctor needs more than medical knowledge: communication, empathy, cultural awareness, teamwork, and clinical reasoning
• Pre-med students should focus on gathering "soft skills" before medical school through diverse work and research experiences

• Working in healthcare policy and equity research provides valuable perspective for patient care

Chapters

0:10–1:50 – Internet Outages and Tech Dependence (Amazon Cloud Issues)

1:51–3:16 – From Paper Charts to Digital: How Healthcare Adapted

3:17–5:23 – The Co-op Hunt: 20 Applications, 1 Interview

5:24–7:58 – Should Research "Count" for Med School? A Doctor's Advice

7:59–9:47 – The Pressure of Job Searching (And Why Students Have It Easier)

9:48–12:42 – SNAP Benefits Cut and Healthcare Access

12:43–15:05 – Working at a Grocery Store: The Reality of EBT

15:06–17:29 – Nadia's Public Health Research on Sanctuary Policies

17:30–19:58 – Undocumented Immigrants and Accessing Benefits

19:59–22:10 – What Makes a Good Doctor? Knowledge Isn't Everything

22:11–24:23 – Looking Back: The Skills Nadia Has Built Over 4 Years

24:24–26:22 – Netflix's "Doc" and the Importance of Bedside Manner

26:23–28:45 – Grey's Anatomy vs. Gilmore Girls: Comfort Viewing and Wrap-Up