On my interview day with WesternU, I sat in a little room alone, twiddling my thumb as I waited nervously for my turn. As a man opened the door, my eyes shot up and saw Dr. Harkless, the dean of the college. The jitters shot from a 6/10 to an 8/10 as he walked in. Unexpectedly, my conversation with him calmed my nerves as we shared stories about our lives. At the end of our conversation he handed me a card: “Dr. Harkless’ Success Tips.” The second tip on the card caught my eyes, “Recognize you don’t know.” That tip made a lasting impression on me because it was the key for me to become more active in my education beyond the classroom walls.
I stayed away from politics growing up because it was an environment filled with conflicts, but I also saw that it was a place that bred progressive changes and leaders. During the first month of starting podiatric medical school, Dr. Stephen Wan gave a fiery and inspirational presentation on the purpose of the Physician and Surgeons Joint Task Force and how its success will benefit the future of podiatry. He explained that podiatrists should have the same privileges to practice medicine within our specialty as MDs and DOs. After Dr. Wan’s presentation, I was inspired and motivated to do my part in helping the Physician and Surgeons Joint Task Force succeed. However, I recognized that I knew nothing about the politics of podiatry.
I decided to fill that gap in my knowledge by becoming more aware of legislative changes in podiatry, especially how they could affect current podiatric physicians, my colleagues, and our patients. Thus, I applied and became one of the CPMA liaisons. It has been a rewarding experience to meet the leaders in podiatry, be at the forefront of how bills are formed and passed, and share what I had learned with my classmates. It was also eye-opening and exciting be at the forefront of CPMA bill AB1153 being unanimously pass in the CA state assembly level to being sign into law on October 14, 2017. Being part of the legislative process and understanding the positive impact of building a good relationship with other medical professions to advance our own have been invaluable to my education.
Being part of CPMA gave me a taste of the challenges that podiatry is currently facing. I will continue to take what I have learned during CPMA meetings and my academic journey to advance podiatry.
By Tzu Lu Lin, Class of 2020
