The AAMC team (as part of our Specialty Perspectives series) recently sat down with Dr. Swenson to learn more about her work. Learn more about Dr. Swenson and PM&R below.
Can you give a description of your work?
I am currently the Associate Program Director at HCA Skyline in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R). I completed residency in PM&R and did a fellowship in Sports Medicine, and my day-to-day right now is a little bit of both. PM&R allows you to do both inpatient and outpatient work, which is why I love this field. My inpatient work consists of rounding with residents in the morning. I’m starting to build outpatient musculoskeletal and sports clinics into my afternoons as well. So, I get the best of both worlds.
What attracted you to Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation?
I didn’t plan to go the premed route. My background is in engineering and product design. But while I was studying engineering, I came across a few PM&R/Sports Medicine doctors and became interested in the space. In Sports Medicine, there’s a lot of room to innovate and a lot of opportunity to combine engineering and medicine. While I haven’t returned to engineering yet, I hope to combine my passions in the future.
Having great mentors has always been the cornerstone of helping me to advance in my career. I had great mentors in PM&R/Sports Medicine. I liked them as people and was interested in their research interests. I knew that I wanted my career to be like theirs. They guided me to where I am today. My advice to premeds is to find mentors in the field you are interested in, and if you haven’t found them yet, keep looking. They may be in fields you have not previously considered.
How did you find your mentors?
Throughout medicine, there are formal mentors that you’re assigned and informal mentors that you find along the way. I find those informal relationships are the ones that stick with you. My advice is to take the initiative to look for mentors. Show interest in the things people are passionate about and ask them about it. Eventually you’ll figure out your interests and can connect with someone over those. That’s how I found my mentors, which I’ve had for over ten years now.
There are different types of mentors: career, academic, life; the list goes on. One person doesn’t have to check every box. Early in my career, I kept looking for that one mentor that could do everything: one perfect mentor, who had the life and future that I wanted and was interested in the same research and academic interests as me. But I realized you discover your unique passions and who you are by having many different mentors and learning from many different people.
What’s something that would surprise people about your day-to-day?
There’s a lot of diversity in what I do. In terms of my practice, I have an inpatient and outpatient practice, which is not something you get in every specialty. I also work with medically diverse patient populations. In Sports Medicine, we take care of some of the healthiest athletes, but in PM&R we see some of the sickest patients as well. That’s one of the things I love about my specialty; I get to take care of the whole spectrum of patients.
What parts of your job do you find most challenging? What parts do you find most rewarding?
One thing that’s challenging in health care is the time spent documenting and navigating insurance. As a new attending physician, thinking about things outside of the medical aspect of a patient’s care is something that took some adjustment.
The most rewarding parts are the relationships I have with my patients and my residents. Medicine is difficult, but one of the things that I find most valuable is those built-in relationships I have with mentors, residents, and patients.
How would you describe someone who would excel in a career in PM&R?
A person needs to be adaptable and empathetic to excel in PM&R and Sports Medicine. There are always unexpected things that come up in the clinic and inpatient settings. You have to be able to roll with the punches. Having good bedside manner is also necessary in PM&R since we take care of some of the sickest patients in the hospital.
Are there any resources that focus on your field that our audience should be aware of?
The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and American College of Sports Medicine both hold annual conferences and often have opportunities available throughout the year for medical students. There are always leadership opportunities where you can connect with others who are interested in the field. That’s how I built my interest and career in PM&R and Sports Medicine.
Can you share a project you found especially rewarding?
In undergrad, I worked on a cooling system to help improve athletic performance. The idea was that if you cool people’s core body temperatures, they can work at higher levels for longer periods of time in intense work environments. I worked with a startup to help develop a device to cool core body temperature, which was used by athletes in the NFL and firefighters. I also built lifelong relationships with my mentor who founded the startup and advised me through that startup and, later, through medical school.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with premeds?
I often hear, “The days are long, but the years are short.” That definitely applies to being a physician. One thing I’d share with premeds is that it’s worth it in the end. Medicine is a very meaningful career.
To learn more about Dr. Swenson and her work, follow her on X or Instagram.