Doctors in Training: From reading books to helping patients
Three Virginia Wesleyan College alumni have continued their education at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in Norfolk, Va. The trio, which includes Kevin Cartwright ’03, Craig O’Neill ’03 and Troy Shell ’02, graduated in May 2008 and are on their way to becoming practicing physicians.
Originally from Chesapeake, Va., Cartwright majored in biology and graduated cum laude. A dedicated student, Cartwright was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society and the Science Club. He received a medical degree in internal medicine from EVMS and is doing his internal medicine residency at Tulane University, La. In his third year, Cartwright did clinicals, working in various medical sections such as internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery and obstetrics/gynecology. There, he realized that internal medicine was his favorite and said, “I hope to take care of people as long as they let me; or until I’m too old and forget.”
Originally from Bedminster, Pa., O’Neill also graduated with a degree in biology and said his college courses prepared him for medical school. “Classes such as general biology and organic chemistry made my first year at EVMS very easy,” said O’Neill. “My first year was basically the biology classes I took at Virginia Wesleyan. It really condensed my first year down.”
O’Neill said his interest in medicine sparked from his love of science and wish to help people. He was unsure of his path in medicine until his second year when he dislocated his shoulder and had to undergo surgery by an orthopedic surgeon. “That’s when I decided I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon,” he said. O’Neill is doing his orthopedics residency at Drexel University, Pa.
During college, O’Neill was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, the Wesleyan Ambassadors, and the Honors & Scholars program, president of Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society and studied abroad in Australia.
Shell, who grew up in Chesapeake, Va., and majored in biology, said an experience when she was a little girl inspired her to be a doctor.
“I had to have plastic surgery when I was eight,” said Shell, “and I was aware of what was going on.”
Some twenty years later, Shell is on the path to becoming a plastic surgeon and is doing a surgery preliminary year residency at the University of Virginia. She has experienced third-world countries such as Honduras, part of a medical mission she did during her third year at EVMS.
Shell agrees with O’Neill, saying Virginia Wesleyan prepared her for courses she experienced in medical school. “My classes were helpful,” she said, “and the most helpful course was biochemistry.” Shell noted that two semesters of anatomy and undergraduate research also prepared her for the rigorous scientific courses.
Although these three alumni independently sought out EVMS, in 2003 the College established a joint program in medicine in which talented, qualified students may apply for admission to EVMS during the fall semester of their sophomore year. Students who are accepted in the program are exempt from having to take the Medical Colleges Admissions Test (MCAT), a standardized test that most medical schools require students to submit.
O’Neill said the joint program is an excellent opportunity for students at the undergraduate level. “I would recommend any student to take advantage of the joint program in medicine because EVMS is a great program and well respected,” he said. “The idea of not having to worry about applying to various medical schools and taking the MCATs is hassle-free.”
For more information about the joint program with EVMS, visit www.vwc.edu/academics/vwc_evms