Stanley Wojtas, Current MD Candidate
BU Major & Graduation Date:
Biology (2021); MAMS (2024)
Current School and Year:
UMass Chan Medical School, M1
Preferred Pronouns:
He/Him
Hometown:
Methuen, MA
What school are you attending and what you are studying?
I am attending University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in their MD program. Over the past half of a decade, I frequented the UMass Chan Worcester campus many times in my work as an EMT. In that time, I have transferred and received the care of scores of patients to and from providers at UMass Memorial Medical Center, which has shown itself to be the gold standard of medicine. My patients routinely praised the compassionate care they receive from the doctors and other healthcare professionals there, while the professionalism I have observed in my interactions with them has taught me much about the doctor I one day hope to be. UMass Chan provides a masterclass in meeting patients where life finds them, rendering exceptional care to those in need from a broadly diverse set of backgrounds.
What makes UMass Chan unique is the combination of its stunning cutting-edge facilities and collaborative and warm community of staff, faculty, and students. The moment you step foot on our campus and meet some of our students, you instantly want to become part of the community. This place has an innate magnetism that is second to none. Now, about halfway through my first year, I have absolutely no regrets of attending this medical school.
Is there a specialization and/or specific population you are interested in?
I am particularly interested in becoming a physician in emergency medicine.
For most of my adolescence I aspired to become an engineer. I loved working with my hands, had a curiosity for intellectual challenges, and adored solving problems. When I was about 16 one of my closest mentors approached me with a proposal that take a look at orthopedic surgery. At the time I had a blossoming passion for human anatomy, and he introduced me to surgery as a form of “engineering of the human body.” I reached out to a local orthopedic surgeon who was generous enough to let me shadow him at his side in the OR, and I instantly fell in love with the profession. However, I knew that the medical world has many nuances to it, so eager to learn more I walked into the lobby of my local community hospital and asked if there was any way I could get my feet wet with new experiences in the hospital. I was offered to volunteer at the front desk, and soon became fascinated with the dynamic nature of the ER. I then advocated for myself to become involved in the ER, and soon became a volunteer in the ER.
I was only minutes into my first shift volunteering in the emergency department at my hometown hospital when a voice on the intercom pierced the quiet hallway: “CODE BLUE, TRAUMA BAY 1.” At just 16 years old, I had little training. Equipped only with a briefing from the charge nurse and a fresh set of scrubs, I rushed toward the trauma bay. Beyond the curtains was a man in his early fifties, lying pulseless on the hospital bed. A tech was performing CPR while a nurse provided mechanical ventilation, the doctor calling the shots from beside the bed. When I offered to help, the doctor asked me to fetch bags of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Returning moments later, I met the gaze of two children, a boy and a girl no older than six, clutching their backpacks in the corner of the room. Their tear-soaked eyes transfixed me. The man lying lifeless in the bed was their father. Beside them stood their mother, who had come straight from work. Their lives had fallen apart in minutes, and with the rest of the code team zoned into their roles, they had no eyes in which to seek comfort but mine. Despite their best efforts, the code team only restored a faint pulse. The patient’s brain had been deprived of oxygen for too long. The family and doctors made a joint decision to end resuscitation efforts. Walking into the hospital that day, I felt prepared for anything. I had shadowed a surgeon in his clinic and even earned the honor to be at his side during surgeries. But nothing had prepared me for the fear I saw in the eyes of that family. Standing in the trauma bay for what seemed like an eternity, I felt useless. I had the will to make a difference, but I lacked the training, education, and skills to do so. At that moment, a fire ignited inside me. I decided to gain those skills and learn the craft of medicine. Becoming a doctor went from a dream to an inevitability.
In the years since, I have dedicated myself to attaining that goal. During my undergraduate years at Boston University, I became an EMT to gain a wider scope of practice and have more immersive patient interactions. Most of those I cared for were suffering from crippling poverty, homelessness, or substance abuse. Many were elderly, confined to nursing homes. Coming from a broken family in a working-class city, I lived in poverty for most of my life and have lost friends to overdoses. Those life experiences allowed me to connect with my patients and establish trust. I resonated with their struggles, brightening their days by showing genuine compassion and understanding. My work as an EMT took on new meaning during the coronavirus pandemic. In June 2020, despite the risks of caring for those infected by this mysterious new virus, I felt called to serve the American public on the front lines of this once-in-a-century emergency. The pandemic highlighted a number of longstanding disparities in healthcare, and the patient populations most adversely impacted were many of the same ones I had spent years caring for — those suffering from poverty and housing insecurity, or living in nursing homes. Each shift brought new challenges. My partners and I responded to call after call, sweating through layers of PPE and struggling to communicate through N95 masks, wailing sirens, and the hissing of oxygen tanks. The patients we encountered were not just sick — they were afraid. I will never forget their panic as they fought for every breath, terrified of what this virus could do. Faced with the uncertainty this new paradigm presented, I focused my efforts on the factors I could control — my strength, positivity, and drive to do the very best for the patients in my care. I learned to bring comfort with only my eyes and words, my smile hidden behind my mask. In an era of unprecedented difficulty for me and my colleagues, I could still connect with my patients in meaningful ways — the part of this work I have always found most fulfilling.
My past experiences and the care I want to provide to patients all point to emergency medicine. Being in emergency medicine is working on the front lines of combating the effects of the failures and difficulties of the world and our healthcare systems, and seemingly where I can make the most difference in the lives and health of my future patients.
What are one or two of your favorite experiences/activities and why?
- Emergency Medical Technician
As an EMT, I was responsible for initiating and ensuring the safe and efficient response to, assessment, stabilization, treatment, and transport of those requiring emergent and non-emergent medical and trauma service throughout Boston and the Greater Boston Area. I have been able to interact with and provide medical care to over 1,000 patients from diverse backgrounds and in myriad hospital and prehospital settings. In 2020, I became a member of Brewster’s COVID Strike Team. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I responded to emergencies for and cared for scores of COVID+ patients and vaccinating and testing hundreds of Massachusetts residents. My experience as an EMT has been one of the most impactful periods of my life and has greatly reinforced my drive to pursue becoming a physician and perhaps emergency medicine. I gained a deep understanding of the dynamics of medicine and medical care inside dozens of hospitals while working with a variety of doctors, nurses, and other providers in numerous departments. I also matured into a different man — I am wiser, more confident and analytical, and have a greater perspective on healthcare and life than I could have imagined at the age of only twenty-six. Many of my patients were homeless, impoverished, or suffering from addiction, all crucial constituencies in the field of emergency medicine I one day hope to practice. The countless patient interactions, critical teamwork, unique challenges, and unforgettable memories I have amassed throughout my time as an EMT in diverse pre-hospital settings, such as nursing homes, prisons, and lockdown mental health centers in demographically diverse areas, has taught me to adapt and broaden my perspective, becoming a more empathetic, compassionate, and skilled provider. I certainly have a lot more to learn, and I am eager to see how my character, skills, and knowledge develop over the next several years in this journey to becoming a physician.
- Neglected Tropical Diseases, TB, and COVID-19 Researcher
In the fall of 2021, I lived abroad in Peru for a months-long field and lab research opportunity I crafted with the support of one of my professors, Malwina Carrion, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. While there, I conducted laboratory research on neglected tropical diseases alongside Peruvian doctors and students at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. I also embarked regularly to Ventanilla, an impoverished region on the outskirts of Lima to meet with patients in their homes to conduct field research on multidrug-resistance and catastrophic socioeconomic expenditures surrounding tuberculosis, and micronutrient supplements aimed at improving COVID-19 outcomes. This experience has been one of the most transformative in my life – from fully immersing myself in a culture unlike my own to engaging in unique research opportunities alongside doctors from all over the world, my time in Peru will have a lasting positive effect on me as a future physician. With support from the World Bank and World Health Organization, I led a team of researchers and field nurses as we worked to provide social justice to some of Lima’s most vulnerable patients. We worked in conjunction with the WHO to investigate innovative ways to bypass socioeconomic barriers to the patients’ care and ameliorate catastrophic healthcare expenditures. For years as an EMT, I have had some of my most fulfilling interactions helping patients in many of the most vulnerable populations – those suffering from poverty, addiction, and homelessness. It came as no surprise that during my time in Peru, my most cherished memories have been similar – pushing myself further out of my comfort zone and meeting with patients in remote, impoverished regions, housed in makeshift homes connected by scarce dirt roads.
Did you take gap years?
After graduating from Boston University in May of 2021, I started my first gap year to continue helping our communities overcome the pandemic as an EMT in Boston, and to explore research opportunities.
With the support of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, I flew into Lima, Peru in October 2021 to begin one of the most eye-opening and transformative experiences of my lifetime.
In Lima, I began working in the labs of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia researching Chagas and Neurocysticercosis alongside Peruvian medical students and doctors. After some time, I was offered the chance to conduct field research on COVID-19 and social determinants of health surrounding multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the desert shantytowns on the outskirts of Lima.
Thanks to funding from the World Health Organization and the World Bank, I led a team of researchers and field nurses to provide social justice to some of Lima’s most vulnerable patients — collecting tuberculosis samples within their homes and then coordinating care for them with local healthcare centers. We then worked in conjunction with the WHO to develop innovative ways to bypass socioeconomic barriers to their care while avoiding catastrophic healthcare expenditures.
In 2022, I enrolled in the M.S. in Medical Sciences (MAMS) special master’s program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. With a rigorous curriculum representative of BU’s first-year medical school curriculum, this program was a unique opportunity to prove to myself that I have what it takes to perform academically in medical school.
What was your favorite BU course and why?
My favorite BU course was a climate change course. After seeing firsthand how quickly the effects of climate change are affecting our world, both locally and globally, I believe that there can never be enough attention focused on this issue.
What resource at BU did you find most helpful or want to spotlight that others might not know about?
Utilize the Pre-Professional Advising Office early and often! The sooner you can plan a roadmap and a checklist for achieving all of your ambitions and goals the better!
What are your hobbies/What do you like to do for fun outside of the classroom?
Most of my favorite things to do outside of the classroom involve being outdoors. I adore going to the beach, traveling to new countries, cooking and grilling, kayaking, and hiking. I also love learning new languages!
Are there any tips/advice you would like to share with current pre-health students?
While there are objective requirements that need to be met for you to be a competitive candidate for your future health profession, always remember to embrace and display what makes you unique! Tell your story, show them your personality, describe your passions, what drives you to pursue this career, and the difference you envision yourself making. At the end of the day, these schools not only want someone who will be an excellent student, but also someone who will be a wonderful addition to their community.