Photo courtesy of Lillian Lu

Lillian Lu, a junior in the dual-degree Physician Assistant (PA) program, knew that she wanted to go into the medical field as early as high school. But her passion for the essence of her chosen field was part of her long before high school. This is not necessarily a passion for science and medicine, but for helping others.

“Ever since I was young, I always knew I wanted to help people,” Lu said, “which I know is something you hear a lot amongst people who are studying to go into the medical field, but I just feel like there’s a lot of unnecessary suffering in this world, and I feel like going into the medical field is a way that I can play my part in helping other people.”

Lu’s chosen program, the dual-degree PA program, allows her to get both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five and a half years. After this program, she will be able to help people in a similar capacity as doctors. Although Physician Assistants require fewer years of education than doctors and cannot do all the same things, PAs can still prescribe medication, assist in surgery, see patients on their own and diagnose.

The science classes Lu has taken are a source of inspiration for her. As classes like chemistry, biology and biochemistry build on themselves, she gets a wonderful sense of how everything in this world is interconnected. She knows that she can never learn everything about everything, but this will not stop her from trying, as she knows that new information can only give her a more interesting worldview.

“Taking almost three years now worth of science classes has changed my view of the world,” Lu said. “I’m taking microbiology right now, and it’s so interesting. In microbiology we learn about the biology of bacteria, viruses and whatnot, and we can’t see [these things] but they’re there, you know? And you would never know that there’s such a complex science behind them because you can’t even see them. That’s what I really like about the classes that I take. You learn about things that you wouldn’t even know were there.”

PA students learn through a combination of traditional lectures and lab classes. Lu finds lab classes particularly helpful because they allow her to apply the information she has studied. Of course, the pandemic has put a bit of a damper on lab classes, as there were virtual labs during the stay-at-home period and the current in-person labs have many restrictions to ensure they run safely. However, Lu still manages to learn a great amount, given the circumstances, and in general, the pandemic has given her a newfound appreciation for her chosen field.

“Of course, I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for people in the medical field,” Lu said, “and have looked up to them and all the work they do. But especially now, I’m so happy that I chose to go down this path because I realize even more now how big a role medical professionals play.”

Even before the pandemic, the medical field was known to be very difficult. Although Lu loves her studies, she is extremely aware of the pressures of her path and has already begun to experience them.

“STEM is very, very tough,” Lu remarked. “And sometimes, it sucks … I’ll see my friends be able to go out on the weekends and hang out, and I can’t, I have to say no because I have to study, but it’s nothing personal. I have so many things going on at once.”

“I remember, especially before COVID hit, like freshman and sophomore year, I would literally spend so many hours in the library. I remember I ate all three of my meals in the library. I would just sit in the same spot for 12 hours and just study and do homework.”

Lu, who also works at a restaurant as a cashier, tries to balance her work schedule, her studies and a social life, but she knows that if she has to choose between the three, school must always be her top priority.

“Sometimes I would have to say no to hanging out with friends,” Lu said, “because I know that I have to put my education forward … I’m studying so hard to become a physician’s assistant, and I know that’s just a sacrifice I have to make.”

The pressures of excelling in her field, the sacrifices that she makes and the fast-paced nature of her restaurant job will give Lu an edge once she is out of school, both in the context of her chosen career and in her life outside the office, which Lu hopes will be in New York City in a big hospital.

“I’m already from New York City, so I want to stay here,” Lu noted. “I really hope to work in a big medical setting like a hospital … [In a hospital] there’s so many people constantly, not that I think there’s anything wrong with working in a small office setting or small medical practice, but I feel like I would enjoy my work more in a hospital or a bigger setting just because there is so much going on.”

For now, Lu is focused on the next steps of her program, looking forward to the next two years. There is a didactic year of PA school, and then a clinical year, which allows her to finally apply classroom knowledge in the real world.

In the meantime, Lu tries to keep herself inspired and push forward despite any difficulties that may present themselves.

“My major and most STEM majors in general, like I said, are really tough,” Lu said, “but what inspires me to keep working hard is knowing that I’ve worked so hard to get where I am right now. So I know it will all pay off.”