Filtering Voices: Story and Reflection

Like many medical students, I went back and forth on what specialty I really loved. OB/GYN? Sports Medicine? Internal Medicine? Rheum? Endocrine? Psychiatry? Adolescent Medicine? (Yes, all of them!)

I also had a fantastic role model in my dad, an outpatient family doc beloved by his patients. And getting to know the family medicine faculty during some research projects and my longitudinal preceptorship led me toward Family Medicine. It combined many of my favorites, and the people in the field - they were just really fun, compassionate, and grounded.

Eventually, I started answering "Family Medicine" when people asked about my plans. And that's when I started hearing that phrase - the one many of you know too well:

"But you're too smart to go into family medicine."

At first, I brushed it off. A few medical friends or residents here and there - it was annoying, but whatever. But the more I heard it, the more it disturbed me. It wasn't just acquaintances saying it. Smart faculty. Chief residents. People I looked up to. Slowly, doubt crept in.

Was I making a mistake?

I needed clarity. I needed someone I trusted, someone who knew me well-enough to give me an honest opinion. That's when I decided to knock on my advisor and mentor, Dr Mike Houston's, door.  At the time he was a pulmonary critical care doc (now sleep medicine).

I didn't have an appointment and prepared myself that he may either brush me off (he had SO much on his plate) or, if he took the time, even nudge me toward a more "prestigious" path. But, as usual, Dr. Houston surprised me.

"What is it, Tonya?" he asked, giving me that look like he could tell something was wrong. I stumbled through my words as he insisted, I sit down, setting aside whatever he'd been working on.

I blurted out, "Do you think I'll be a good doctor?"

His brow furrowed.  "You know I do. I said as much on your medicine rotation with me."

I sighed, "But... what happens if I choose family medicine? Does knowledge actually leave my brain?! Everyone keeps telling me I'm too smart to choose family medicine and now I'm not sure what to do."

Dr. Houston smiled - a soft, earnest smile combined with that wonderful, quirky facial expression of his - and said something I'll never forget:

"Tonya, you have what it takes to go into any specialty. You're going to be a great doctor no matter what you choose."

Looking back, I realize how much power I handed him in that moment. And I'm so grateful that he used it well.

His reassurance allowed me to quiet the noise. To ignore all those well-meaning but unhelpful voices fueled by misunderstanding of an entire field of medicine. His words gave me the courage to keep learning and leaning into the discomfort of growth throughout residency and beyond.

I chose the right path for me and am both proud and grateful that I did.

Reflections:

• How do you decide which voices to listen to?
• Which "soundtracks" do you allow to play on repeat, and which ones do you hit skip or fast-forward on?
• How do you know when words are resonating with your beliefs, priorities and purposes vs when they are bringing up or even aligning with your insecurities?
• As mentors, how careful and thoughtful are you with the sacred power often handed to you by your mentees?

For me - it wasn't the loudest voices or the majority that mattered - it was the quiet one inside my heart, reaffirmed by someone I trusted.

PS. Family Medicine remains one of the most challenging and rewarding careers, offering the unique opportunity to care for patients across all ages, settings, and stages of life. It’s about seeing the whole picture—addressing undifferentiated problems, diagnosing, treating, connecting, partnering with other specialties, preventing, and walking alongside patients' and their families' journeys. This work requires curiosity, compassion, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Patients deserve physicians who are not only skilled but also dedicated to understanding their stories, their families, and the communities they call home. If you’re someone who has been considering being a personal physician in a primary care role and loves many fields, complexity, impact, and making a difference in people’s lives, Family Medicine needs you - don't let others' voices drown yours out.