Check Out Jane Kang’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Kang.

Hi Jane, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’d say my interest in medicine stemmed from undergoing laryngotracheal reconstruction for tracheal stenosis at age three but didn’t actually blossom until high school. While exploring career options then, I reflected on the procedure’s impact on my quality of life and ability to play competitive soccer. I ended up interning at a doctor’s office in Koreatown as a junior before committing to the pre-med track in college. As a pre-med student at UCLA, my time shadowing residents at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center was especially reaffirming. The appeal of performing procedures, collaborating and developing relationships with people from all backgrounds, and applying learned concepts to unique clinical problems ultimately led me to apply to medical school.

Because I would be dedicating seven-plus years to medical school and residency, I took a gap year after graduating college to explore experiences outside of medicine. I worked in marketing as an in-house graphic designer, completed community college woodworking and pottery classes, started training in Muay Thai and tramp wall, and traveled to India and Thailand. The hobbies and friends that I gained that year have been instrumental in keeping me centered and resistant to burnout to this day. In medical school, I was lucky enough to also be introduced to transition skateboarding and downhill skateboarding through chance encounters. They catalyzed and amplified my passion for all boardsports, which have become core parts of my identity and life now as a resident physician splitting her time between OC and Riverside County.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. The experience of medical school is often compared to drinking out of a running firehose because of the overwhelming amount of information that students are fed and expected to absorb. As an extrovert and kinesthetic learner, I found the first two years of medical school most grueling and isolating as these are the pre-clinical years dedicated to lectures and intensive studying. I half-joke that I spent more time with corpses than the living during the first few months thanks to anatomy lab. Considering the competitive nature of medicine, it was also difficult to avoid the comparison game and disregard class rank or board exam scores as measures of my competence. I don’t expect this Imposter Syndrome to disappear anytime soon and have come to view it as motivation to maintain a growth mindset.

Although residency is the promised land in comparison to medical school, it has seen its own share of rough patches, most notably a cancer scare at the end of my first year. I remember feeling paralyzed by the uncertainty of the diagnosis and how it could potentially derail my training. The significant fatigue and anxiety I experienced as a result of my condition also compromised my ability to focus and function at work. I tend to keep my personal and professional lives separate, so I quietly dealt with this unbeknownst to my co-workers except for two higher-ups. Doctor’s appointments and surgery only added to the stress. Thankfully, my condition was ultimately found to be benign and self-limiting. Although I could have done without this ordeal, I try to see the positive in every situation and will say that it served as the wake-up call I needed to reassess my priorities and be more intentional with my time.

We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I’m a second-year resident physician specializing in Family Medicine, which champions preventative healthcare primarily in the outpatient setting. Family Medicine also provides procedures like lipoma/cyst excisions, IUD/Nexplanon insertions/removals, endometrial biopsies, ingrown toenail removals, neonatal circumcisions, and vasectomies. In contrast to other specialties, Family Medicine entails broad-based clinical training that prepares you to care for patients of all ages (“from the womb to the tomb” as we say). By the end of residency, I’ll have worked on over 20 different specialty services. Furthermore, Family Medicine lays the foundation to pursue a number of sub-specialties. I personally plan to apply for a Sports Medicine fellowship later this year. So far, I’ve been getting my feet wet by helping cover amateur USA boxing shows, high school football games, and USA Judo tournaments. I’ll also be volunteering at the LA Marathon and a downhill skateboarding event later this year. Given my particular passion for boardsports, I dream of working with the X Games, Vans Skateboarding, Red Bull, and/or the Olympics someday.

Fittingly, I’m known amongst my peers for being a boardsports fanatic and having an eclectic range of hobbies. Out of all the boardsports that I regularly do, downhill skateboarding seems to draw the most attention. My other hobbies include drumming, Muay Thai, tramp wall, fire spinning, electric unicycling, and (most recently) sim drifting. There’s a stereotype that physicians are too busy for a strong work-life balance, so I’d say my reputation as a dedicated hobbyist in medicine dispels that notion and sets me apart from others. Moreover, I love that I can incorporate my hobbies as fun talking points to break the ice and connect with patients and colleagues alike. I don’t think you’ll encounter many doctors who regularly keep up with a bag of tricks like mine.

In terms of what I’m most proud, it’s the fact that I’m the first on both sides of my entire family to become a physician. Shout-out to my parents aka my Wu-Kang Clan for their love and support!

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising that others might find about me given my profession is that I have more of a natural inclination for the arts and humanities over mathematics and the sciences. As a kid and teen, I often submitted pieces to local art competitions and loved making videos to the point that I once entertained the idea of becoming a director someday. I took film classes and served as a graphic designer for different organizations in high school and college before doing graphic design for a start-up biotech lab as mentioned before. Last year, I opened an anonymous shop on Etsy and Amazon Merch as a space to keep up with this side of my creativity and turn my designs into tangible goods…one of my items ended up a best seller in its category! People are aware of my musical side as well thanks to my drumming, but they might be surprised to know that I also dabble with producing and remixing. I love House & Techno and gravitate toward drum machines and sequencers given my drumming background. Since I don’t allocate as much time for music as I do for my other hobbies at the moment, I’ve released only two completed tracks so far. With ongoing advancements of various MIDI controllers and hybrid drumming tools though, I look forward to diving more deeply into music down the line.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ruhealth.org/medical-center/medical-training/family-medicine-residency
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/featsbydrj/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@featsbydrj & https://www.youtube.com/@jamwithjinja
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jamwithjinja

Image Credits
Myself (Jane Kang) Krew Cobian Rudy Ortiz Carlos Rodriguez Alfredo Arozco Tyler Aanonson