Check Out Michelle Finkel’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Finkel.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Having a second career after practicing as an emergency physician has been one of the most surprising and rewarding parts of my life.

I grew up in Houston in the late 1970s and ’80s. When I was in first grade, my mom went to law school, which was anomalous for a woman in Texas in that era: She became a role model for me as a young girl. My dad was an orthopedic surgeon. My folks started out with very little money: At one point during his training, my dad was working four jobs simultaneously. Dad worked very hard in private practice for many years, but, as an avocational sculptor and a car enthusiast, he also taught me you could be a doctor and not let your entire identity be consumed by your field.

My grandparents were immigrants and we’re Jewish, so we had the mantra in my family, “They can take anything from you except your education,” so I worked very hard academically. I went to public school in Houston – my high school was a magnet for world languages – so I took Spanish starting in seventh grade, one of the best educational decisions I ever made. Then I went to Stanford University for my undergraduate degree and subsequently, Harvard Medical School.

During my third year of medical school, I felt really burned out. Harvard offered a “five-year plan,” where a student could take some time to explore other interests and graduate in five – instead of the traditional four – years. During that time, I was selected for the American Association for the Advancement of Science Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship, a funded opportunity that places science, engineering, and mathematics students at media organizations nationwide. I worked as a science writer at the Oregonian in Portland, where I learned editing techniques.

I completed medical school and a residency in emergency medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. After my training, I stayed on as faculty at Harvard and was Assistant Residency Director. I interviewed residency candidates and reviewed their applications for four years. I also worked with medical students and trainees in the emergency department on every shift.

When my husband David and I happily moved to Los Angeles, I started working in a community hospital in the South Bay. I missed teaching and mentorship, and at the same time was pregnant with my first child. One day, as I was coming home from an emergency department shift and my husband was going into his, we drove by each other on the street and waved enthusiastically. At that moment, I asked myself, “How in the world are we going to juggle two full-time emergency physician schedules with kids?”

Necessity is the mother of invention. So, I started Insider Medical Admissions to help balance family and medicine and nourish my desire to mentor students.

Through Insider Medical Admissions, I help people who are applying to medical school, residency, fellowship, dental school, and post baccalaureate programs improve their candidacies: I edit personal statements and applications, and I provide Mock Interview services and one-on-one Strategy Sessions, so applicants can have professional guidance on grades, MCAT scores, letters of recommendation, where to apply, and essay ideas, among other topics.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I made a lot of mistakes when I was an early entrepreneur. For example, at the very beginning, I simply didn’t realize that I had to secure my website. It turned out that a Russian travel company had hacked my site and was somehow using it to get customers, and I didn’t even realize it for a while!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
One of the factors that distinguishes me is that I am very “high touch.” I edit every document. I conduct every Mock Interview. I run every Strategy Session. I’m involved with every client, and I don’t outsource to inexperienced advisors.

I’ve also been doing this a long time: I started Insider Medical Admissions 19 years ago, after working in residency admissions at Harvard prior to that. When I was a Harvard faculty member, I won three teaching and mentorship awards. I really love working with students and trainees.

Finally, I’m committed to helping a broad range of applicants with varying resources. Therefore, I offer a reduced rate for medical school applicants who can demonstrate financial hardship through a current Association of American Medical Colleges Fee Assistance Program waiver. Contact me for more information.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
My husband has a Ralph Waldo Emerson quotation up in his office, and it resonates with me:

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Pricing:

• Please see a transparent pricing menu at InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com.
• I’m committed to helping a broad range of applicants with varying resources. Therefore, I offer a reduced rate for medical school applicants who can demonstrate financial hardship through a current Association of American Medical Colleges Fee Assistance Program waiver. Contact me for more information.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.InsiderMedicalAdmissions.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insidermedical/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellefinkelmd
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/insidermedical
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsiderMedicalTV
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/insider-medical-admissions-torrance

Image Credits
Sia Presser