CaRMS Match: Classroom Incident Inspires Teacher to Become Physician

Originally from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Raymond Ho received his CaRMS Match in the first round. When he found out he’d be going to University of British Columbia – Prince George site, he immediately texted his parents to tell them his good news.

His first reaction on getting the result was, “Whew!” He believes he achieved his match due to his persistence and proactivity with everyone he met on his rotations and clinical observerships. He also emphasized the importance of being a team player and collaborating with the nurses and support staff (extremely good sources of experience and support).

From Teacher to Student

“When I was a high school teacher and volunteer with St. John Ambulance, one of my students was leaning back too far on his chair when he lost his balance and hit his head against the edge of the table,” He continued, “I was able to evaluate and potentially stabilize him following the Sports Concussion Assessment protocol (SCAT5) that I learned in SJA.”

That situation inspired him to hybridize his passion for teaching with the health and science aspect of medicine, “In my humble opinion, a major role of a physician is being a teacher in a collaborative endeavour that empowers patients to make informed decisions and sometimes synthesize great new ideas with that knowledge!”

Once he made the decision to go to medical school, he chose Ross University School of Medicine (Ross Med) because he had many family friends who attended. While at Ross Med, Ho enjoyed getting to know all his patients, celebrating their breakthroughs, and learning to be a more effective clinician.

His philosophy about the rigors of medical school — and life in general — comes down to three sentences: Making excuses is easy. Being cynical is easy. Putting in the work is hard.

Making Deep Sacrifices

As an educator changing careers, his non-traditional background made his journey to becoming a physician somewhat unique. And while not everyone can relate to his mid-career change, many can probably relate to the frustrations of continuing to try after getting knocked down again and again.

In addition, like all other medical students before him — and all that will follow — sacrifices are part of the process. Ho missed weddings, births, and 3 of 4 grandparents’ passing, which was difficult.

Putting His Skill Into Action

He said that one of the most rewarding aspects of medical school and becoming a physician was saving the life of someone close to him because he had the right skills at the right time and had good relationships with the right people.

When not busy studying or in clinicals, Ho enjoys writing, computers, and educating others — which aligns well with his long-term goal of helping to nurture a new group of future physicians.