Meet Nick Lind

Hometown: Fort Dodge, IA 

Degrees and distinctions: MD, Humanities Distinction Track 

Matched: Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

How did you choose this career path? 

I chose emergency medicine because of the blend of critical and non-critical patient encounters. It provides frequent opportunities to care and assist individuals in crisis, especially those on the fringes of society. I feel energized when I’m in the emergency department! 

What experiences outside the curriculum greatly enhanced your education? 

As a parent of three, finding a strong community has been so important to my success at Carver. I am grateful that I found a wonderful group of student parents to be a sounding board and a support for my family through my four years of medical school. 

Who was especially helpful in guiding or mentoring you? 

There are so many people at Carver to thank. Drs. Sung Kim and Allison Kim were especially helpful during the time that I was considering specialty choices. Dr. Dan McCabe was helpful in so many ways during the application and interview process, and my advisor Dr. Brooks Obr kept me on track through the whole clinical phase of my education. 

What was the most rewarding part of your Carver College of Medicine experience? 

My most rewarding experience was putting together the Short Coat Podcast series on parenting in med school. I wanted a resource that pre-meds, medical students, and their partners could use to better understand family life during medical school. The series was great, but it turned into so much more. We started a student interest group focused on supporting student parents and worked with the college to develop a parental leave policy. The legacy of my little podcast idea will hopefully serve Carver students for years to come. 

Share one memory that sticks out from your time as a student in the Carver College of Medicine. 

At the learning community picnic during my M2 year, Dean Cooper sat with my family. My son, age 2, was having a meltdown at the dinner table. As my wife and I attended to him, Dean Cooper entertained my 5-year-old. I have no clue what they talked about, but I knew she was in safe hands. I think that says a lot about Dr. Cooper’s character and a lot about the kind of community we have at the Carver College of Medicine. 

What advice would you give to an incoming student? 

Be open to new experiences during med school. Even if you come in with a specialty in mind, think about each specialty during your clinical rotations and let those experiences guide your career decisions. Look for the aspects of each specialty that you can’t live without and find something that includes what you want to do.