Meet Tammera Flores

Hometown : Hacienda Heights, California
Residency Match : University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)
Specialty: Internal Medicine

How did you choose your specialty? 

I chose internal medicine to address the great need for primary care physicians among the population of patients that I ultimately wish to serve.

What experiences outside the curriculum greatly enhanced your medical education?

My work on a service distinction project that provided foot care to the local homeless population, as well as my core year of clinical clerkships in Des Moines, provided great experience working in a community setting.

Who was especially helpful in guiding and mentoring you? 

The support and guidance I received from faculty members at Carver and my clerkship directors have had a huge impact on my life and future career. 

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

The opportunity to connect with patients in both academic and community settings and the inspiration I gained through my relationships with faculty members.

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

The first time I lost a patient was on a hematology/oncology rotation. My patient died from an adverse reaction to the immunotherapy he was receiving for advanced lung cancer. My faculty preceptor asked me to lunch in the hospital cafeteria, and we had the most profound conversation about the nature of life and death and the lessons that we can learn as physicians. It meant a lot to me that an attending physician would take that much time to sit and talk with me in the interest of my education.

What advice or words of encouragement would you give to incoming medical students?

Medical school will challenge you to your core. Never give up because it does get better each year. Most importantly, always remember that your primary responsibility is to the patient.