Maui Cervantes: Never Count Yourself Out

My mother studied to become an orthodontist in Mexico, so I had that kind of influence and medical background from her. I also have an aunt and uncle who worked as nuclear medicine technologists. From the get-go, my mom wanted me to become a dentist or an orthodontist like her. I liked the idea of helping people from the medical aspect (symptoms, diagnosis, treatment), but I couldn’t see myself doing something so niche like oral health. I knew that I liked medicine, but I didn’t want to limit myself to one part of the body. When I realized that I didn’t want to do dentistry but that I did want to do medicine,  I wanted to initially become a doctor. When it came time to choose an undergraduate degree, I thought about pursuing biology since a lot of people end up choosing that. However, one day, I went to work with my uncle and saw what he did. I thought it was so cool, how he used radioactive material to do imaging. I realized at that point that this is what I wanted to do to get more experience in patient care before entering medical school. I did all of my undergraduate studies at UIW here. The nuclear medicine program is 2 years of prerequisites and 2 years of the actual program itself. They do it that way so that you graduate with your Bachelor’s degree. 

It helped to learn how to talk to patients and put myself in their position. I remember there was one guy I saw when I was working at the VA. I was fortunate enough to be the first student to get to go to the VA. It was a really cool rotation, because they do all of what is usual for nuclear imaging, but they also had PET imaging, which isn’t common in the civilian realm (due to things such as insurance). I remember that the most common reason to have PET imaging done is for people who are going through chemotherapy or a cancer diagnosis, in order to do imaging and see how severe their cancer is, where has it metastasized, and if their chemotherapy is working or not. It’s a lot of people going through a serious and stressful time in their life. 

I remember that there was this one gentleman who was middle-aged, and he had just gotten a recent diagnosis of colon cancer. He looked a little nervous and scared, but I wasn’t too concerned about it at first. I thought, “Okay, let me do what I normally do. I’ll talk to him and explain to him the whole process, what it entails, and tell him what he needs to do for us to get the best images possible”. I did everything, and after being done, I remember that his scans came out great. I remember telling him, “Hey, we’re done. You should follow-up with your provider for the results.” As he was leaving, he just grabbed my hand. It kind of caught me off guard. I remember that he told me, “For the first time since being told this diagnosis, today, being here with you, I didn’t feel scared. I just want to thank you for giving my soul and my brain some peace and quietness.” I had to take a moment to go to the restroom and take a step back. It reminded me that I may do this every day, but for the patients, this is one of the biggest, most important days of their life. You kind of forget why these patients come to you, and it really brought me back to realize that this is very different for them than it is for me. It just reminded me that I felt proud of what I did, and that I was able to provide that peace for him that day. I want to keep doing that for people.

I think it takes a certain level of experience in your own life, to remind yourself that one day you’re going to be the patient too, or your family will be the patient too. Having that experience in my life-my father passed at a very young age- as much as it was a sad part of my life, I try to find the positive in it. It reminds me that I want to do what I can for every patient that I can, because every patient that comes in is someone’s father, mother, sibling, or friend. I want to do what I can to prolong their life and so they don’t pass at such a young age like my father did. Growing up, my father passed away when I was 10 years old, a week before my 11th birthday. I remember growing up, that for a decent part of my life, I didn’t like hospitals or doctors because they reminded me of his passing. But I then realized, through the providers in my life, that it’s not something to be scared about, but something to be empowered with. I want to bring that aspect of  “it’s nothing to be scared of” to other people, to empower them to take health into their own hands, and remove any fears or concerns that they may have had. 

Going through the experience of my father’s passing is what really drives me to keep moving forward. What stuck with me the most was seeing my mother endure that, and seeing how she was able to move forward. We were not expecting my father’s death. He was completely healthy and he passed within a matter of days. Seeing my mother raise four kids on her own, and seeing how she was able to do that inspires me to make her strength and ability to move forward something that I carry as well. I want to show her that her struggle was worth it. Especially going through PA school’s challenges, when I feel like I can’t do it, I remind myself that if my mother could go through something like that, that I am also capable of so much more than I think. I look up to her so much. My mother is such an inspiration to me, and she is one of the reasons that I keep pushing forward. You fall down 7, you get up 8. You never count yourself out. It’s not about how hard you get hit. It’s all about if you choose to get up and keep going.

I was also really close with my dad. I try to implement the kind of person that he was in my day-to-day life as well. He was that kind of person that in order to help you, he would take off his shirt to help you, in a sense. He was very much a giver. He was a selfless, kind person. I try to do the same in my life with my family and my friends. It’s always about what you can provide to try and help others, at the end of the day. He was just the nicest guy in the world, and he always had room to give, regardless of the circumstances and the things you would ask of him. Looking back, his example of service also influenced my decision to use medicine as a way to service people in my life. At one point, I knew I wanted to provide what he did for others. Now that I am grown up, I realize how much of an influence both of my parents had on me.

It was my undergraduate advisor that actually opened up to me about what PAs are. I was like, “What’s a PA?” I loved the flexibility of the PA profession and that I would be able to help people quicker- that is what really pushed me to become a PA. It was both the influence of time and the versatility of the profession. I’m not sure what specialty I want to do yet, but I have noticed that there are some things that interest me. I have several specialties that I could see myself working in. I like GI right now, but I am also really interested in hematology-oncology, because it ties into my background of nuclear medicine. I have an interest in radiology in general, because nuclear medicine is part of radiology. I would also be potentially interested in interventional radiology- I don’t know yet! I think I can see myself switching fields at one point. 

Through my life experiences, I’ve also been reminded that there are so many different ways to provide a therapeutic improvement in a patient’s life. It’s not always just symptomatology. There is such value in making sure that your patients are seen and heard, making sure that they feel that you are on their side. I do want to do the best I can for my patients, in terms of treating what they have and trying to relay to them the best possible options, but I think it’s also just as important to make sure that they feel heard. I want to develop a more personal experience with my patients. I think the small things make a difference. Literally, just take a couple of minutes to stop and say “How are you doing?” If they mention to you in a previous visit that they’re going through something, check in on them. It deepens the patient connection that you have with them, and makes them feel safe enough to open up to you and build a better connection. They will also be more likely to feel safer with my recommendations and treatment, and more open to realizing “She has my best interest in her plan, and I agree with what she is recommending.” I think it makes a whole world of a difference. 

The biggest factor drawing me to come to UT Health Science Center at San Antonio was being close to family. I did undergrad here in San Antonio, and so I had already been living here for 5 years with my brother and sister-in-law. I understood that PA school is a challenge in and of itself. It can be a very stressful time. To me, I wanted to stay close to my family to have that support system in place and set myself up for success in the program. Family is very very important to me, so it didn’t make sense for me to be somewhere far from my family. The first semester was really hard. It was about the fear of the unknown. I know it’s corny and stuff, but it’s just like drinking out of a firehose. However, my favorite part is the friendships that I’ve made along the way. It’s good to have that support system that truly understands what you’re going through. It did bring us a lot together, understanding that we did PA school together while enduring a pandemic. We had that unifying experience.

Seeing how the pandemic brought my PA class a lot closer together, it made me realize how important having a good support system is. It takes a village to do all of this. PA school is not easy. In fact, any field in the healthcare profession is not easy. It is lifelong learning and a lifelong commitment. It can feel overwhelming, and I like to tell people that “you need to find your support system”. It was definitely hard in the beginning not seeing all my classmates and feeling like I was alone, but after having that camaraderie, it made me feel like I could do this. Find your support system and find people who can cheer you on. It is also important to remind yourself that being in a healthcare profession is a lifelong commitment, but it doesn’t have to become your whole life. You want to continue to do things outside of medicine, to refill your cup and not get so jaded, and provide good quality care to your patients. 

I’m originally from Laredo, which is a small city compared to San Antonio. Laredo is a pretty medically underserved area. I remember growing up, we would come to San Antonio for certain doctor visits. It was common, because there’s not a lot of variety of specialists in Laredo. Growing up there, I recognize that there was such a need for providers and more specialists to come to Laredo. I can see myself going back to lighten the load for the community there. Education is a big part of it: letting people know that there is a need out there. I can also see myself practicing here in San Antonio. It really does depend on post-graduation plans, but I would not be opposed to going back home.