In this Vital Signs series, we feature UNC School of Medicine recent graduate Jacob Pascual, MD. Born in the Philippines and moving to Durham, NC, when he was six years old, Dr. Pascual began to develop multiple interests he wanted to pursue, including medicine. He shares more about his residency in family medicine and why he loved learning from some of the best pioneers at UNC.
Jacob Pascual is a recent UNC School of Medicine graduate. He shares more about why he chose to be a doctor and his future plans after residency.
Q. What interested you the most in high school and college? Did you always want to be a doctor?
Sciences, both physical and social, were my favorite subjects. I was a psychology and chemistry double major at UNC for my undergraduate degree. Aside from the sciences, music remained a huge passion of mine through high school and college. For a long time, I knew I wanted to work within a scientific field in general, but I didn’t decide on becoming a doctor until midway through college.
Q. Why did you choose to become a doctor?
The blend of rigorous scientific knowledge and close interpersonal connections drew me into medicine. I loved that I can treat patients from intellectual problem solving, physical/procedural skills, or even just talking to them. I have so many interests outside of medicine, ranging from music to powerlifting to video games, and medicine is a field that has so many different parts as well.
Q. What is the most interesting part of medical school at Carolina?
People from all over North Carolina (and sometimes other states) come to UNC for their care. I was able to see a very diverse set of backgrounds in patients and learned a lot about what life might be like in nearby areas outside of the Triangle. Lots of experts also come to practice at UNC, so I got to learn from some of the best pioneers in the field throughout medical school.
Q. What do you plan to focus on after med school (residency in what and where)?
I am now a 1st year family medicine resident in Hendersonville, NC, working primarily with the Blue Ridge Community Health System and at UNC Pardee. After residency, I am considering pursuing a procedural-oriented subspecialty such as sports medicine or obstetrics, but my interests are broad and ever-changing.
Q. What is your career goal?
As a family physician, I plan to practice full spectrum care, seeing patients of all ages in all settings. That includes children, older adults, and pregnant people, from when they are healthy in the community to their sickest in the hospital. I hope to continue doing procedures both in the inpatient and outpatient setting.