Crescent Cove is honored to be a place of education for future caregivers in the areas of occupational therapy, nursing, and physician training. What a thrill to receive a call from a medical student from Scotland, who asked to do a 6-week rotation at our Home!
It's been our gift to get to know Sophie Macdonald, who began her rotation with us a few weeks ago. We conducted an interview with her about what or who inspired her to pursue a career as a physician, and what she hopes to learn from Crescent Cove. We hope you enjoy getting to know her as well! (Since these are Sophie's words, we did not change them from their English to American spelling.)
1. Where were you born and raised?
I was born and brought up in the Scottish Borders, a very rural area about an hour south of Edinburgh. I now study in Dundee.
2. How did you decide to go to medical school? What do you plan to do once you graduate?
My younger sister had a heart condition when she was growing up which resulted in lots of trips to the ER. I would watch the doctors simultaneously treat her while lessening my parents anxiety, and I realised then that I wanted to be like them. I had to decide early though, as medicine is undergraduate in the UK, which meant I applied to medical school at 16 and started at 17!
I start working as a doctor in August and will do two years of “Foundation Training”. After that, I would like to train in paediatric intensive care medicine. I have a special interest in supporting children and young people with complex disabilities and palliative care needs in the PICU, and understanding how we can ensure that they have the best outcomes possible.
3. How did you learn about Crescent Cove?
In your final year of medicine, you have six weeks to spend in any specialty of your choosing, anywhere in the world. I knew that I wanted to do a paediatric palliative medicine placement, and so I did some (a lot!) research into childrens hospice homes internationally. I was also really keen to come to the USA. That’s how I found Crescent Cove! The team was immediately welcoming and very supportive of hosting me. I was really interested in understanding how the model here contrasted with the UK model, as it is such a unique place within the US, and what we could learn from it.
5. What do you hope to/have learned from our Home so far?
So far, I’ve been working on understanding the differences between practice in Minnesota and Scotland. Our provision of respite homes is much greater in the UK, but we have much less home nursing and it is harder for a child to receive palliative care at home. Neither system is perfect, and sharing practice from both places is key to ensuring we support children and families in the best way possible. Crescent Cove also has a very positive culture for working in and it has been really interesting to understand how this is set and maintained. I have really enjoyed spending time with different members of the team and understanding the role they each have in keeping the house and organisation running. Understanding the healthcare system in the US has made me very grateful for the nationalised healthcare we have at home!
6. Anything you'd like to tell families or people who are looking to support our Home?
Crescent Cove is an incredibly special place, and you are very lucky to have such a home in Minnesota. If you can, get involved to support it! If you are able to donate your time to the house, then please do, but if you can’t, tell everyone you know about Crescent Cove. I’ve met lots of people in Minneapolis who didn’t know that such a place existed here, so spread the word to ensure that children and families can continue to benefit from the wonderful care and support. It has been an absolute joy and honour to finish medical school here and I will miss it very much when I leave!