Siwar Albashir, MD
Medical School: Unversity of Jordan
Born in San Francisco? But you are Jordanian? You spent your childhood in England?I am sorry, I am confused – why are you in Cleveland?”
That is understandable. As many times as I have heard these questions I might be confused myself but the answer is very simple. I wanted to be a doctor! There is no better place to prepare me for that endeavor than Cleveland Clinic, here in Cleveland, Ohio.
I grew up in a household of physicians. Both of my parents are family practitioners who strongly believe in the principle behind the career of “healing.” It was not a surprise when their eldest girl decided to go to medical school. That was not that exciting news as about four other members of the family went to medical school as well. Alas, in Jordan there is a doctor in each family, as well as a lawyer and an engineer. So I asked myself this question: What does it mean to be a distinguished physician and how can I become one? Is it Dr. House? Is it the intelligent, astute, comprehensive or safe doctor? Or does it involve being the compassionate, understanding one or the good listener? Is it the physician whom you want at your bedside at the time of death or the one that is able to crack the “tough cases?” I realized in 2006 that in order for me to find the answer to this tough dilemma of mine I had to explore that somewhere else. It involved moving to Cleveland, Ohio from Amman, Jordan – which is an ocean and a few continents away.
I remember the day of the interview went very smoothly. It was in the middle of the interview season, in the bitter cold of Cleveland, yet there was warmth to the program that was unprecedented. A program that was large enough to provide me with the variety and intrigue of learning. Yet it was the right size as not to lose your identity. A resident would work with well-renowned physicians, well published, and well respected in all subspecialties of medicine. Residents have an autonomy that allows them to grow yet with the right balance of reasonable supervision. To be a part of an internationally acclaimed institution and on the cutting edge of research is a privilege. The right mixture of astute researchers, attentive educators, caring mentors and compassionate friends was the reason I chose Cleveland Clinic. That was my recipe for my idea of a distinguished physician and for that reason I crossed the ocean.
Jordan Holmes, MD
Medical School: University of Kansas, Wichita
Thank you for your interest in Cleveland Clinic's Internal Medicine Residency Program. Regardless of where your interests lie, in general internal medicine or in a subspecialty area, it is my firm belief that Cleveland Clinic's Internal Medicine Program provides exemplary training.
When applying to residency programs I was looking for a program that: trained residents to be at the top of their field in patient care, provided opportunities to teach and be taught, honed leadership and organizational skills, and participated in meaningful clinical research. Cleveland Clinic's Internal Medicine Residency Program became my first choice because it was apparent that this was the program that would assist me in attaining all of my career goals.
For those interested in general internal medicine, our program provides two career tracks- a primary care track and hospital medicine track. Cleveland Clinic's large and diverse patient population ensures complete training through treatment of routine medical issues across all areas of internal medicine, as well as exposure to unique referral cases. The subspecialty areas (cardiology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, pulmonary/critical care, nephrology, rheumatology, endocrinology, and infectious diseases) available in internal medicine make this field appealing to many, and a large percentage of our residents choose to pursue fellowship opportunities. Our exceptionally high fellowship match rate can be attributed to the program's cultivation of each resident’s personal development as a physician through clinical medicine, research, and education.
Again, thank you for your interest in Cleveland Clinic's Internal Medicine Residency Program. I am extremely proud to be a part of such an honorable program and institution, and welcome any questions you might have.
