Dalton Mitchie had a vocation to be a doctor, and as is often the case with vocations, ignoring it didn’t work.
A first-generation college student, Mitchie was overwhelmed with how to get into medical school and planning her graduation, and could not envision a realistic path to achieving her ambitions.
Celebrate Success: UToledo recognizes the class of 2023 with a series of stories featuring students earning their degrees at Spring Commencement.
“I applied for engineering school, applied and got accepted to many schools,” he said. “I chose UToledo because they have a very popular engineering program and I knew it would put the least financial strain on my family.”
Mitchey began his studies in mechanical engineering, drawing on his strengths in science and mathematics.
“In my first co-op at PCC Airfoils, I may have really enjoyed the coursework and problem-solving skills that engineering has to offer, but I realized that I didn’t belong in this industry. The most rewarding part of the union was working with operators who were struggling with their jobs, receiving feedback on how parts were working right before a problem occurred, and working with them to make things run smoothly. I enjoyed talking to them as they applied their knowledge to help me get up and running in the field.
During this collaboration, Covid-19 struck and made Mitchie think again that he should be doing something more meaningful.
“I always considered switching from mechanical engineering to bioengineering because it is a great pre-med major. I didn’t think there was.”
Becoming a doctor seemed impossible to Mitchie.
“Thousands of shadowing hours, hundreds of clinical hours, MCAT 512, one year dedicated to MCAT, four years of study, four years of service groups, multiple leadership positions, thousands of hours of community service. etc. is required.
“I have already completed three years of schooling and have only two years left. Most premedicine dedicate their entire four-year college career to achieving these steps.”
But Mitchey found his way into medicine with help at UToledo.
In the engineering department, Dr. Halim Ayan, associate professor of mechanical and bioengineering, worked with undergraduate students in Mitchey’s plasma medicine and bioengineering lab.
“It was great fun to have Dalton in the BIOE1000 class,” said Ayan. “He did very well and it was clear that he was a good student. Dalton is very mature and dedicated and I am delighted to have him as a student in both the class and lab.I am confident he has a very bright future. ”
Dalton Mitchey graduates with a degree in bioengineering on Saturday. This summer he will get his EMT certificate.
Mitchey said it was important to him to have a ‘quality over quantity’ approach and a distinct experience.
“Before medical school, I wanted to be a medical practitioner, so I also looked into EMS. [Emergency Medical Services] It’s a university program. ”
Mitchey’s degree in bioengineering, and his certification as an emergency medical technician this summer, will satisfy his passion for service, see first-hand what medicine is like, and experience the different aspects of a patient care team. It helps us understand the true role that health professionals play. This dual program gives him the opportunity to care for patients first, evaluate patients first, and make treatment decisions for patients first.
“The EMS program gave me the opportunity to learn patient assessment skills, medical skills, the role of the patient care team, and how to turn someone else’s emergency into another problem to solve.”
Jeff Schneiderman, EMS program director at UToledo’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences, played a key role in Mitchey’s support system.
“Dalton has become a highly motivated student with leadership qualities. He is a great success story and a perfect example of how having an EMS education and experience not only furthered his clinical competence, but also facilitated medical education. I am confident that the spark he got with EMS will give him further opportunities and respect once he completes his medical education.”
Mitchey wholeheartedly recommends bioengineering as a pathway to medical school at the University of Toledo.
“Engineering classes present both new/exhaustive ideas and solutions when it comes to approaching problems and situations, and teach that you can end up in any field,” says the entire course. “Additionally, UToledo has a BaccToMD program for freshmen that offers additional preparation specifically for medical school, UTMC’s guaranteed interview possibilities, and other It can offer many advantages.
“UToledo paved the way for me to medical school by giving me an opportunity that I knew nothing about going to college,” he added. “The student-faculty relationship and the endless possibilities are two of the reasons he chose UToledo.”