Q&A with Dr. Stump
Q&A with Dr. Stump
Sophie Baldwin, 7/31/24
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What is your name and job?
Mariah Stump, MD
Primary care outpatient medicine physician
What is your background?
Non-traditional route to medicine
Worked in different jobs before medicine
Pre-med and humanities double major in college
Did two masters degrees after college: one in bioethics (University of Maryland) one in public health (Johns Hopkins University)
Had a research experience in college and was turned off from medicine for a few years
Was a high school teacher for 3 years after college at a private boarding school and loved it
Went to medical school at the University of Vermont
Finished med school at 32 and residency at 35
Completed two fellowships in integrative medicine
What are your day-to-day responsibilities and typical caseload?
My day is intense
I see patients from eighteen to end-of-life
I work at an all women’s practice for women’s health
Focus on prevention and chronic disease treatment
See patients clinically and take care of needs outside of clinic (e.g. prescriptions and advice)
Teach three medical school classes and teach residents
What is most exciting about your job?
The patients and the long-term relationships you form
Sense of fulfillment/gratification
Lots of take-home work
Why did you decide to pursue medicine?
Applied to medical school right after public health masters
I saw a lot of people go to medical school in my class
It is not as impactful to just have a public health degree
What is one moment in your career that made you appreciate medicine?
I receive so many letters and emails of appreciation
I get to talk with patients about their life story
If you could go back and choose a different specialty, would you? Why or why not?
I am 50/50 either way
Primary care is the most impactful thing I can do
I had different jobs before medicine, so I knew who I was
I might have done neurosurgery if I started earlier, but I did not want a long training
Might have chosen a more specialized fellowship after primary care residency
What was the most difficult aspect of your journey to medicine?
Corporate medicine is very difficult and demoralizing
Administrative burdens make it very difficult to have time outside of work
How are you able to manage a work-life balance?
Not able to manage very well at the moment- it is very difficult
It is nearly impossible to achieve balance in primary care
You must divide your time
What is your advice to students interested in pursuing medicine?
Advocacy is so important
Primary care physicians should unionize
It is important to band together as clinicians and fight against corporate medicine
You need to have a voice; medicine is changing
Learn about healthcare policy and business; we can be a lot better if we learn about administration
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