My name is Kasie Feck and I am a first-year student at Case Western Reserve University’s Master of Science in Anesthesia Program in Houston, Texas. I am completing my first-year rotation at Round Rock Medical center, which is just north of Austin. I am from Whitehouse, Ohio and completed my undergraduate studies in Biology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I knew going into the college that I wanted to pursue the medical field. I was involved with Delta Epsilon Mu, a pre-Professional and Pre-Health fraternity for students with interests in health-related fields where I shadowed and explored many different professions in healthcare. I discovered that I had an interest in pharmacology and anesthesia while doing research for an anesthesiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. When I found out about the MSA program, I was excited about how quickly I would be able to start my clinical experience and begin learning through hands on experiences.
The first-year rotation in Austin is new this year and provides students with the opportunity to work with a highly experienced group of healthcare providers. Working with the same instructors every day allows me to focus on areas of improvement and gives me some independence in the management of patient care. Round Rock Medical Center is a much smaller hospital than Memorial Hermann- Texas Medical Center. We work with a generally healthy patient population and have fast paced cases. I am so thankful for my experience in Round Rock and I am looking forward to my specialty rotations in the coming year. I am particularly excited for my trauma rotation at Memorial Hermann as I will likely see a very different environment with more complicated cases in comparison to the cases I have experienced so far.
I spend a couple of nights a month in Houston, and enjoy trying new restaurants with my friends in the Houston cohort. I spend the majority of my time in Austin where I am kept busy with lots of outdoor activities. I am especially interested in the National parks and excellent hiking trails around the area, as well as the many local coffee shops and cafes. I always wish that there was more time and more opportunities for the Houston students to visit Austin.
Coming from a small midwestern town to explore two of the largest cities in the country has been such a fun experience! I am grateful to be avoiding the cold weather this winter. I am excited to continue to learn more different specialties of care in anesthesia and work with different patient populations.