EPISODE 10: Erica Thomas

May 31, 2025

Interview by Ivan Dominguez and Nick Micceri

Photo by Ivan Dominiguez

Edited by Amar Gopal

For the record, could you please state your name and what year you are in medical training?

My name is Erica Thomas. I’m a retired medical student. 

[laughs] What is your next career, allegedly?

My next career is, allegedly, as an emergency medicine resident in Brooklyn and I’m super excited about it!

Nice! Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Yonkers, NY. It’s only about 10-15 minutes away from campus so my parents are very close by. I theoretically could see them everyday if I wanted to. They would love that. It’s nice to have food readily available. I haven’t cooked a single meal since I got here. 

Really? You haven’t cooked a single meal??

Haha. I’m kidding. I occasionally toss things into the air fryer. 

When did you first want to become a doctor?

Well I guess we’re going to have to go way back. My grandmother had really wanted to be a doctor, but that wasn’t a realistic possibility in India for a woman of her socioeconomic status at the time she was growing up. She married my grandpa and he helped put her through pharmacy school. My grandma then wanted my mom to become a doctor but she was kind of a slacker in school - her words not mine, by the way. So that dream got thrust onto me since the day I was born. 

I guess I wouldn’t say I always wanted to be a doctor. I just always knew I was going to be a doctor. 

I like that. What did you major in in college?

Biology! Pretty basic major for a premed. I just knew medicine was the path from the get-go, so it was just a matter of finding the easiest path from point A to point B.

So did you only take bio classes?

I also minored in music. I’ve done music stuff my whole life. When I was in third grade, my school hired a band teacher for the first time. None of us have ever seen instruments close up before but dude holds an assembly in the auditorium for us and he's pulling out saxophones, clarinets, flutes, oboes. All sorts of stuff. When he pulled out the clarinet I went, “That’s the one! I’m gonna play the clarinet!

It was so silver and shiny and I liked the way it looked. I’m a big aesthetics person. I wanted to play it. Also I was going through a Spongebob phase, so I wanted to be like Squidward. So I went home to tell my parents, “Hey, we’re starting a band at school. I want to play the clarinet.” They were kinda upset, because they wanted me to play something more girly, like the flute. But my mind was made up. 

How long did you play the clarinet for?

I played into high school. I got to play in the Westchester All County Band, with Emily Beckett (shout out!). I got pretty decent but our band teacher got laid off eventually when they started cutting the budget for our extracurriculars at some point, and then I just never played again. In high school, my dad started sending me to piano lessons, but it wasn’t really my thing to be honest. I still learned some stuff though. 

I see you have an electric piano in here. Did you keep at it or pick it up again?

I picked it back up in medical school. I was like, why not? I’m for sure not very good but it’s nice to have a keyboard around whenever I have a little free time to practice. 

I see you also have a guitar. What’s the story there?

[laughs] I feel like 90% of this interview will be you asking me for stories that you were literally there for. 

We gotta play it up for the readers.

Alright, well, it was our first year of medical school. You [Ivan] and I had no spring break plans yet. One day I woke up with this desire to buy a guitar. But I wanted to buy it from Nashville. No rhyme or reason to it. Just had the random urge to make it happen. So we decided to road trip all the way to Nashville. We got help from your buddy, local musician Steven Dunn and his pup Huckleberry, who took us to Fanny’s, a woman-owned music and vintage clothing shop. It was so cool in there! Apparently it’s also one of Taylor Swift’s favorite stops in Nashville. We stepped on the same floors she did. We breathed the same air. We probably touched the same guitars. You know I was touching all those guitars. 

Ok that’s a good segue - I see a bunch of Taylor Swift albums on your wall. Chappell Roan, Charli XCX. 

Yup! Billie Eilish too!

Tell me, are you a Swiftie?

I am a hardcore Swiftie. I’ve been a Swiftie since…I can’t say I’ve been one since day one, but I’ve been a Swiftie since album number two. I was like, 11, at the time. 

Hard question, what’s your favorite album? 

Ooo. It changes all the time but I would have to say, right now, it has to be 1989 (Taylor’s Version). 

Have you seen Taylor in concert?

I have not. I’m heartbroken. I should have bit the bullet for the Eras Tour but it was too expensive and too late by the time I made up my mind. I feel like I definitely missed out on a life-altering experience. It’s okay. There’ll be more. I’m starting a separate Taylor Swift concert savings fund and I’m taking all my girlies with me. You guys can come too.  

I see you have a bunch of stuffed animals. Are they named?

Some of them are. That one over there is a stuffed African wild dog named Jigsaw. I named it after an African wild dog I saw in a documentary once. He was murdered by a pride of lions leaving his mate, Puzzles, to raise all of their children on her own. It’s a really dark back story, I know. Maybe I should have named it after the single mom but he gave me boy vibes, so Jigsaw it is. 

Then there’s Hedwig that Nick got me in London. This one is Cowbert, the cow. The other cow is named Blake Livestock. I got her from [NAME REDACTED]. There’s a racoon there too; it’s from [NAME REDACTED]. Oh, and that one’s from [NAME REDACTED]. 

[laughs] Oh my god. I really want to keep all that in the final edit. 

A graveyard of gifts from the ghosts of all my past lives is probably the best way to publish it on the internet. 

Before medical school, did you take a gap year?

I took two! My first job out of college was in the office of a hematologist-oncologist, Dr. Spaccavento. I started as a medical scribe for her. It was a good first job. I loved everyone in that office.

What came next for you?

I didn’t stay there too long. I got promoted to a project manager position within the same company after a few months. That role involved traveling around the city to different hospitals and clinics, helping them implement scribe programs. I’d analyze how their clinic or floor functioned and determine how adding scribes could improve workflow efficiency. I’d then recruit, hire, and train the scribe team, get them oriented, and ensure everything was running smoothly. Once the program was up and running, I’d move on to the next location.

That must have exposed you to a lot of different settings.

Absolutely. I got to see a wide variety of specialties - eye clinics, urology practices, and more. It was a great learning experience.

How did the pandemic affect your career path?

When the pandemic hit, many of us were laid off. I bounced around for a while after that. I worked at CityMD doing COVID testing - swabbing over a hundred people a day. It was intense. After that, I briefly worked at a dermatology clinic, but I didn’t enjoy it. Eventually, I joined a medical concierge company, handling their back-end operations. I actually worked for them part time even after starting medical school and stayed until the beginning of my third year.

Do you think any of your previous experiences influenced your interest in emergency medicine?

Honestly, I’d have to say no. Those experiences mostly showed me what I didn’t want to do. They exposed me to certain specialties that helped me realize which ones weren’t the right fit for me. For example, I have tons of respect for ophthalmologists, but I couldn't imagine myself looking at eyes all day. Dermatology - also not really for me. That gig just didn’t resonate.

That said, I did enjoy working at CityMD, even though it was absolutely chaotic during the height of the pandemic. For me, I’ve always loved talking to people, and it was genuinely rewarding to interact with so many different patients back-to-back throughout the day. Interestingly though, when I started medical school, I thought I wanted to go into radiology. I came in telling everyone, "I’m going to be a radiologist." It wasn’t until the end of my second year that I started to pivot.

Dr. Rachlin, please don’t listen to that.

[laughs] Yeah, sorry - no radiology for me after all.

So, what was your first experience in emergency medicine?

Honestly, I felt like a lot of my friends who are going into EM with me came into med school already knowing they wanted to pursue it because they’d worked as EMTs or paramedics. I had no prior exposure. My first real experience with emergency medicine was actually my very first day of clinical rotations in medical school. I signed up for an EM elective at Good Samaritan in Rockland County, and showed up completely clueless.

It was overwhelming at first because I felt so lost. But by the end, I realized I had genuinely enjoyed it. At the time, I didn’t know if it was the right fit for me, but after going through all my other rotations, I looked back and thought, that was the most fun I’d had in the hospital. I liked the type of people emergency medicine attracts. ER nurses, for example - they're my favorite nurses. There's a camaraderie and energy in the ED that really resonated with me.

On a more personal level, I’m very much a to-do list person. I like having tasks and checking them off. That mindset translates well to emergency medicine. As soon as a patient comes through the door, I’m already thinking, “What’s their disposition? How are we getting them out of here?” I know that’s not for everyone, but for me, that constant turnover and momentum just fits how my brain works. That’s how I knew EM was the right specialty for me.

After that first emergency medicine rotation, did you already know you wanted to go into EM?

No, not yet. It wasn’t until the end of my third year that I really solidified that decision. After completing all my core rotations and reflecting on them, I realized, “Yeah, this is it.” But even then, I was actually still torn between EM and pediatrics. I was bouncing back and forth a bit.

You just let out a big sigh.

Yeah. I did two EM sub-internships - one at Metropolitan/Harlem Hospital and another at Lincoln. In between those two, I had a few moments of doubt. I remember talking to Dr. Rachlin on the phone about it, and she was super reassuring. She told me it’s completely normal to have doubts - even that late in the game. But she also said that once those doubts creep in, they usually don’t go away unless you address them. Good life advice in general, actually. 

So, I signed up for a peds sub-I, just to see how I really felt about it. I did it at WMC, on the Rainbow service with Peds Hem/Onc. Looking back, it was a great experience. I’m glad I did it - I worked with great people and loved my patients.

But I think what really sealed the deal for me was realizing that I’m just not a hospitalist in any form. I can’t do rounds. Mentally, it’s incredibly draining for me to round on patients for hours on end. I can totally appreciate how pivotal rounding is in healthcare both for patient care and safety and being an essential educational exercise, but it’s just not for me. Fifteen-minute sign-outs before getting my hands dirty? That’s more my speed.

You had mentioned to me before that there was a surgeon who operated on you that you later got to work with in medical school?

Oh, yeah - kind of a full-circle moment, though a little surreal. It was Dr. Tracy Weigel, who we all love and admire. She actually operated on me years ago. I’ve gotten to be in her OR a few times at the hospital but the thought of just being like “Hey, you operated on me before!” made me nervous every time. Everyone is always like, “You should have told her - she would’ve loved that!” And I’m sure she would have. But it just felt like such a weird thing to randomly bring up. 

She performed one of several lung surgeries I had. I had multiple pneumothoraces between the ages of 15 and 21. We never figured out exactly why. I just seemed more prone to them for some reason at the time. It was a tough stretch through my teen and young adult years, but she was the one who did my last two surgeries. So far, so good - no issues since. Shout out to Dr. Weigel!

That must’ve been such a powerful experience. 

I don’t even know if I have the right words to describe it. It’s such a weird feeling being around someone you’re deeply connected to, but they have no idea. For her, that surgery was probably just another case on a long OR schedule. But for me, as a patient, it was quite literally everything.

I’m on an anesthesia elective right now and I’ve gotten to intubate a few of her cases. She does a lot of robotic surgeries, so if I’m in her OR we end up sitting elbow to elbow whenever she’s at the console. Yesterday, it took everything in me not to turn around and say, “Hey, by the way, you operated on me.” I think part of what holds me back is…”What do you even say to the person who saved your life? “Thank you” feels so small. But maybe “thank you” is actually enough. I don’t know. I guess as a physician I’ll actually get to experience it from the other side though. Maybe it is enough. 

Do you feel like those earlier health experiences - especially during your teenage years - shaped how you approach medicine or your view of the field? Because for some people, going through a lot of medical issues actually pushes them away from it.

Yeah, that's a good question. I think my final answer would be that it was neutral.

If you had asked me years ago, especially around the time everything was happening, I might have even said it deterred me. People often assume, like, “Oh, you went through all that, so you must have wanted to become a doctor because of it.” But honestly, it was just a horrible experience. I was 15. I didn’t know what was going on. Everything hurt. The first time I was hospitalized, I was in the pediatric hospital, which was a bit nicer. But when I got older and was treated as an adult patient - that was rough. One hospitalization, I had three chest tubes in simultaneously. I was in an immense amount of pain. I was insanely constipated from all the opioids. I was getting enemas. I couldn’t sleep. I mean, it was just miserable.

That experience did give me a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be a patient for an extended period. I think I do have more empathy now because of it. But at the time, I remember thinking, “There’s no way I could ever step foot in a hospital again.” There was this one moment that really hit me. It was after my second pneumothorax. My grandfather was in the hospital - he was nearing the end of his life - and I went to visit him. I remember walking through the hospital doors, and as soon as that smell of disinfectant hit me, I almost turned around and ran out. It was such a visceral reaction. I was so traumatized by everything I had gone through, and I just thought, “How am I supposed to be a doctor in this environment?”

What changed for you after all that? How did you end up back in the hospital environment, this time as a future physician?

I guess…time. I always used to roll my eyes whenever someone told me time cures everything. But honestly, it’s true. Maybe it doesn’t fix it, but time does dull everything. Even now, when I think back on it, I don’t remember all the details. I remember that it was hard, that it was painful and traumatic, but the further away I get from it, the more those specific memories fade.

I’ve always had a short-term memory, which has honestly been both a blessing and a curse. But when something traumatic happens, I tend to push the details out of my mind pretty quickly. That’s definitely helped me move on.

Also, being on the other side, as a provider rather than a patient, feels very different. When I’m in the hospital now, I’m there to take care of someone else. I’m focused. I’m not thinking about my own past experiences. If I walked into a hospital randomly, with no purpose, maybe I’d still feel uneasy. But that’s not what I’m doing anymore.

Got it. Let’s pivot a bit. I know one of your major interests is sports. Do you play any sports yourself?

At this very moment? Not really, unless you count extremely recreational pickleball [laughs]. I’m not sure if that even qualifies as a real sport, to be honest.

Have you ever been on any teams?

Yeah. I was always athletic as a kid. Growing up, I was always the fastest kid in school, really. I was always the strongest. I used to beat all the boys at everything, and they were always so shocked. Then we all came back from summer break one year - must’ve been around age 13 - and suddenly I started losing to them. I was like, “What happened?!” Puberty was a very upsetting time for me [laughs]. 

I played basketball growing up. It was alright. I ended up gravitating towards the weird sports. 

Weird spots? Like what?

Well, I got into flag football after playing in my high school’s Powderpuff tournament. It’s a tradition in a lot of high schools - usually a once-a-year thing where the junior girls play the senior girls. The twist is that the boys on the football team become the cheerleaders for that game. They dress up, cheer, the whole deal. It’s kind of a gender role reversal kind of thing. But I think it’s evolved in a lot of places now. In some schools, it’s become an actual season-long flag football league for girls. And yeah, I played that and I loved it.

Any other sports you played that were tied to a novel or fictional franchise perhaps?

[laughs] I see what you’re getting at. When I got to college, I joined NYU’s Quidditch team. [Note: the sport is now officially known as quadball] At the time, they were very proud of it. We had a pretty outstanding legacy. If you ever went on a campus tour with one of the NYU tour guides, Quidditch was one of their talking points - they’d always mention how awesome our team was. I joined... sophomore or junior year, I can’t remember exactly. I didn’t really know what to expect going in. It’s kind of a sport for people who are athletic but maybe not quite athletic enough to play one of the “real” varsity sports [laughs]. 

Wait, how does that work? Do you run around on brooms?

Yes…sort of. Not actual brooms, though. You run with a PVC pipe between your legs, kind of like a stand-in for a broomstick. It’s lightweight plastic, painted in your team’s colors. Ours said “NYU Quidditch” on it - it was actually pretty cute. You’d hold it between your legs the whole time, and that served as a kind of built-in handicap. That’s what made it Quidditch.

How long did you play?

From whenever I joined until the end of college. So…two, two and a half years? Something like that.

Was that your favorite sport to play, or is there another one you liked more?

That’s tough. I’m honestly torn between flag football and Quidditch. I really love football. Football is life. So maybe flag edges it out. 

Who’s your football team?

Buffalo Bills. I grew up a hardcore Patriots fan but I’ve grown in my adulthood. Bills Mafia all the way.

All right, switching gears a bit - how about the future? Is there anything you're really looking forward to on this next portion of your journey? You’re trying to stay in New York forever, right? Like, forever forever?

NY is definitely going to be home base for me. I’m still trying to stay open about what my career could look like. EM is great that way; it offers a lot of flexibility. I’ve even thought about maybe splitting my time between a few different cities someday. But New York is, and probably always will be, home.

I am looking forward to the future. I won’t lie, I don’t have these huge, lofty ambitions. I just want to be a good doctor. Good to my patients. I want to build a life outside of medicine too. It’s hard for me to admit because it scares me to think that maybe it won’t happen, but I think the most important thing is I want to get married and have a family of my own some day. I think that’s the biggest thing I hope for.

I want to travel, see as much of the world as I can, but I love the simple stuff in life the most. Hoping to meet wonderful people in my life and eat lots of good food! Cross your fingers for me.

Okay, let’s go rapid fire with a few fun ones. First: do you have a favorite meal?

Yes - chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and jeera rice.

Is there a go-to Indian spot you always recommend?

Royal Palace.

Shout out Royal Palace!

Shout out Royal Palace! Lunch buffet, 11:30 to 3 p.m., every day.

Okay. Do you have a favorite album from this past year?

…It’s gotta be Brat.

Charli?

Yeah! I’m actually going to see her in Austin in a few weeks!

Not Taylor?!?!

Listen… Taylor always puts out great work, right? But let’s be honest, it was a tough year. Especially among the pop girlies, the competition was steep. I gotta give it to Charli. That said, if I had to pick my favorite artist from this past year, it’s definitely Chappell Roan. But album overall? Brat. 

Do you have a favorite borough?

Brat.

I mean, Brooklyn. 100%

Okay, okay…do you have a favorite place you’ve traveled to?

I have some surprise favorites: I was very surprised by Nashville when we went. I did not expect it to be such a party city. The vibes were amazing. The food was great, the energy was excellent, and they’ve even got the Taylor Swift Education Center. Like, it has everything. What a great time. I was also super impressed by Savannah, Georgia. Such a cute place. Absolutely picturesque. I didn’t even realize it was a coastal city until we got there. It’s just right on the water. The alligator was delicious - a must have. So yeah, definitely Nashville and Savannah have been real standouts. But I’m going to Scotland, Ireland, and Italy in a month…so maybe there’ll be some new favorites. Hopefully! We’ll see. I’m excited.

Okay - sorry, I definitely want to ask about this. How do you like driving?

Oh my God. I love driving.

Did you think you would?

Love driving? I didn’t know how I’d feel about it, honestly. I couldn't even tell you why it took me so long to get my license. I have no idea.

When did you get your license?

I got my license in my second year of med school. So, barely two years ago? I took my road test two days before I took STEP 1, in fact. And honestly? I was more nervous about passing the road test than STEP 1. Which, honestly, is valid because I found out after the fact that barely 50% of people pass their road test on the first try here in New York.

Wow.

Yeah. So, you know, for two really important back-to-back tests? Nailed it.

And if you had to pick a dream car to drive during residency?

Well, I’ll be in the city, so I won’t be driving much. But, in my ideal world, for the next phase of my life? I’d want a Jeep Wrangler. Absolutely no reason to have one in New York other than the fact that it just looks cool. I really want a Jeep. As for older me, I don’t know…if I had a ton of money, I’d want a Ferrari.

If there's one thing you wish you could have done more of during medical school, what would it be?

I mean, I’ve got the usual answers: eat more vegetables, work out, take better care of my body. All the standard stuff we all say we’ll do better.

But beyond that? I think the biggest thing would’ve been to talk to people more. Really talk to them. I think I did an okay job of it, but looking back, I wish I had gone deeper, reached out more. Especially after doing all those interviews for Humans of NYMC - I started to realize just how much people carry silently. Everyone’s going through something, even when they seem totally fine on the surface. And sometimes, just checking in, asking how someone’s actually doing, can mean a lot. This whole journey - med school, life, everything - it can be really isolating. I think there were definitely times where I probably would’ve felt a little less alone if I’d opened up more and let people in. Maybe other people feel the same way. 

And if there was some advice you could give the next batch of incoming medical students, or those starting soon, what would that be - if anything?

Hmm… I’d say, first off - start your UWorld earlier than you think you need to.

Other than that…I’d say don’t neglect the other parts of your life. If your family’s nearby, go spend a weekend with them. If your high school or college friends are around, make the time to visit. Go on that Tinder or Hinge date. Have fun. Seriously.

It’s so easy to get caught in that loop of, “I should be studying right now,” or “I need to do my Anki,” or “I’m falling behind on research.” That voice in your head never fully shuts up. But you have to learn how to live with it - and still live, if that makes sense.

Try to stay present. You’re only a student for so long. And I know it feels like we’ve been students forever, but this is the end of that chapter. You don’t get this kind of freedom again. There’s something kind of sacred about being able to just sit and learn, to pour your energy into growing and figuring yourself out without the pressure of a full-time job or a paycheck. It’s a strange but special stage of life. So enjoy it. Take care of your future, yeah - but also take care of your present. Make memories, be a person, have a good time.

Contact Erica at ethomas13@student.nymc.edu

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