How bad do you want it? Is it worth starting your career at 32? Is it worth being surrounded by 50 dead corpses at two in the morning? Is it worth the extra hour of studying just to get a “leg up” on your competitors?

For Dr. Maureen Daye, her work has been worth the struggle to achieve her goal of becoming a doctor.

From a young age, Daye has had a passion for medicine as both of her parents and the majority of her family are doctors. After high school, Daye saw her opportunity to study medicine and decided to partake in the pre-medicine program at St. Lawrence University in St. Lawrence County, New York. Daye described pre-medicine programs across the country as taxing.

After receiving her undergraduate degree, Daye applied to medical school. At first, she had plans on following the path of her siblings in obtaining a master’s degree in Physiology from Georgetown University but this was not her first choice. After a few days of school at Georgetown University, Daye received word that she had been accepted into Syracuse University’s medical program.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re the last admission to medical school. You could be a great doctor,” Daye said, commenting on how she came off Syracuse’s waitlist for medical school.

Daye also noted the competitive atmosphere of medical school.

“It’s all very intense. Everyone’s competitively studying,” Daye said. “You learn to draw blood on your best friend, you learn to do a rectal exam and you learn how to do a female pelvic exams on volunteers.”

Daye remembered the academic rigor of medical school, which consists of two years of general science courses and two years of residencies.

“Maybe it isn’t for everyone, but there’s nothing to like about your first two years of medical school,” Daye said. “It’s like running a track race. Who’s going to give up?”

Daye even described a time when she wanted to give up on medical school. However, she stayed positive and thought of the outcome.

“I never had as much fun as I’ve had in medical school,” Daye said, describing her years in medical school at Syracuse.

One of the most memorable nights of Daye’s medical school experience was when she decided to examine a corpse for an anatomy course at two in the morning. Despite the obstacles that medical school presented, Daye persevered.

“Don’t forget what your dream is because along the way, it’s exhausting, but you just need to keep following your dream,” Daye said.

After completing medical school, Daye continued her medical journey at McGill University in Quebec, Canada for her gastroenterologic internship. Daye described McGill’s programs as “thinking outside the box.”

Upon completing her internship, Daye took on her residency at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in New York.

Currently, Daye is a gastroenterologist – a branch of medicine focusing on the digestive track – at Emerson Hospital, specializing in gastroscopy, colonoscopies and finding cancers and ulcers.

One of the aspects Daye loves about her job is her patients.

“They open up their hearts and souls to me,” Daye said.

Daye encouraged students to pursue medicine despite the obstacles they have to overcome.

“Not only do we diagnose problems, but we take care of problems,” Daye said.

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