Taylor Hale
Family Medicine, Cahaba Medical Care
About Me
I grew up in Tumwater, WA which is a relatively small but rapidly growing community right outside of Olympia. Growing up I played soccer as much as was reasonably possible. When I wasn’t doing that I was usually helping my dad do all kinds of house projects. My path toward medicine was somewhat circuitous. No one in my immediate family graduated from college but they were always very supportive of me. Without any personal role models in medicine, I frequently questioned whether or not I was capable of such a career. But experiences living with my grandparents in Burlington, WA and my time working as an outpatient scribe helped me get a better view of what it meant to be a physician. It also provided me opportunities to find mentors and friends in the doctors I worked with. They helped me navigate the process of applying and encouraged me to pursue my goal of becoming a doctor.
My medical school journey
Going through our curriculum has reinforced my desire to care for the underserved. The opportunity to see healthcare in rural and urban underserved communities while learning longitudinally has been instrumental in helping me figure out who I want to become as a doctor. I have had the chance to be creative in following my passions whether it was getting to be the first WSU student working with developmental pediatrics in Spokane or having a chance to explore my passion for improving outcomes for patients with intellectual or developmental disabilities through a scholarly project. These have helped me refine my interests and opened my eyes to the many opportunities available as I pursue a career in family medicine.
Hopes & Aspirations
I have so many hopes and aspirations going forward in my medical career but most of them are centered on partnering with patients and families as they attempt to pursue healthy lives. I am particularly interested in working with patients who have intellectual and developmental disabilities but I am unsure how this interest will develop as I continue my training. There are so many opportunities as a Family Medicine physician. Right now, I hope to practice full spectrum family medicine in an federally qualified health center.