This week, we interview former NCAA star, Olympic athlete, and current Medical student Erica Ogwumike!
Erica chops it up with the ISSP to discuss her journey through highschool and college basketball, becoming a Tokyo 2020 olympic athlete and WNBA draft pick, and then transitioning to medical school.
Erica provides insight into how she balances a rigorous athletic career with academics in her pursuit of a medical degree. She also shares tips on her transition from athletics to medicine, transferable skills, and dealing with stress. We also discuss some of the dangers of overtraining, exercise addiction, and many of the traps athletes may fall into when they try to do too much!
Hosts: Roy Collins MD, Somto Obi MD, and Charles Bay MD
Show Notes:
:30- Introducing Erica Ogwumike
4:10- Teaching point- Stay Driven, but Calculated in order to maximize your hard work and opportunities
5:45- Balancing Athletics and Academics
6:15- Teaching point- figure out how to give your best to multiple fields you are involved in, but also give yourself grace for times when you do not achieve 100% of your goals.
7:15- What are some lessons translated well from Basketball to Medicine?
-Communication skills
-Time Management
-Cultivating a habit of exercise
8:30- Teaching point- Pursuing a professional Athletic career in medical school can be highly challenging because of the academic rigor of the curriculum and social pressures of peers to always be studying.
9:09: Balancing professional basketball aspirations with the Olympics with academic goals in medical school
11:25: Teaching point- Giving yourself grace can be difficult in highly competitive environments. Finding a community that supports you within these environments can be very helpful.
13:20: Transitioning from athletics to another passion
Teaching point- Try to figure out your interest outside of sports
-Make an effort to join student orgs and attend sessions/conferences that explore your interests
-Expand your athlete bubble by networking with professionals from other fields
16:00: Mind-body connection- A relationship between exercise and emotions?
-Teaching point- It can be helpful for student athletes to prioritize exercise to help de-stress since it is a skill you have effectively mastered
18:45: When Exercise is referred to as an addictive quality by friends and family
21:05: Teaching point: Your environment and perception of sports dictate how you approach exercise.
