From Hospitals to Holistic Healing

Hello, hello!

Another question I get CONSTANTLY is, "Why naturopathic medicine?" I usually give a short and sweet answer—“I just knew I wanted to help people”—and move on with my day. This is true; anyone who gets into healthcare generally has a desire to help others. But I understand that it doesn't quite satisfy people's curiosity. So here's the longer story of how I ended up in naturopathic medicine.

Let’s take a journey back to my college years. As you may have read in my previous post, I intended to go to conventional medical school. But, during my junior year at the University of Arizona, I worked in a hospital on a cancer unit, and to say I was not impressed would be an understatement. These were cancer patients; shouldn't they receive the best, most compassionate care imaginable? Sadly, that was not always the case. I frequently left my shifts drained, both mentally and emotionally, from the general lack of empathy and care that I witnessed.

As a patient care technician, I spent a lot of time with the patients. I took their vitals per doctors orders, drew their blood, stayed on top of hygienic practices for them, helped them around the room, and generally made their stay as comfortable as possible. Naturally, I got to know many of them quite well, which made it all the more difficult to see how they were often treated. Over and over, I heard the same complaints: doctors who wouldn't answer questions, doctors who made them feel inferior for asking questions, and doctors who seemed to spend more time with their charts than with their patients. These stories, along with the harsh side effects of treatment that went unaddressed and the rigid focus on standard of care protocols, made me reconsider my path.

Now, I know this isn't always the case, and I know there are great doctors out there—I have my own wonderful oncologist and team of docs behind me. But some of the people I worked with showed a lack of empathy, and it became overwhelming for me. The idea of following this path, taking the MCAT, and going through four grueling years of medical school, only to become another cog in this wheel, was not something I was comfortable with. I knew I wanted to do more for patients, be a safe space for them, and truly listen to their needs. So, I decided to take some time off to reconsider my future. This leads us to the second part of my journey.

During my break, I found my way into the fitness industry, working as a personal trainer at a group fitness gym. It was here that my love for health and wellness blossomed. Helping people become the healthiest, most vital, versions of themselves was incredibly rewarding, and it felt like a step in the right direction. As I continued my journey, I researched various healthcare pathways and eventually found myself at the doorstep of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. I felt an immediate connection with its principles of holistic health and natural healing, and I knew this was where I wanted to be.

This was the beginning of my naturopathic journey, where I could combine my passion for helping people with a holistic approach to health and wellness. I now strive to provide the kind of care I wished my patients had received: compassionate, attentive, and empowering. I hope this gives you a better understanding of why I chose this path and what I aim to bring to the field of naturopathic medicine. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing more with you in the future.

Until next time,

Dr. Jordan Trapp