Medical Spotlight: Shawn Patrick Corcoran, M.D. (M'07)

Internal Medicine Resident, Madigan Army Medical Center

Describe your current position and what led you to your job:

I am an internal medicine resident at Madigan, an Army hospital in Washington state. I attended Georgetown as part of the Army Health Professions Scholarship Program. After residency, I’ll work as an internist in the Army.

What has been the most rewarding moment in your career?

So far, I have enjoyed leading ward teams. It has been fulfilling to help interns and students learn how to take care of patients.

What is the best career advice you have received?

If you take care of the patient, everything will take care of itself.

What would you recommend to someone interested in working in your field?

Spend time with patients at the bedside. Not only is it rewarding to develop relationships with patients, but focusing on exam findings helps make us better clinicians and seems to be a vanishing part of our heritage as physicians.

What challenges have you faced and how did you successfully manage one situation?

One night in the ICU, our efforts to care for a patient with a life-threatening condition were too slow. I called a code and within minutes, several teams arrived and the patient received the appropriate care. Looking back, I needed help and feel grateful that I was not too proud to ask for it.

What skills are necessary or what prepared you the most for your career?

Intellectual curiosity, compassion, teamwork, and honesty.

What professional associations have aided in your professional development?

The American College of Physicians.