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Medical student, resident ... single mom

Eight years ago, Brandi Wiens received back-to-back messages that would impact the lives of her and her two children forever. The first brought shocking finality, the second, the possiblility of a better future.

Eight years ago, Brandi Wiens received back-to-back messages that would impact the lives of her and her two children forever. The first brought shocking finality, the second, the possibility of a better future.

In fall 2006, Wiens was finishing up an associate's degree at Hutchinson Community College while working full-time as a receptionist in a Hutchinson, Kansas, orthopedics clinic. Wiens knew she wanted to continue her education and have a career in medicine. She also knew it would be tough, because she was a single mom to 3-year-old son, Trevor, and 2-year-old daughter, Chloe.

On Nov. 21, 2006, she received a call that the children's 23-year-old father had died from complications following a seizure. The very next day, she received an email telling her an apartment had become available in Lawrence, Kansas, which would enable her to finish her undergraduate degree at KU.

"I needed a fresh start," says Wiens, during a recent sunny morning before starting her day as a first-year resident at Wesley Family Medicine Center, a KU School of Medicine–Wichita teaching clinic. "Looking back, it seems like a crazy decision but I know it was providence. I needed to leave Hutchinson because it was so painful."

So in January 2006, Wiens enrolled herself in classes at KU, and her toddlers in the campus pre-school.

After Wiens earned her bachelor's degree in biology in 2009, the family moved to Kansas City, where Wiens began medical school at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She decided to complete her third and fourth years of medical school and her residency at KU School of Medicine–Wichita to be closer to family.

Wiens, now 31, says she has worked hard to achieve a healthy, delicate balance between her medical education and spending time with her children.

So how does she do it? Heavy-duty time management skills, a strong support network of friends and family, planning, and a deep sense of faith. Wiens also credits Dr. Gretchen Dickson, director of KU School of Medicine–Wichita's family medicine residency program, for her ability to juggle work and family demands.

Evidence of Wiens' juggling act is everywhere. At work, her cubicle at the North Hillside clinic is filled with photos, handwritten notes, and artwork by her children. At home, a large whiteboard and several synchronized calendars help her get her very active 10- and 9-year-olds to basketball and volleyball on time. Regular family meetings address the next week's scheduling demands.

"I'd be lying if I said it was easy," Wiens says, noting not many residents are single parents. "My goal is to give (my children) everything they need, and that includes time. They know eventually we'll have more of that together."

It helps that Wiens is the kind of person who won't give up.

Because of her life experiences, Wiens says, she's learned to be more patient and compassionate; traits she hopes will make her a better doctor. She chose family medicine after being influenced by doctors Sharon Norris and Jodi Metzger at their family practice clinic during her third year of medical school, and seeing the close relationships they developed with patients.

"During the hard days, I remember I'm blessed to be here," Wiens says.

 

 


KU School of Medicine-Wichita