“As a doctor, I will need to be a leader,” Kisch said days before graduating. “I will be working with a team and the ability to communicate and lead the team will be vital in that role. IC has given me the confidence I need to pursue the next chapter of my life.”

Kisch started medical school at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in the fall of 2018. Now, as he finishes his second year, he is learning to navigate his career during a historic moment which will undoubtedly affect the future of healthcare. 

“I think this experience will greatly change the medical field and the way healthcare facilities operate,” he said. “We learn in school how important it is to use the correct personal protective equipment and it has never meant so much to me as it does now. This experience has proven to me that taking a few extra seconds to ensure I'm taking proper precautions is essential.”

Like many other students across the country, Kisch has transitioned to online learning and has taken on extra coursework to supplement for the learning experiences he is missing. 

“It has been a time of uncertainty for all of us medical students,” he explained. “The upperclassmen were pulled off of all their clerkships and have also been doing online work. Because of all the clinical time that students have been missing, our school has altered our third year schedule, which we are anticipating to start at the end of June.”

Kisch is preparing to take his first board exams, but he has already rescheduled twice because of testing center closures. He hopes to complete the exam in June. 

While clinical work has been reduced, students are still getting a taste of what it means to be part of a medical team. He says the Loyola hospital has looked to students for help and they have assisted first responders with grocery pickups, childcare and other things that may not have time to do as their workload expands. 

Kisch hopes to go into a surgical residency program once he finishes medical school. As a recent graduate, he also says he has also been thinking of Illinois College’s Class of 2020 this spring. 

“My message to the Class of 2020 is that I know your last semester of college didn't end the way you saw it going, but by finishing school from home you are saving lives,” he said. “Congratulations on finishing your time at Illinois College. You should be very proud of yourself!"