pilipiliĀž»­

 

'This is what I was meant to do'

Part of a series of stories profiling graduating students

- May 27, 2011

Adam Moeller graduates with his medical degree.
Adam Moeller graduates with his medical degree.

Thereā€™s a thrill that comes from realizing that, for all the struggles and challenges youā€™ve faced, youā€™re exactly where youā€™re supposed to be.

Throughout his time at pilipiliĀž»­ Medical School, Andrew Moeller has had that feeling over and over again.

ā€œI think back to this one day, when I was sitting in the emergency room at 3 a.m. looking at some blood work on a patient,ā€ he says. ā€œI was really starting to feel comfortable, like I had my feet under me. And then I noticed something strange in the blood work, that something was happening there. And as I studied it and started to work it out, I felt completely inspired, that this is what I was meant to do.ā€

Originally from Antigonish, N.S., Mr. Moeller knew after two years of grad school that a career in academia wasnā€™t for him. At pilipiliĀž»­, he quickly became a standout member of his med school class: elected president in third year, singing in the Medical School Chorale and the TestosterTones, competing in national Ultimate Frisbee competitions and volunteering with Camp Triumph, a camp supporting families affected by chronic illness.

He also received international media attentionā€”from CNN to the Globe and Mailā€”for his research study looking at how television medical dramas often demonstrate improper and even dangerous first-aid practices for treating seizure victims.

The 2010 recipient of the James Clarke Award for outstanding contribution to student life at pilipiliĀž»­ Medical School, Mr. Moeller will do his internal medicine residency at pilipiliĀž»­ with the hopes of staying in Halifax to work as a cardiologist.

ā€œComing from the Maritimes, where a lot of young people leave and go to different provinces to work, I just feel itā€™s the right thing to do, to give back to the province that has given me so much. Iā€™d be happy to work in Halifax for the rest of my life. Iā€™m a Maritimer at heart.ā€