Former Student-Athlete Graduates As Emergency Room Physician

After receiving his diploma as an Emergency Medicine Physician from the University of Utah's Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine Health, Jordan Rode ’14 took time again to reflect back to Dominican University of California and the advantages and opportunities it afforded.

“Dominican gave me an individualized education that I have noticed the majority of my peers in medical school were not given,” said Jordan, who completed his residency as a Housestaff Post Graduate at the University of Utah June 29 after earning his doctorate from U.C. Davis Medical School in 2020.

“While their lectures were hundreds of people in a giant hall, mine were 30 students in an intimate environment with immediate access to the professor for discussion. I felt that I left Dominican with a very collaborative mindset, which has translated to better patient care and comfort with patient interactions.”

From Arcata, CA Jordan came to the School of Health and Natural Sciences and Dominican to learn about medicine and play soccer. He was a four-year member of the Penguins’ men’s soccer team and the balance and time management required of a student-athlete was invaluable as a Biological Sciences major.

“I found that being a student-athlete was incredibly unique, and an attribute looked highly upon by medical schools. As far as I could tell, it showed that I was able to take criticism in stride and correct the issue quickly without feeling personally attacked,” Jordan said.

“Another aspect pointed out to me during interviews for med schools was that I gained experience with diverse backgrounds of people. From teammates, to opposing teams, referees, community events, and supporting faculty I formed many relationships with certain expectations. Learning professionalism in the setting of a simple game was new to me and has helped me to be laid back yet professional in appropriate situations.”

Jordan stood out academically at Dominican as well. He was inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society, Chi Alpha Sigma. He also was selected for the Kaiser Permanente Scholars and Mentors program at Dominican. After graduation, Jordan studied the evolution of drug resistance in malaria from infant children in Uganda with Dominican biologist Dr. Roland Cooper during a federally-funded research project at Tororo District Hospital.
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“Dominican is a unique environment. Teachers are very personally involved in our evolution as students and adults,” Jordan said. “I developed personal relationships with many of them who have helped me along the way and, to this day, are still invested in my future. Dominican was very special. When I finished school, I realized that becoming a physician was exactly right for me, which is why I began working as a medical scribe and staying close to healthcare.”

For example, Jordan, at UC Davis, delved into a research project, aimed at independently testing a peritoneal dialysis kit produced locally that would allow physicians to place dialysis catheters in patients with end-stage renal disease at the bedside rather than in an operating room. This research, Jordan said, would significantly save on costs and staffing and is an idea for developing nations as an affordable way to meet the needs of the nearly two million people in need of dialysis worldwide.

At the University of Utah, Jordan's interests included Rural EM, Ultrasound, Global Health, Austere, and Low Resource Medicine.