ATSU-KCOM student completes fellowship at Hazelden Betty Ford
Posted: July 23, 2019
Monica Makar, OMS III, completed a week-long Summer Institute for Medical Students (SIMS) program at the Hazelden Betty Ford Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment Center’s Chisago, Minnesota, campus.
“As a future physician, I will be prescribing medications that have potential for abuse,” Makar said. “It is important to me to learn more about addiction and acquire the ability to have that vital conversation with my patients about drug dependence, tolerance, and addiction.”
Working alongside 13 other medical students of all levels from throughout the country, Makar attended lectures regarding spirituality and recovery, motivational interviewing, and the neurobiology of addiction as a disease. In addition, participants were provided the opportunity to follow a patient throughout their therapy and detox journey.
According to Makar, the rehabilitation process at Hazelden Betty Ford goes beyond physical healing, addressing mental well-being and spirituality as key aspects of a patient’s addiction recovery.
“One of ATSU’s core values is professionalism and approaching each patient as a whole – taking into account body, mind, and spirit,” Makar said. “The recovery process at Hazelden Betty Ford made me very thankful and proud of ATSU for teaching me how to approach a patient in a wholesome matter.”