Hi, my name isDavid "Will" Mize

An aspiring Emergency Medicine Physician

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About me

about

I’m a third-year medical student at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, applying for an emergency medicine residency this upcoming cycle. I was born and raised in Flower Mound, Texas, with an older and younger sister. Growing up, I spent a lot of time traveling with my family to far West Texas to visit my grandparents and boating on Lake Belton in Central Texas. My weekends were filled with Boy Scouts, taekwondo, trap & skeet, and spending time with friends and family. In high school, I initially considered a career in law enforcement, drawn to the idea of being there for people in their lowest moments. However, after taking a computer science class, I became fascinated by the problem-solving and challenges of programming. This passion led me to major in computer science at Texas A&M University. During my freshman year of college, while on a ski trip with my family, I witnessed...

Leadership

  • Students Initiative in Medical Simulation

    As President of one of the largest medical student interest groups on campus, I had the privilege of leading a dynamic organization with over 150 active members. My role involved organizing a variety of events that not only engaged our members but also served the broader Fort Worth community. I spearheaded meetings designed to teach peers and junior medical students essential skills for working effectively in small teams. These sessions emphasized the importance of closed-loop communication, developing differential diagnoses, and managing patients in high-stress scenarios—skills critical for success in clinical settings. Additionally, I collaborated with residents to conduct hands-on skills clinics, offering invaluable practical experience. These clinics covered essential procedures such as intubation, suturing, performing E-FAST exams, and managing pediatric cardiac emergencies. Through these initiatives, I aimed to enhance both the technical expertise and confidence of our members as they prepared for their medical careers.

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  • Emergency Medicine Interest Group

    As the Outreach Coordinator for the Emergency Medicine Interest Group, I took on the responsibility of organizing events that bridged medical education with community engagement. I designed and facilitated workshops aimed at equipping both medical students and members of the community with life-saving skills. These events provided hands-on instruction in techniques such as hands-only CPR, proper tourniquet application, and the safe use of cervical collars to stabilize and move patients. Additionally, I created a presentation for middle school students to help them learn the decision-making process of recognizing when to contact emergency services.

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  • Wilderness Medicine Student Interest Group

    As secretary of the Wilderness Medicine Interest Group, I organized and led camping trips that provided hands-on experiences in wilderness settings. I developed and instructed wilderness emergency scenarios to help participants apply medical knowledge in outdoor environments. In addition, I created and delivered presentations on wilderness first aid, ensuring that both students and outdoor enthusiasts were equipped with the skills necessary to handle medical emergencies in remote settings.

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  • Teaching Assistant Roles

    I firmly believe that being an educator is an essential role at every stage of one’s medical career: whether as a student, a resident, or an attending physician. Recognizing this, I made it a priority early in my medical journey to seek out opportunities to give back to others through teaching. During my second year, I embraced roles as a teaching assistant for both ultrasound and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), where I had the privilege of sharing my knowledge and helping my peers develop critical skills. These experiences not only allowed me to contribute to the academic growth of others but also deepened my own understanding of the subjects I taught, reinforcing my commitment to lifelong learning and mentorship.

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  • Texas A&M University Emergency Medical Services

    During my time at Texas A&M EMS, I took on a range of roles that allowed me to contribute to the organization both on the front lines and behind the scenes. As an EMT, I worked 12 and 24-hour shifts, responding to 911 calls on Texas A&M property. My primary responsibilities included providing critical care on-site and ensuring safe and efficient patient transport to nearby hospitals. In addition to my clinical duties, I was selected as one of only eight members of the administrative team for the Standby Division at Texas A&M EMS. In this role, I attended monthly meetings to provide input on organizational decisions, ensuring the continued efficiency and effectiveness of the team. I also played a key role in the hiring process, assisting with the recruitment and evaluation of new trainees each quarter. I facilitated a comprehensive six-week training curriculum that included weekly meetings, skills practice, agency protocol...

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Volunteer Work

  • Medical Mission Trips

    During my first and second years of medical school, as a member of the Rural Osteopathic Medical Education Program and the Texas Rural Health Association, I traveled to rural communities in far West Texas to provide much-needed medical care. Over the course of week-long trips, we established clinics across the Big Bend area, offering a range of services, including general check-ups, acute care visits, ultrasounds, and physical therapy/osteopathic manipulative treatment. On our second trip, I went a step further by teaching life-saving skills to community residents, such as hands-only CPR and CAT tourniquet application. These experiences were not only incredibly rewarding but also reinforced my passion for serving underserved populations. I look forward to continuing this work during our next planned trip in March 2025.

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  • Public Health Outreach

    During my pre-clinical years, I had the privilege of engaging with the general public through various organizations, promoting public health in meaningful ways. From teaching hands-only CPR at marathon expos to providing blood pressure checks at the Fort Worth Stock Show, I embraced opportunities to interact with the community and discuss the importance of preventative care. In addition, I developed and delivered presentations on critical health topics, such as recognizing the signs of a heart attack and understanding its treatment, the complications of uncontrolled diabetes, and educating children on the importance of knowing how and when to call 911. These experiences allowed me to bridge the gap between medicine and community education, reinforcing the value of outreach in improving public health outcomes.

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  • Free Clinics & Events

    As a Rural Osteopathic Medical Education Scholar, I had the privilege of early clinical exposure starting in the spring of my first year of medical school. This invaluable experience allowed me to cultivate my clinical skills while working in a free clinic that served the indigent population of Fort Worth. Outside of the clinic, I also volunteered as part of the medical support team at the Cowtown Marathon during both my first and second years, where I provided acute care to runners and attendees, further deepening my hands-on training and commitment to community care.

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Certifications

  • Certified Patient Safety Professional (CPPS)

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  • Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS)

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  • Advanced Care Life Support (ACLS)

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Hobbies

  • Camping

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  • Dirt Biking

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  • Hiking

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  • Snowmobiling

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  • Snow Skiing

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  • Tennis

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  • Trap & Skeet

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  • Water Skiing

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Photography

Software Engineering

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How has software engineering prepared me to work as an EM physician?

I was about halfway through my computer science undergraduate degree when I decided to pursue medical school instead of a career as a software engineer. By that point, switching majors didn’t seem worthwhile, especially since I genuinely enjoyed the coursework. Before starting medical school, I worked for a software consulting...

    Computer Science Projects

  • HD Map Verification

    Project Overview: For my senior capstone project, I was placed on the 12th Unmanned Team: Texas A&M’s team for the GM/SAE Autodrive Challenge. Here, I worked with a group of three, where we were tasked with the creation of an HD map verification system, to ensure that the maps used by the autonomous vehicle's system are as up to date as possible. My Role: Team Leader, UI Development, & User Surveys Languages: React & HTML Tools: Jira, Github, & Electron

  • Trail Rater

    Project Overview: The Trail Rater device aims to inform hikers of the most recent trail conditions. The concept is that these small kiosk-like devices would be placed throughout trails. When they were interacted with, they would update a website and a trailhead map that could be referenced by others. The prototype was built out of corrugated plastic and a Rasberry Pi used to allow for communication between the device and a website. My Role: Team Leader, Website Development, Prototype Development Languages: HTML & Javascript Tools: Github & Raspberry Pi Zero

  • SWE Inventory Tracker

    Project Overview: The main objective of this project was to provide an inventory tracking system that would allow the organization's officers to check out and return items for events and for the system administrator to view and manage inventory and storage unit keys across officers. My Role: Scrum Master, Full-Stack Development, & Testing Languages: Ruby on Rails, RSpec, & JavaScript Tools: Jira, GitHub, & Heroku

  • Your Family Manager

    Project Overview: The Family Manager website aims to combine four important family-oriented features in one convenient location. The goal of the product is to provide a family with a personalized page that can be accessed by any member sharing a group account. One the page they will have the ability to track one another’s locations, access a group calendar to stay up to date with family events, view/edit/create to-do lists, and view photos uploaded to a photos album to be easily shared and downloaded by everyone. My Role: Scrum Master & Full-Stack Development Languages: PHP, HTML, Javascript, Bootstrap, & MySQL Tools: Jira, GitHub, Google APIs, & AWS