Scott Suchin, MD ’'99, wants to put more nursing into doctoring—an approach that has served him well.
Dr. Suchin was inspired to pursue a career in nursing in his 20s while volunteering at a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital. While working as an ICU nurse, he was further inspired by the residents with whom he worked. So, in his early 30s, he applied to medical school.
Today, in his busy practice in the Bronx, Dr. Suchin helps patients with the full gamut of GI issues. “If you're 45, don't forget your colonoscopy,” he said. “It really does save lives.” He's also an attending physician at Montefiore Einstein, teaching GI fellows, rounding on inpatients, and doing emergency procedures.
Dr. Suchin’s best practices follow the holistic, hands-on approach that nurses embody: “Getting to know my patients above and beyond their GI issues is the most gratifying part of my job. I'd like to see medicine lean less toward the dollar and more toward integrity, humility, kindness, empathy, and altruism (IHKEA)—the kinds of qualities that nurses bring to the table. I’ve long felt that if more nurses became physicians, healthcare as a whole would be better.”
Dr. Suchin believes “nurses already have experience caring for patients in the trenches and probably have a clearer grasp of what it takes to be a truly good physician. They know what they want and are going into medicine, I believe, for all the right reasons,” he said.
Why don't more nurses become doctors? “Too many years, too much money,” Dr. Suchin said.
“And you probably graduate carrying a huge debt.” He himself finally finished paying off his loans last year and is now free to make the path from nurse to doctor easier for others. “I can't take away the years of training or the arduous workload, but if I can take away the economic toll, then maybe more nurses who want to become physicians can do so,” he said.
To that end, Dr. Suchin has established the Jerry Suchin Endowed Scholarship for Nurses in honor of his late father and to provide support for nurses who would like to make that transition. A member of the Class of 2027 will receive the first award. With its focus on compassionate care, Einstein was the perfect place to do it,” he said. And I wanted to give back to the institution that gave me this opportunity. To my knowledge, this will be the first medical school in the country to offer a full scholarship for nurses to attend medical school.”
Dr. Suchin’s gift will be matched dollar for dollar—doubling the impact of his generosity—as part of a $5 million gift from an anonymous donor to establish need-based scholarships.
“Before my father died, he said to me, ‘Scott, go out and make a contribution to society,’” said Dr. Suchin. I can’t think of a better way to contribute to society than by pursuing this dream, this vision of mine. I only wish he were here today to see this.”
For more information about Dr. Suchin’s career journey, click here.
Dr. Suchin hopes this is just the beginning of a larger effort to support nurses who wish to become doctors. To realize this hope, his endowed scholarship fund remains open for additional contributions. Click here to learn more.