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Juggling Act
Student Parents At Medical School
by Steven D. Bevier
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 Rebekah Lampart at work in the classroom ...
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When Rebekah Lampart came to MSUCOM at the beginning of her first year she was fully prepared to take on the rigors of being an osteopathic student. She wasn’t prepared, however, for the news she got during orientation week when she and her husband, Eric, learned that she was pregnant with their first child.
Ms. Lampart’s pregnancy certainly added an extra challenge to her first year of medical school – including giving birth to her son, Elijah, during finals – but she soon realized she was not the only student who was earning a D.O. and starting a family at
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the same time. There are several students at MSUCOM who are also parents, many of them with young children. So Ms. Lampart took it upon herself to try and bring them together.
She is the president of one of MSU’s newest student groups, Student Parents At Medical School, or S.P.A.M. She started the group to serve as a support network for students with young children or those who are thinking of starting a family. The group members primarily work as a resource to
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... and at play with her son, Elijah, at the
MSU Children's Garden. |
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share information about such things as child care options, parenting classes or just to provide moral support.
S.P.A.M. helps parents in other ways. The group held a “Hand-Me-Down” sale this spring for parents to buy new clothes or pass on old ones. There was also the “Spring Fling” picnic where families came to hunt eggs, play games or just relax. Ms. Lampart says the group also has plans for panels or discussion groups for student-parents to learn how to deal with issues like class and work schedules or planning for the birth of a child. “Having a child and going to school is definitely challenging, but,” Ms. Lampart adds, “it can be done.”
Celia Guro, Ph.D., director of counseling and advising for MSUCOM, is a faculty advisor for S.P.A.M. She credits Ms. Lampart for the early success of the group. “Rebekah has been phenomenal,” says Dr. Guro. “Our major goal is to reach out to students and other organizations and she has definitely done that.”
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Jilian Moneypenny, Class of 2005, visits the pediatrician with her son, Aidan.
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One of the students who is on board with the group is Jilian Moneypenny, Class of 2005. Although S.P.A.M. is a recent addition to the college, she says the need for such a group has always been there. She gave birth to her son Aidan, in September 2002, and was excited to learn about Ms. Lampart’s idea. “Every parent needs a place where they can go to ask questions.” She adds, “We’re all learning how to balance our schoolwork and our families.”
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S.P.A.M. has worked with the Student Associate Auxiliary – a group for spouses and significant others of osteopathic students – and has consulted with members of the College of Veterinary Medicine about starting a similar group for their college.
Meanwhile, Ms. Lampart continues to work hard at being a student and a mom. She is also grateful to Elijah for helping her to keep things in the proper perspective. “If I do bad on a test, I can get really upset. But when I come home to him, I realize what really matters.”
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