Medical school degree just what the doctor ordered
Matthew Terranova Jr. graduates first in his class
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

Matthew Terranova Jr.

NORTH BRUNSWICK - Matthew Terranova Jr. knew at the age of 7 that he wanted to be a doctor.

He was always interested in helping people and playing a part in someone's life.

He considered law at one point, which he thought was a bit boring, and realized that business was just not his forte.

Taught to have an extremely strong work ethic from his father, Matthew Sr., who owned the East Brunswick FishMarket on Route 18 for 35 years, and given great support from his mother, Karen, brother Christopher, 25, and sister Karyn, 22, he decided that becoming a physician was his lifelong goal.

The 27-year-old graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) on June 1, after years of serving on the North Brunswick Township First Aid & Rescue Squad, working at RobertWood Johnson University Hospital EMS Department, and shadowing his own family physician.

Terranova's journey began as a teenager when he spent a summer learning from Dr. Ronald Lau of East Brunswick. He would listen to patients' diagnoses and see how the office operated.

"Seeing how much of a difference a physician can play in someone's life," he said, was inspiring, "how [the patients] hang on every word … or how [a doctor] can calm them down and make them feel better."

Terranova was so impressed that he visited the doctor during his breaks from college, and went back and did three rotations with him as a medical school student.

"It's like a family. He's seen me grow since I was 13 years old," he said.

Yet before thinking about which graduate school to apply to, the North Brunswick resident still needed more experience. Back at the age of 16, while a junior at St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen, his next step was volunteering for the North Brunswick rescue squad.

His first call was with Linda Warhaftig, the current chief of the squad, who became his mentor. They responded to an elderly woman who was having abdominal pain, and although "it wasn't a really big deal, I was so nervous because it was my first call."

Terranova said he was never deterred by the emergency calls he responded to, and that everything he learned during his time with the squad is useful in his new career - talking to patients, knowing what happens outside of the hospital, and knowing what to do in the field.

"It's great for anyone considering a health profession," he said.

He said he even inspired his mother and brother to join the squad, joking that they had the "Terranova family locker." His brother, in fact, is an EMT at Robert Wood Johnson and will become a paramedic in December. While volunteering, Terranova decided to actually pursue a medical career during college, and attended Bucknell University in Pennsylvania- but his route was a bit nontraditional.

Terranova soon realized that a student did not have to be a science major to be pre-med, so he pursued a theater major his freshman year. Because acting was a hobby, he figured he would create a balance between theater and science. He also thought a degree in acting would help him talk to people, speak in front of crowds and aid him in his medical school interviews.

An unexpected highlight was being cast as an extra in "A Beautiful Mind," which his friend found out was taping in Princeton.

However, Terranova said undergraduate school was not simple, either, because medicine was always at the forefront of his mind. He completed a minor in biology, did a significant amount of research in the biology lab, and co-authored a few papers.

"It made my fours years awesome," he said of his combined studies, noting that he believes he stood out on applications as a more well-rounded student.

Then, as he took a year off after graduating from Bucknell, he worked at Robert Wood Johnson as an EMT.

"I knew when I was working there as an EMT and applying [to medical schools] that I wanted to do my residency there," he said.

His dream was just four years away. He was accepted to PCOM, which he said was "doable" because he had organizational and time-management skills, and because he was passionate about his career choice.

Although he studied about four hours a night and several hours on the weekends, he said he still had a social life and "by no means had I disappeared."

Terranova wound up graduating first in his class and received an award for the student obtaining the highest grade point average in didactic studies.

"I was very nervous going into my first year, because I had a theater background and there were Ph.Ds in my class," he said. "I had the requirements, but I didn't have much background, so to come out after four years and to do that well, I'm very happy.

"I put so much effort into it, because if you're not there to put 110 percent into your work, to learn, to get into medical school, then you're just going to hurt yourself, and you could hurt patients in the future who you will see," he added. "They trust you with their life."

With that behind him, Terranova said his graduation day was "by far the best day of my life, something I was dreaming of as a kid."

He said he didn't expect to tear up at all, but was moved when the entire class was asked to take a moment to recognize their families and friends for their continual support.

He said his parents provided not just financial but moral support, encouragement and complete faith in him.

"As much as it was for me, I wanted it to be for them, too, because they were so proud," he said. "[My family] is the best. We're very close."

Now, his three-year residency in internal medicine at Robert Wood begins July 1. He is deciding on either specializing in gastroenterology afterward for an additional three years of training, or going into general internal medicine in a private practice.

He said the hardest thing about being a physician is that "people really want to do a lot for [the patients] but sometimes you just can't."

"I think, as a physician, that you get attached emotionally because you see [the patients] through the years and it gets to a point where you really can't do anything else for them," he said.

Therefore, Terranova said, "the hardest part is always just beginning. As a physician, you're a lifelong student. Things are always evolving and changing."

He advised other pre-med students to make sure medicine is something they want to do, and not a field they are pressured into.

He said they should choose an enjoyable major and fulfill all of the necessary requirements, while making school enjoyable.

He said a mentor is crucial, as is networking.

"As good as you are as an applicant, having people behind you and giving you direction makes all the difference," Terranova said.

He said students should have outlets other than medicine, and that he himself enjoys surfing, boating and golfing.

And, he said, never forget where you came from.