"I Used to Be" with Dr. Rob Lowe

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Views: "I Used to Be" with Dr. Rob Lowe

Sept. 1, 2025

Career-switching into medicine as a later profession might not be typical, but it's not out of reach - just ask Dr. Rob Lowe, an aerospace engineer for 6+ years before trading in his flight simulator for a stethoscope. Join Dr. D'Monte Farley for these careers insights.

Show Notes

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Host

D'Monte Farley, MD

Advocate Christ Medical Center
EM Residency Class of 2028
@tiarretp
EMRA*Cast Episodes

Guest

Rob Lowe, MD

Emergency physician
Doctor's Hospital - Columbus, Ohio
EMS Director, Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine

OVERVIEW

Career-switching into medicine as a later profession might not be typical, but it's not out of reach - just ask Dr. Rob Lowe, an aerospace engineer for 6+ years before trading in his flight simulator for a stethoscope. Dr. Lowe joins the show today to detail his previous experiences, discuss commonalities between engineering and emergency medicine, and ultimately inspire any career changers to keep pushing forward.

Discussion

Part 1:

  • Initial introduction to medicine/EMS
    • Previous experience volunteering League City EMS
    • Double duty of Aerospace engineering by day; volunteering and pre-med classes at night/weekends
    • Challenges faced going back to school
      • Class difficulties

Part 2:

  • Discussion on the attraction to aerospace engineering
  • Recollection of previous positions as an engineer
    • General Dynamics
    • Houston: teaching flight controllers/training astronauts with simulators
  • The infamous “Vomit Comet”
    • The connection of EMS/ACLS skills while being zero-G
  • STS-61/STS-67 (mission logs in references!)

Part 3:

  • What feeds your purpose?
  • Pearls for changing careers
    • Using previous skills attained in other careers to impact medical career
    • General advice and inspiration
  • Comparative nature between engineering and medicine
    • The drive to continue to teach regardless of career path
    • The art of making time-critical decisions and solving problems with limited information

Part 4:

  • Advice for career changers/closing remarks
    • The importance of life experience on top of academic performance
    • Practicality of being a "person" in medicine

References

Baill IC, Khallouq BB, Joledo O, Jacobs A, Larkin R, Dil N. How Postbaccalaureate Career Changer and Traditional Medical Students Differ Academically. South Med J. 2019;112(12):610-616.

How did NASA's "Vomit Comet" get its name? A brief history. https://www.gozerog.com/research-articles/how-did-nasas-vomit-comet-get-its-name-a-brief-history

STS-61 - NASA. NASA. 

STS-67 - NASA. NASA. 

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