Kerman native returns home to serve Valley patients after long journey to medicine

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Kerman native has returned to the Central Valley to begin his medical career after overcoming academic setbacks and a lengthy path to becoming a doctor.

Dr. Michael Smith, a first-year resident with Adventist Health Hanford Family Medicine, grew up on a small family farm in Kerman, where he spent much of his childhood helping his parents sell produce at Fresno County farmers' markets.

Dr. Smith said his interest in medicine began after an unexpected encounter with a local pediatrician while working at a farmers market before starting college as a science major.

"And I was like, no, I never thought about becoming a doctor. Why would I think about becoming a doctor? And he said, 'Well, why don't you come and shadow me?' and I did for a summer, and my life forever changed," Dr. Smith said.

After shadowing the physician for a second summer, Dr. Smith said he found his calling.

"I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to be able to do something for somebody that can't do anything for themself," he said.

Dr. Smith went on to earn a bachelor's degree in biology from Fresno Pacific, a Master of Business Administration from Fresno State and a doctorate from the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine.

He said the road to medicine was difficult. Dr. Smith took the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) twice and experienced a six-year gap between graduate school and medical school.

During that time, he said there were several moments when he considered giving up and felt it was too late to pursue his dream.

Dr. Smith credited his family for encouraging him to continue.

"I just told him that he's going to turn 35. You might as well continue forward and be a doctor at 35 as opposed to wondering what if," his mother, Sandra Estrada-Smith, said.

Today, Dr. Smith is a first-year resident with the Adventist Health Hanford Family Medicine Residency Program.

According to Adventist Health, there were 5,800 applications for 28 positions across its five residency programs this year.

Dr. Smith said returning to the Central Valley was always his goal.

"I knew I wanted to come back home to Fresno, so I applied to residency and really tried to come back to the Central Valley. And here I am," he said.

Earlier this year, Dr. Smith participated in his White Coat Ceremony, where he received his physician's white coat. His mother watched as he crossed the stage.

"It was just knowing that he had gotten to the final step of the beginning of his journey," Estrada-Smith said.

Now newly married, Dr. Smith is caring for patients in the emergency department at Adventist Health Hanford Hospital and its clinics.

He hopes his experience can encourage others facing challenges of their own.

"Keep trying. Keep working at it. If you fail, it's okay. Just learn and keep on moving forward," Dr. Smith said.

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