Donna Rumbaoa, M.D.
Graduated June, 2002

Please briefly describe your current scope of practice, including location:
I practice Family Medicine in a small clinic of 4 providers in Kapolei on Oahu, Hawaii. This is a burgeoning city and touted the "Second City."

Please tell us how our residency helped prepare you for your practice:
Residency is like any educational opportunity. You get what you wish to get out of it. UNR Family Medicine made sure that I had a balance between clinic and hospital experience, ensuring my readiness for the real world. Learn how to share a case with your colleagues. Hearing it from other perspectives can help sort difficult questions that pop up daily in every practice. In my daily work, I especially find useful my experiences in procedures.

Please mention a few things about your residency experience that made it special for you:
The first 3 months were memorably painful being alone and away from home and family, but it was during these months that I've made lifelong friends that encourage me to this day. My colleagues still keep in touch with my husband, Ron, throughout football season.

The birth of my daughter, Ashleigh, during my 3rd year was also a highlight. I distinctly remember Dr. Richard Williams walking in during the middle of a contraction to tell me that he just delivered my patient next door. He immediately walked out once he saw how I really didn't care about that at that very moment.

Please mention something that was particularly fun during your residency:
What can I say! I was in Reno. What happens in Reno, stays in Reno.

Lastly, please tell us something about yourself or family or activities that you would like to share.
Not much time for anything else but family right now. Motherhood with two distinctly different personalities is quite a challenge. Throw away those books about parenting because they're only good for 10% of the population. I suppose, one could read 10 books on parenting and come away with something more valuable. Better yet, ask another parent. Best advice. be flexible and enjoy it.

Please mention any other special recollections you have of you residency that you would like to share with our prospective applicants.
Wear a helmet and vest when Dr. Fiore takes you on an "introductory" rafting trip. I'm sure you can get 3 different versions of the same story by just asking around. Regardless, they are all equally funny. If you don't laugh, you had to be there.

Enjoy every minute of your first 3 years as a physician. It's fast and furious with important but brief moments of clarity, so pay close attention.