To celebrate International Women’s Day, Dr. Ruby Rose, the Medical Director at SignatureCare Emergency Center’s Austin, TX ER sat down with reporters from The Discovery Channel. They discussed a number of issues including the importance of women and minorities studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Dr. Ruby Rose, SignatureCare Emergency Center Austin, TX

Dr. Rose talked about what led her to become a physician.

“I first became interested in science and medicine in college when I went to Africa to study animals and plants. I shifted my focus to the medical treatment of humans when I became an EMT and realized I loved helping people in need along with the interaction I had with patients,” she said.

On why STEM is important, she said that because the American population is made of many cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds, it is important that the medical field reflects that.

“One thing to consider when talking about diversity in the workplace – the American population is made of many cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds, so I feel it’s important for my field to be a reflection of that, which allows a certain level of comfort for patients as well as (possibly) a better insight for the team providing care.

“Every patient that comes through our doors is a human being with a medical problem that they perceive as we are trained to diagnose and treat. It’s as simple as that. We do, however, have to recognize race, age, gender, and resources in our treatment recommendations because not every human is the same.

“Patients come to the ER because, simply, they are experiencing what they believe to be an emergency. No matter what the issue, we have to treat them with the utmost care, respect, and empathy and make sure they are not truly in a life-threatening situation. We like giving people the peace of mind that they’re not in danger anymore,” she added.

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