From Pre-Med to Public Health: E.B. Floersch on his Health Career Journey

E.B. Floersch’s path to a career in healthcare and emergency preparedness wasn’t a straight line, it was a journey marked by service and a passion for helping others. 

Raised in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota, Floersch grew up in a community with limited access to unique academic opportunities and healthcare resources. “There were only 500 students between kindergarten and 12th grade and the academic expectations were often met with ease,” recalls Floersch. “However, I had supportive parents. My mom is an artist, my dad was a mechanic. They encouraged me to study hard and go to a 4-year school.”

That push, combined with a deep desire to help people, set the stage for a future health career. 

From Boy Scouts to 911 Calls

The idea of “helping people” began to crystallize during his time in Boy Scouts. “Earning the first aid merit badge was one of my favorite experiences,” he says, “and I wanted to do something more with it.” Noting the shortage of EMTs and emergency vehicles in his hometown, Floersch joined a local rescue squad at just 16, responding to 911 calls in his personal vehicle. “I carried medical bags and averaged somewhere around 100 calls a year, equating to around 2 calls each week.”

That real-world exposure was difficult but formative and inspired him to join the military. At 17, he joined the National Guard as a combat medic, attending basic training while still in high school. “That experience further solidified my interest in trauma care and established -what is now- a lifelong connection to emergency medicine.”

The University of Minnesota and PHSRC

His connection to the University of Minnesota started early, thanks to a program hosted by the Pre-Health Student Resource Center (PHSRC) that brought rural students to the Twin Cities campus. That visit to campus stuck with him. “Being able to start working with the PHSRC before I was an undergrad helped me to see how they would be there to support me during my undergraduate journey.”

As a student, Floersch participated in the President’s Emerging Scholars Program and leaned heavily on the support of the PHSRC to manage his dual life as a National Guard member and full-time student. “I unfortunately missed a lot of class with my competing military training dates,” he admits, “but the PHSRC helped me stay grounded. I took the personal statement writing course and enrolled in an MCAT prep course, both of which helped me to feel much more confident about my application.”

One of the more impactful moments of his involvement with the PHSRC was his study abroad experience in Mysore, India. The Global Future Physician trip (now titled AHS 3001: Health & Medicine in India) broadened his perspective and showed him that Western medicine isn’t the only valid approach to healthcare. “I saw holistic and cultural approaches that don’t rely on pharmaceuticals. It taught me that language and cultural barriers are just as important as being a provider being proficient in their technical skills.” His final project for that course focused on how language affects access to care, a theme that still drives his work today.

Upon graduation, Floersch was intent on pursuing medicine. Between his experiences in the National Guard, working as a medical assistant at the University of Minnesota Clinics and Surgery Center, and conducting research within the emergency department at HCMC, he knew that the strengths of his application lay in his strong clinical experiences. Nevertheless, his academic record fell short in his first round of medical school applications, and he was rejected from medical school. He took a gap before applying again and in that time started to gain significant interest in Public Health. A common question began to emerge: “My whole life has been about responding to emergencies—what about prevention?” This shifted Floersch’s perspective. He enrolled in the U of M School of Public Health Master of Public Health (MPH) program, and focused on Global Emergency Response and Preparedness. He figured that pursuing this newly found passion might broaden his healthcare knowledge and could improve his academic shortfalls at the same time. Floersch completed the MPH program and decided to apply to medical school one last time. After being unsuccessful a second time, Floersch began to assess his skills, interests, and values as they relate to the healthcare field, opening him up to investing his energy into a career in public health and medical education.

Pivoting from Medicine to Public Health

Today, Floersch works at M Simulation, where he and his colleagues collectively aim to train healthcare learners in the pre-clinical environment. He first started as a simulation specialist where his background in military and emergency medicine was a natural fit. “Simulation is a bridge between knowledge and practice,” he says. “It lets students build skills before they ever engage with a patient.”

When a new simulation center launched in 2020, his role expanded. He helped build courses that prepare students to work with diverse populations and step confidently into crisis situations. His MPH made him an ideal fit for leadership, and he now serves as Assistant Director for M Simulation.

Along with his duties at M Simulation, Floersch is currently pursuing a PhD in Human Factors Engineering, in the College of Design. This program lies at the intersection of psychology and engineering, i.e. how human psychological interactions with engineering devices manifest. “I plan to use this new knowledge alongside my other backgrounds to improve medical care in high risk global response environments.”

Floersch was drawn to this program after his role at M Simulation provided him the opportunity to perform a significant study with the Department of Defense. With the DoD grant, he studied the differences in combat casualty care among female and male casualties who present with the same injuries. Female casualties are more likely to receive improper advanced care at a greater rate than male casualties in combat zones, and this research grant brought medics in to help better understand why. The answers to these questions were explored using human factors methodology in research, inspiring Floersch to ask the broader question: “How can I use human factors as a way to reduce bad outcomes?” He is currently on track to finish his PhD in 2028.

Advice for Future Pre-Health Students

When asked what Floersch would tell an incoming student interested in healthcare, he said, “Keep your mind open to what healthcare means to you.” Not everyone needs to be a physician to make a difference. “Physicians are only one piece of the healing process,” he emphasizes. “Ask yourself—what part of a patient’s healthcare journey do I want to contribute to? That answer can take you in many directions.”