ATSU-SOMA offers supportive community where students help each other thrive
Posted: February 27, 2025
You can’t be great without the greatness of others. That’s a sentiment important to Hanley Elftmann, OMS I, and it played a large role in her selecting A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) for medical school.
“I chose ATSU-SOMA because I wanted a program that truly felt like a community rather than a competition,” she said. “On my tour, the student ambassador expressed to us how tight knit each cohort is and how she never felt like she was competing with her classmates. Everyone is willing to help each other because they truly care about seeing not only themselves, but their classmates succeed. This has rang true throughout my first year here, I know I could step into any study room on campus with a question and my classmates would make sure I understand the concept before leaving.”
Elftmann is from Wheaton, Illinois, and has a bachelor’s of science in health sciences with minors in chemistry and neuroscience from Butler University. She’s thoroughly enjoying all of the experiences offered on ATSU’s Mesa, Arizona, campus.
“I love that there is always so much going on at the school. There are so many different organizations not only within SOMA but within ATSU as a whole that are constantly putting on fun events,” she said. “One of my favorite things I have done as a student was participate in our Founder’s Day flag football game. Each of the different programs created an all-girls flag football team with coaches and practiced for weeks before Founder’s Day, when we played a bracket-style tournament against the other programs.”
There are also plenty of academic organizations to be involved in, and Elftmann serves as a member of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Interest Group, Ultrasound Interest Group, Pediatrics Interest Group, and ATSU-SOMA Taylored Excellence.
“One of my favorite organizations I am a part of on campus is the Ultrasound Interest Group. This group hosts activities where we learn about the clinical importance and use of point-of-care ultrasound from professionals, and then get the opportunity to practice those skills,” she said. “Getting an extra opportunity to practice ultrasound outside of our medical skills course has been an amazing experience and has allowed me to continually feel more and more comfortable using the ultrasound machinery. I know the activities this group puts on are not only fun but are helping me prepare to perform well during clinical rotations.”
Elftmann also serves as an ATSU-SOMA student ambassador, a position she sought because she wanted to give interviewees the same great experience she had on her interview day.
“I think there is something so special about getting to tell other potential students what being a part of the ATSU-SOMA community truly means. I feel lucky to be a part of such a wonderful program and really wanted the opportunity to share the things that make SOMA so great,” she said.
Outside of ATSU, Elftmann enjoys running and has logged two half-marathons in the past two years, and is running the Mesa Marathon 10K this month. She also loves reading and sharing meals with friends.
On campus, she’s working toward becoming a well-rounded physician who not only cares about a patient’s symptoms, but truly cares about them as a whole person.
“ATSU is helping me prepare for this by incorporating things into the curriculum that help us to see our patients as not just a set of symptoms but as complex beings that have many different factors affecting their health,” she said. “I also hope to be able to effectively and compassionately communicate with my patients and our medical skills course does a great job of allowing us the space to practice those communication skills that are vital for being a compassionate physician.”