 Green attended the University of Illinois from the fall of 1969 , where she took a major in chemistry . Though she had intended to pursue chemical engineering as a career , she opted to attend medical school after graduating in 1972 , believing the market was flooded with engineers . She attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine from 1972 to her graduation in 1975 . Green chose emergency medicine as her initial specialty and undertook a residency in the Truman Medical Center Emergency Room after her graduation from medical school . 
