In my journey through medical school, I have realized that pursuing a career in family medicine will allow me to address several of my special interests while also allowing me to serve me community effectively. I came to medical school after having taught eighth grade, and I knew that I wanted to be able to provide health services to adolescents. Additionally, my interests include a commitment to medically underserved populations and preventive medicine and a love of teaching. By incorporating these interests into a full-service practice, including obstetrics and hospital medicine, I believe that I can truly meet the needs of my community as well as my own personal career goals.
My interest in adolescent populations is one of the main reasons I am opting for a career in family medicine. Teenagers fall through the cracks so easily, and often end up without a primary health care provider. Since the attitudes and behaviors of a lifetime are often cemented during the teen years, I believe it is vitally important that young people have a physician with whom they are comfortable discussing their physical and emotional needs and concerns. As patients, teenagers tend to respond more readily to a compassionate atmosphere involving someone who wants to help them learn to help themselves. By integrating the various aspects of family medicine ‘’ including pediatrics, general medicine, psychiatry, and OB-GYN ‘’ the whole adolescent can be treated.
I also hope to address the needs of the special populations. For a number of years, I watched my sister suffer with the physical disabilities that accompanied her mental retardation. I was often frustrated by the lack of understanding of her needs demonstrated by the medical community. I began to recognize a similar pattern among her friends who were disabled - their medical needs were also not often being met. Having volunteered with the Special Olympics on both state and international levels, I have been exposed even more to the needs that the special populations present, and the ways that I can most effectively contribute to their healthy lifestyles. I look forward to incorporating this population into my practice.
I have learned that people with substance abuse issues present a special set of challenges, and I plan to use what I have learned in a prevention effort in my community. My mother began a non-profit halfway house program when I was in high school, and I have had the opportunity to watch it grow into a multi-facility program which now includes over 80 beds for men, women, and veterans in recovery. The exposure has been phenomenal, and I genuinely see the importance of recognizing addiction issues and working to address them in every way possible.
Family medicine offers me the opportunity to commit myself to serving my patients who have needs in all areas of medicine. By integrating my own special interests including underserved populations, prevention, and teaching into the delivery of health care to the whole family, I believe I can realize the goals I have set for myself as a physician.
I had some academic difficulties in the basic sciences as a result of my difficulties with test taking. I was able to address these difficulties in a decelerated curriculum that allowed me to spread out the traditional preclinical courses and focus on each course in more depth. The curriculum also allowed me to further develop my interests, both inside and outside of medicine. I was able to complete more electives and participate in extracurricular activities including research in domestic violence, and a number of teaching and outreach prevention programs. Returning to the full-time curriculum for my clinical clerkships, I have been able to bring to my clinical work the skills and insight I developed from my extracurricular activities. Though it was personally difficult for me to accept a change in the course I had planned, I am grateful for the additional enriching opportunities. I am greatly looking forward to having the opportunity to enhance my residency and career with the interests and abilities that I have fostered during medical school.
Monday 6 December 2010
Family Practice Personal Statement 2
Since the age of 6 years old, I found myself frequently in the emergency room due to severe asthma. It was frightening as a child, but I clearly recall the warm and friendly doctors who comforted me. Since I grew up on Welfare and Medi-Care, it meant sometimes having to wait long hours before getting medical attention. While waiting, I would chat with other patients and found that I was overwhelmed by the vast array of existing illnesses. Today I am no longer overwhelmed by the intricacies of medical diseases, but instead I’m inspired by the challenges of caring for a broad spectrum of various ailments. This is one of the reasons I have chosen family medicine.
I am a University of State graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Physiology. I participated in an internship at State Medical Center in the operating room where I found that I enjoyed easing the anxieties of patients’ pre and post surgery. In addition, I worked with a paraplegic for one year who I cared for daily. My patient was extremely frustrated because he had to be entirely dependent on me for many daily functions. However, there was no greater fulfillment than to see him grow comfortable and trusting toward me because I not only cared for him medically, but I took the time to establish a strong bond. This experience helped me develop a great compassion and understanding of the difficulties patients have co-existing with their physical disabilities. My desire to launch a positive role in a patient’s recovery along with the long term interactions established through continual care, have been other factors that have sparked my further interest in pursuing Family Medicine.
The goal of improving my Spanish contributed to my decision to attend medical school at the University in Guadalajara, Mexico. I had the fortunate experience of working with Spanish speaking patients in a family practice clinic. I was able to follow the entire family history of many patients throughout three years. Being able to become an integral part of these patients’ lives is another crucial factor that causes me to seek family practice. During my last year of medical school, I participated in the pre-internship program at the Mexican Institute of Social Services which provided me with outstanding training. I enjoyed rotating through all of the various rotations; especially pediatric, obstetrics, dermatology, and geriatrics. Family practice is well suited for me because it encompasses a multitude of areas in medicine. I want to continually be faced with the challenges that family medicine offers such as diagnosing a wide-range of diseases from different specialties, instead of focusing on one particular disease or organ system.
I also enjoy working with the elderly and learned some of their fears when I took care of my most important patient yet, my mother. I took a semester off to care for my mother who was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Although it was extremely difficult emotionally watching her suffer daily, I knew that I had done my best in caring for her. I learned that many elderly patients neglect routine medical care and are hesitant or afraid to seek medical attention. As a consequence, they endanger their health or lives. My experiences have helped me mature greatly and have made me realize the critical responsibility as a primary care provider to continually teach preventive care.
I am applying to your residency program in family medicine because it is a well rounded community based program with broad-based training and a high level of responsibility that will prepare me to practice in settings comprised of a diverse population. In the future, I see myself as training future medical students. In addition, I plan to serve as a health advocate and mentor to children and adolescents. I feel that I will be an excellent role model for children, especially those in underserved communities, since I too grew up in an underserved area myself. I would like to return to my community or an underserved community where I feel that I am well prepared to fulfill the challenges and needs of my patients.
I am confident that I will benefit your residency program because I have learned how to work and interact well with patients, families, doctors, and my colleagues through my life experiences. I also will never forget my earliest impressions of the dedicated and kind doctors from the emergency room. This is the type of Doctor I will be for all my patients.
I am a University of State graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Physiology. I participated in an internship at State Medical Center in the operating room where I found that I enjoyed easing the anxieties of patients’ pre and post surgery. In addition, I worked with a paraplegic for one year who I cared for daily. My patient was extremely frustrated because he had to be entirely dependent on me for many daily functions. However, there was no greater fulfillment than to see him grow comfortable and trusting toward me because I not only cared for him medically, but I took the time to establish a strong bond. This experience helped me develop a great compassion and understanding of the difficulties patients have co-existing with their physical disabilities. My desire to launch a positive role in a patient’s recovery along with the long term interactions established through continual care, have been other factors that have sparked my further interest in pursuing Family Medicine.
The goal of improving my Spanish contributed to my decision to attend medical school at the University in Guadalajara, Mexico. I had the fortunate experience of working with Spanish speaking patients in a family practice clinic. I was able to follow the entire family history of many patients throughout three years. Being able to become an integral part of these patients’ lives is another crucial factor that causes me to seek family practice. During my last year of medical school, I participated in the pre-internship program at the Mexican Institute of Social Services which provided me with outstanding training. I enjoyed rotating through all of the various rotations; especially pediatric, obstetrics, dermatology, and geriatrics. Family practice is well suited for me because it encompasses a multitude of areas in medicine. I want to continually be faced with the challenges that family medicine offers such as diagnosing a wide-range of diseases from different specialties, instead of focusing on one particular disease or organ system.
I also enjoy working with the elderly and learned some of their fears when I took care of my most important patient yet, my mother. I took a semester off to care for my mother who was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Although it was extremely difficult emotionally watching her suffer daily, I knew that I had done my best in caring for her. I learned that many elderly patients neglect routine medical care and are hesitant or afraid to seek medical attention. As a consequence, they endanger their health or lives. My experiences have helped me mature greatly and have made me realize the critical responsibility as a primary care provider to continually teach preventive care.
I am applying to your residency program in family medicine because it is a well rounded community based program with broad-based training and a high level of responsibility that will prepare me to practice in settings comprised of a diverse population. In the future, I see myself as training future medical students. In addition, I plan to serve as a health advocate and mentor to children and adolescents. I feel that I will be an excellent role model for children, especially those in underserved communities, since I too grew up in an underserved area myself. I would like to return to my community or an underserved community where I feel that I am well prepared to fulfill the challenges and needs of my patients.
I am confident that I will benefit your residency program because I have learned how to work and interact well with patients, families, doctors, and my colleagues through my life experiences. I also will never forget my earliest impressions of the dedicated and kind doctors from the emergency room. This is the type of Doctor I will be for all my patients.
Family Practice Personal Statement 1
‘’Did you hear about that huge earthquake in India?’’ asked one of my classmates who knew that I was from India. My jaw dropped and a hundred thoughts went through my head. There I was during my first year of medical school sitting anxiously about to take my first written anatomy exam when one of my classmates asked me this. I did not get a chance to listen to the news that morning, but there was a massive earthquake in the city where my family is from in India. This really hit a nerve. The anatomy test was the last thing on my mind at that point. Fortunately, later that night I found out all of my family was accounted for. That still didn’t put my mind at ease. The evening news showed the devastation the earthquake did to an already impoverished part of India. At that time, I felt more selfish than ever before. Here I was living this comfortable life in the U.S. and attending medical school with one of my biggest worries of the day being an anatomy test. I wanted to go to India and assist the injured, but I knew that my lack of medical training would not allow me to do that. Excluding this experience, I have always thought that it is a duty of mine to give back to the country where I am from. Being the first physician in my family and having this opportunity to give back to the place where my parents grew up has always been one of my major long term goals. Family practice will offer me the diverse knowledge base to treat many different types of ailments.
Attending an osteopathic medical school has offered me the opportunity to rotate through many months of family practice. When making my decision to enter this specialty, I asked myself what months during my clerkships I was happiest, which attending physicians I had the best interactions with, and what patient populations I liked the most. The answers to all these questions drew me to family practice. Although I formed meaningful relationships with the inpatient population during my internal medicine rotation and was able to acquire vital medical knowledge, I felt unfulfilled in regards to the doctor-patient interaction in that environment and really missed the continuity of care. In my family practice experience, there was an abundant amount of clinical knowledge to gain and I found myself attracted to the type of relationship my attending had with their patients. I was truly envious of the continuity of relationships that my attending had formed with so many of their patients. The ‘medical visit’ in the family practice clinic amazed me because of the amount of psychosocial issues that would be discussed. This required the family practice physician to go beyond the medical aspect of the visit and truly treat the person as a whole. It is much easier to have a patient be compliant and more honest about their health when the patient feels more at ease with their physician.
The public aid clinic on Big City’s Westside was a place where I further realized the importance of the family physician. My volunteer experience in that clinic reinforced the fact that not every patient has access to a separate pediatrician, gynecologist, or geriatric specialist. My love for educating patients on topics such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol and preventative medicine was easily fulfilled in this type of setting. Another one of my passions is to also treat children Family medicine offered me this opportunity. This is where I realized that I want part of my time to be involved with clinics that provide healthcare to the underserved in Big City. The great thing about practicing medicine in Big City is that there are so many well-established free medical clinics all over the city and suburbs that doctors can donate their time at. I am confident that the underserved areas of will have more than enough spots available for family practice physicians to donate their time.
The bottom line is that family practice is both exciting and versatile. When a family physician goes into work she does not know what to expect. She could have a day full of common colds, orthopedic issues, and newly diagnosed diabetics. One can take all these tasks and consider them overburdening or view them as challenges. I have always found it easy to adjust to a constantly changing environment During and after my training, I want to be the type of family physician that my loved ones would want not only as their doctor, but also as part of their family unit.
My determination, resilience, and self-confidence are foundations of my personality and character that will be part of me throughout my residency and when I am practicing as a family physician. My goal throughout this application process has to find a family practice residency program that plays a vital role in the community and a program that shares a passion for teaching, mentoring, and showing residents that family practice is not just a practice of medicine but also a practice of how to work with people. I look forward to starting my family practice residency at your institution with enthusiasm, a willingness to work hard, learn, teach and most importantly, to identify with my future patients so I can offer them the healthcare they deserve from a family physician.
Attending an osteopathic medical school has offered me the opportunity to rotate through many months of family practice. When making my decision to enter this specialty, I asked myself what months during my clerkships I was happiest, which attending physicians I had the best interactions with, and what patient populations I liked the most. The answers to all these questions drew me to family practice. Although I formed meaningful relationships with the inpatient population during my internal medicine rotation and was able to acquire vital medical knowledge, I felt unfulfilled in regards to the doctor-patient interaction in that environment and really missed the continuity of care. In my family practice experience, there was an abundant amount of clinical knowledge to gain and I found myself attracted to the type of relationship my attending had with their patients. I was truly envious of the continuity of relationships that my attending had formed with so many of their patients. The ‘medical visit’ in the family practice clinic amazed me because of the amount of psychosocial issues that would be discussed. This required the family practice physician to go beyond the medical aspect of the visit and truly treat the person as a whole. It is much easier to have a patient be compliant and more honest about their health when the patient feels more at ease with their physician.
The public aid clinic on Big City’s Westside was a place where I further realized the importance of the family physician. My volunteer experience in that clinic reinforced the fact that not every patient has access to a separate pediatrician, gynecologist, or geriatric specialist. My love for educating patients on topics such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol and preventative medicine was easily fulfilled in this type of setting. Another one of my passions is to also treat children Family medicine offered me this opportunity. This is where I realized that I want part of my time to be involved with clinics that provide healthcare to the underserved in Big City. The great thing about practicing medicine in Big City is that there are so many well-established free medical clinics all over the city and suburbs that doctors can donate their time at. I am confident that the underserved areas of will have more than enough spots available for family practice physicians to donate their time.
The bottom line is that family practice is both exciting and versatile. When a family physician goes into work she does not know what to expect. She could have a day full of common colds, orthopedic issues, and newly diagnosed diabetics. One can take all these tasks and consider them overburdening or view them as challenges. I have always found it easy to adjust to a constantly changing environment During and after my training, I want to be the type of family physician that my loved ones would want not only as their doctor, but also as part of their family unit.
My determination, resilience, and self-confidence are foundations of my personality and character that will be part of me throughout my residency and when I am practicing as a family physician. My goal throughout this application process has to find a family practice residency program that plays a vital role in the community and a program that shares a passion for teaching, mentoring, and showing residents that family practice is not just a practice of medicine but also a practice of how to work with people. I look forward to starting my family practice residency at your institution with enthusiasm, a willingness to work hard, learn, teach and most importantly, to identify with my future patients so I can offer them the healthcare they deserve from a family physician.
General Surgery Personal Statement 3
Footwork and balance are critical in martial arts for a solid foundation on defense and for a successful attack. I learned this competing on the regional and state level in Tae Kwon Do (TKD) tournaments: the athletes that were bigger and stronger who lacked balance quickly fell apart in the ring. My father started my training and also taught me the importance of hard work, discipline, and concentration in my sport and in my life. He worked every day of the week at two different jobs, and the lessons that I’ve learned from his example have been priceless. While I’m no longer fighting competitively, I’ve applied these principles throughout my life and in my early medical career. My foundations have been my wife, family, and close friends. They have given me support when I’ve been too busy to be with them and have also been a welcome diversion. I’ve spent many weekends visiting Kimberly and working on our new house, renovating it. My parents keep me grounded and remind me of my culture. In my time at UVA I have seen that the most successful physicians were compassionate and dedicated to their patients, but they also had great balance in their lives. I believe that in this respect I compare with them.
I love the discipline and the commitment of sports; it’s a lot like surgery. When I was training for TKD in high school, I often practiced alone and had to push myself to train while balancing a part time job life guarding and my active involvement with the Key Club, young republicans, and internship on the Hill with Senator John Warner. The demands pushed me to succeed, and I took second in the State championship in fighting and forms. I also received an invitation to practice at Colorado Springs and to compete on the national level. At William and Mary, I continued my TKD and also walked onto the varsity track team. This was a challenging time for me as I had to balance the rigors of a varsity sport, TKD, fraternity pledging, and my position as treasurer of Alpha Lambda Delta, a freshman honor society. Additionally, I participated intensely in intramural sports, winning IM football and weight lifting several years in a row. As my undergraduate career progressed, I focused more on my scholastics and remaining active in my fraternity as the philanthropy chairman. While athletics had formerly been my priority, it was now my form of meditation.
My interest in academics and research was nurtured during my 2 years before medical school, working in Dr. Antony Rosen’s lab at Hopkins. Studying the biochemical mechanisms of apoptosis and its effect on inflammation and immunity in systemic lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma gave me insight into the power and elegance of research. This sparked my interest in academic medicine. I read medical journals constantly, and I feel that learning how to read critically was the most important skill that I developed there. While working in the lab along with medical students and PhD’s, I realized the importance of collaborative learning. Our policy in the lab was, ‘’do one, see one, teach one’ and because Dr. Rosen and I started the lab together I often taught the methodology of our system to the graduate and medical students. This sparked my interest in teaching. I took a graduate Biochemistry and Cell biology course to improve my understanding of the science, and this further fueled my desire to learn. By the end of my time there, I had been recognized in two papers and co-authored another, and I left with a passion to learn, the confidence to succeed, and the support of a good friend and mentor. I am returning in the winter to continue my research.
As a co-coordinator of the HIV/AIDS youth outreach program, I had the opportunity to speak to high school students about the temptation and dangers of unprotected sex. Connecting with the young adults and teaching them was the most satisfying experience of my pre-clinical years. During the third year, I discovered that I enjoyed talking to patients and learning about their lives and their illnesses. I learned the power of a kind word and a patient ear in the treatment of sick patients. I saw this on my surgical rotation and this reminded me of the reason that I went to medical school, compassion. It was this quality that drove me to work even harder for my patients.
I am looking forward to training in an academic general surgery program for several reasons. General surgery integrates commitment, physical ability, and medicine in a patient care environment that is both intense and extremely rewarding. The discipline also fosters teaching and mentorship. Furthermore, the importance of research in the assessment of surgical decision making and in innovating surgical technique appeals to me. I am optimistic that I will be able to contribute to a surgical training program in patient care, teaching, and research.
I love the discipline and the commitment of sports; it’s a lot like surgery. When I was training for TKD in high school, I often practiced alone and had to push myself to train while balancing a part time job life guarding and my active involvement with the Key Club, young republicans, and internship on the Hill with Senator John Warner. The demands pushed me to succeed, and I took second in the State championship in fighting and forms. I also received an invitation to practice at Colorado Springs and to compete on the national level. At William and Mary, I continued my TKD and also walked onto the varsity track team. This was a challenging time for me as I had to balance the rigors of a varsity sport, TKD, fraternity pledging, and my position as treasurer of Alpha Lambda Delta, a freshman honor society. Additionally, I participated intensely in intramural sports, winning IM football and weight lifting several years in a row. As my undergraduate career progressed, I focused more on my scholastics and remaining active in my fraternity as the philanthropy chairman. While athletics had formerly been my priority, it was now my form of meditation.
My interest in academics and research was nurtured during my 2 years before medical school, working in Dr. Antony Rosen’s lab at Hopkins. Studying the biochemical mechanisms of apoptosis and its effect on inflammation and immunity in systemic lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma gave me insight into the power and elegance of research. This sparked my interest in academic medicine. I read medical journals constantly, and I feel that learning how to read critically was the most important skill that I developed there. While working in the lab along with medical students and PhD’s, I realized the importance of collaborative learning. Our policy in the lab was, ‘’do one, see one, teach one’ and because Dr. Rosen and I started the lab together I often taught the methodology of our system to the graduate and medical students. This sparked my interest in teaching. I took a graduate Biochemistry and Cell biology course to improve my understanding of the science, and this further fueled my desire to learn. By the end of my time there, I had been recognized in two papers and co-authored another, and I left with a passion to learn, the confidence to succeed, and the support of a good friend and mentor. I am returning in the winter to continue my research.
As a co-coordinator of the HIV/AIDS youth outreach program, I had the opportunity to speak to high school students about the temptation and dangers of unprotected sex. Connecting with the young adults and teaching them was the most satisfying experience of my pre-clinical years. During the third year, I discovered that I enjoyed talking to patients and learning about their lives and their illnesses. I learned the power of a kind word and a patient ear in the treatment of sick patients. I saw this on my surgical rotation and this reminded me of the reason that I went to medical school, compassion. It was this quality that drove me to work even harder for my patients.
I am looking forward to training in an academic general surgery program for several reasons. General surgery integrates commitment, physical ability, and medicine in a patient care environment that is both intense and extremely rewarding. The discipline also fosters teaching and mentorship. Furthermore, the importance of research in the assessment of surgical decision making and in innovating surgical technique appeals to me. I am optimistic that I will be able to contribute to a surgical training program in patient care, teaching, and research.
General Surgery Personal Statement 2
During my third-year surgery clerkship, a patient in the ICU was scheduled for a Whipple procedure. As an eager medical student interested in surgery, I inquired if I could scrub in. Unfortunately, since I was not involved in that patient's care, my request was denied. Disheartened, I accepted the decision. The next morning during rounds, I received an urgent page to report to OR 11. I donned a cap and mask and sprinted there. As I entered, I saw the attending, the Chief Resident, and an intern capped and gowned over a sterile field. I was shocked -- I had been summoned to the Whipple.
Over the next nine hours, my mind and body were stretched to their limits. Thoughts raced through my mind. Can I stay focused through the entire procedure? Do I really want to be a surgeon? Pain crept into every muscle, and my body hurt from contorting like a pretzel as I held the various retractors and tried to watch and understand the complex operation. I found myself captivated by the precision with which the attending maneuvered inside the patient's abdomen, a sea of red, yellow and green to me. I longed to have the ability the Chief Resident and attending so masterfully exhibited. This experience cemented my aspiration to become a surgeon.
What truly draws me to surgery is its hands-on nature. The opportunity to work with my hands to fix a problem is what drove me to pursue a surgical residency. I feel most satisfied when I am in the OR and being in the OR gives me a mix of adrenaline and excitement. I simply cannot see myself doing anything else.
My medical career began differently than most aspiring physicians. It started at home in Big City, traveled through International University in Budapest, and ended at the University of United States Medical School. When I entered International University, like most American students I had never taken an oral examination. All that changed once I got to Budapest. Being examined by a world-renowned professor has a way of making even the most dedicated students uneasy. Armed with my arsenal of facts and figures, I went into battle praying to survive the onslaught of questions. After four years of these nerve-racking oral exams, I feel uniquely prepared to tackle the hurdles that await me during residency.
In September of 2001, I transferred to the University of United States to augment my strong pre-clinical training with clinical experience in the U.S. During my clerkships, each new patient brought me newfound confidence, and my proficiency grew. By the time I started my general surgery clerkship; I could perform a focused history and physical without hesitation and could formulate a working list of differential diagnoses. I also recognized the necessity for dependability in the practice of surgery, something I have strived to develop during my academic career.
Indeed, the value I see in establishing relationships with those around me was forged in part through my education and travels, which have shown me the lives, languages, and cultures of people different from those of the average American. From the spirited late night discussions with my friend Joe from Toronto, to the monthly pot luck dinners my Middle-Eastern friends invited me to, I now have friends all over the world, in places as far away as Norway, Israel, Greece, and Kenya. Perhaps partially because I left Budapest having learned so much from those around me, I have sought to make teaching a central part of my life.
I plan to excel during my residency as both a student and a teacher. As an anatomy and physiology tutor during my second year at Sumy medical school, I saw first-hand how a teacher who spends a extra time can make a difference. The look of clarity and understanding that washes over a student's face when suddenly grasping a difficult concept is something I hope to reproduce many times in the future.
I currently plan on a career as a general surgeon, but Trauma/Critical Care and Cardio-Thoracic surgery are two areas I would like to explore, with the possibility of advanced training following residency. As a medical student, my experiences in surgery were the most rewarding, and the precision and technical expertise that a surgeon requires are traits that I strive to master. My selection of surgery is not simply a realization of what I find to be intellectually challenging, but a declaration of the role I want to play as a physician. This is how I want to connect with patients. My goal in pursuing a surgical residency is to be both a skilled surgeon who excels in his field, and an educator who has the honor of participating in the development of future generations of aspiring surgeons.
Over the next nine hours, my mind and body were stretched to their limits. Thoughts raced through my mind. Can I stay focused through the entire procedure? Do I really want to be a surgeon? Pain crept into every muscle, and my body hurt from contorting like a pretzel as I held the various retractors and tried to watch and understand the complex operation. I found myself captivated by the precision with which the attending maneuvered inside the patient's abdomen, a sea of red, yellow and green to me. I longed to have the ability the Chief Resident and attending so masterfully exhibited. This experience cemented my aspiration to become a surgeon.
What truly draws me to surgery is its hands-on nature. The opportunity to work with my hands to fix a problem is what drove me to pursue a surgical residency. I feel most satisfied when I am in the OR and being in the OR gives me a mix of adrenaline and excitement. I simply cannot see myself doing anything else.
My medical career began differently than most aspiring physicians. It started at home in Big City, traveled through International University in Budapest, and ended at the University of United States Medical School. When I entered International University, like most American students I had never taken an oral examination. All that changed once I got to Budapest. Being examined by a world-renowned professor has a way of making even the most dedicated students uneasy. Armed with my arsenal of facts and figures, I went into battle praying to survive the onslaught of questions. After four years of these nerve-racking oral exams, I feel uniquely prepared to tackle the hurdles that await me during residency.
In September of 2001, I transferred to the University of United States to augment my strong pre-clinical training with clinical experience in the U.S. During my clerkships, each new patient brought me newfound confidence, and my proficiency grew. By the time I started my general surgery clerkship; I could perform a focused history and physical without hesitation and could formulate a working list of differential diagnoses. I also recognized the necessity for dependability in the practice of surgery, something I have strived to develop during my academic career.
Indeed, the value I see in establishing relationships with those around me was forged in part through my education and travels, which have shown me the lives, languages, and cultures of people different from those of the average American. From the spirited late night discussions with my friend Joe from Toronto, to the monthly pot luck dinners my Middle-Eastern friends invited me to, I now have friends all over the world, in places as far away as Norway, Israel, Greece, and Kenya. Perhaps partially because I left Budapest having learned so much from those around me, I have sought to make teaching a central part of my life.
I plan to excel during my residency as both a student and a teacher. As an anatomy and physiology tutor during my second year at Sumy medical school, I saw first-hand how a teacher who spends a extra time can make a difference. The look of clarity and understanding that washes over a student's face when suddenly grasping a difficult concept is something I hope to reproduce many times in the future.
I currently plan on a career as a general surgeon, but Trauma/Critical Care and Cardio-Thoracic surgery are two areas I would like to explore, with the possibility of advanced training following residency. As a medical student, my experiences in surgery were the most rewarding, and the precision and technical expertise that a surgeon requires are traits that I strive to master. My selection of surgery is not simply a realization of what I find to be intellectually challenging, but a declaration of the role I want to play as a physician. This is how I want to connect with patients. My goal in pursuing a surgical residency is to be both a skilled surgeon who excels in his field, and an educator who has the honor of participating in the development of future generations of aspiring surgeons.
General Surgery Personal Statement 1
My love for surgery blossomed during medical school. Although didactics gave me a clearer picture of the scope and depth of the field, it was the clinical rotations that revealed the full beauty of surgery to me. As a lover of the arts I greatly admired the way surgery balanced art with science more than any other field of medicine. The first time I assisted in a plastic surgery procedure, I was thoroughly impressed by the way the surgeon expertly and precisely used skin flaps to reconstruct the burned face of a twelve-year-old boy. More than just aesthetics, it was the new confidence the surgery brought to the boy that made an impression on me. I marveled at how quick and dramatic the improvements in our patients were. A young man bent over in pain from acute appendicitis was pain-free just a few hours after being rushed to the hospital. A numb, cold and ashen forearm was miraculously saved by microsurgery. These experiences further reinforced my love for the field. But if I had to mark the event that made me certain that surgery was for me, it would have to be my first minor operation.
The procedure was merely an excision of a sebaceous cyst. It was by no means a big deal, but the unexplainable rush that I got from performing the procedure confirmed that I truly loved surgery. I was thrilled by the fact that I could directly and physically contribute to the health of my patient. It was a heady experience. But as with most things I love, I opted to view the difficulties as challenges, and have thus remained steadfast in my choice of specialty.
Although I believe that great surgeons are trained, not born, I also believe that there are basic skills one must possess to become an effective surgeon. I have developed my finger dexterity by starting to play the piano at the age of six and by dabbling in various crafts. There is also the matter of having a sharp eye and a quick mind, both of which I have exercised in my love for art and puzzles. I set high standards for myself and am most critical of my own work. Aside from possessing the qualities required of an aspiring surgeon, I believe that I have the necessary measure of desire to become not just a good surgeon, but an excellent one. I have weathered many storms in my life, including the trials of medical school and the untimely death of my father. I believe that I have matured enough emotionally and professional to be able to handle the challenges of surgery.
My aspirations can only be realized by participating whole-heartedly in the best training program possible. I am looking for a residency program that will give structure and discipline to my advancement in the field. A wide variety and large number of cases would be optimal in honing the skills I will acquire. Research would complement the clinical training and give me the opportunity to contribute to the science of surgery. I am eager to find a stimulating environment where residents support one another and attending physicians are willing to share their vast wealth of knowledge. A training program that will allow me to pursue my other interests, such as photography, singing, reading and enjoying the outdoors, would be more than ideal.
Ten years from now, I envision myself to be a world-class plastic surgeon practicing in my home country, sub specializing in breast and burn reconstruction. These fields have not been given much attention yet in the Philippines and I intend to be among the pioneers, both as a surgeon and as a teacher. I also mean to become a member of the faculty of the University of the Philippines. My devotion to the field cannot be complete until I share my love for it with the next generation of doctors. As with most surgeons, my love affair with surgery is a lifelong commitment, one that I am eager to begin and cultivate at your institution.
The procedure was merely an excision of a sebaceous cyst. It was by no means a big deal, but the unexplainable rush that I got from performing the procedure confirmed that I truly loved surgery. I was thrilled by the fact that I could directly and physically contribute to the health of my patient. It was a heady experience. But as with most things I love, I opted to view the difficulties as challenges, and have thus remained steadfast in my choice of specialty.
Although I believe that great surgeons are trained, not born, I also believe that there are basic skills one must possess to become an effective surgeon. I have developed my finger dexterity by starting to play the piano at the age of six and by dabbling in various crafts. There is also the matter of having a sharp eye and a quick mind, both of which I have exercised in my love for art and puzzles. I set high standards for myself and am most critical of my own work. Aside from possessing the qualities required of an aspiring surgeon, I believe that I have the necessary measure of desire to become not just a good surgeon, but an excellent one. I have weathered many storms in my life, including the trials of medical school and the untimely death of my father. I believe that I have matured enough emotionally and professional to be able to handle the challenges of surgery.
My aspirations can only be realized by participating whole-heartedly in the best training program possible. I am looking for a residency program that will give structure and discipline to my advancement in the field. A wide variety and large number of cases would be optimal in honing the skills I will acquire. Research would complement the clinical training and give me the opportunity to contribute to the science of surgery. I am eager to find a stimulating environment where residents support one another and attending physicians are willing to share their vast wealth of knowledge. A training program that will allow me to pursue my other interests, such as photography, singing, reading and enjoying the outdoors, would be more than ideal.
Ten years from now, I envision myself to be a world-class plastic surgeon practicing in my home country, sub specializing in breast and burn reconstruction. These fields have not been given much attention yet in the Philippines and I intend to be among the pioneers, both as a surgeon and as a teacher. I also mean to become a member of the faculty of the University of the Philippines. My devotion to the field cannot be complete until I share my love for it with the next generation of doctors. As with most surgeons, my love affair with surgery is a lifelong commitment, one that I am eager to begin and cultivate at your institution.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Medicine/Pediatrics Personal Statement 1
As a child and young adult, when I envisioned myself as a physician, I invariably pictured myself in a primary care field. During my medical education, this future goal was challenged several times as there is such a vast number of interesting medical specialties from which to choose. Nonetheless, my thoughts and aspirations always returned to a career in primary care. I greatly enjoyed all the rotations during my third year of medical school. However, I found my rotations in both pediatrics and internal medicine particularly challenging and rewarding. While on floor services in internal medicine and pediatrics, I was challenged intellectually by the diagnosis and treatment of acute medical problems. Also, I experienced much gratification from the management of chronic medical conditions. Furthermore, during my rotations in ambulatory pediatrics and internal medicine, I found a great deal of satisfaction and fulfillment in the treatment of medical complaints and education of patients regarding health maintenance issues. For these reasons and several others, I feel a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics is the correct choice for me.
I hope to obtain an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency position in an academic center that will provide me with a strong basis from which to practice medicine. After the completion of my residency, I intend to practice both internal medicine and pediatrics in either an academic setting or the private sector.
Growing up, I spent most of my childhood and adolescence living on a large farm in southwest Missouri. It was there that I learned a great deal about hard work, commitment and the importance of a strong loving family. These values continue to be very important to me. I believe they manifest themselves in both my family life and my work ethic.
During my residency training, I plan to spend the majority of my free time with my husband and daughter. A few of the activities and hobbies that my family and I are fond of are gardening, landscaping, home improvement, computers, playing basketball and rollerblading. With a portion of my remaining free time, I plan to continue to be active in community service as this has always been a vital part of my life. Throughout the first two years of medical school I was very active in the Child Abuse Prevention Task Force which educates children about the detection and prevention of child sexual abuse. Presently, I am coordinating a project to transfer child immunization records from medical charts to computer files. These files will then be linked via modem with other public and private health care providers in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This will increase the ease of accurately tracking patients' immunization history and secondarily increase the percentage of children who are up to date in their immunizations.
In closing, I am excited about starting the training for career which I have chosen. I hope my enthusiasm and dedication will be an asset to this profession.
I hope to obtain an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency position in an academic center that will provide me with a strong basis from which to practice medicine. After the completion of my residency, I intend to practice both internal medicine and pediatrics in either an academic setting or the private sector.
Growing up, I spent most of my childhood and adolescence living on a large farm in southwest Missouri. It was there that I learned a great deal about hard work, commitment and the importance of a strong loving family. These values continue to be very important to me. I believe they manifest themselves in both my family life and my work ethic.
During my residency training, I plan to spend the majority of my free time with my husband and daughter. A few of the activities and hobbies that my family and I are fond of are gardening, landscaping, home improvement, computers, playing basketball and rollerblading. With a portion of my remaining free time, I plan to continue to be active in community service as this has always been a vital part of my life. Throughout the first two years of medical school I was very active in the Child Abuse Prevention Task Force which educates children about the detection and prevention of child sexual abuse. Presently, I am coordinating a project to transfer child immunization records from medical charts to computer files. These files will then be linked via modem with other public and private health care providers in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This will increase the ease of accurately tracking patients' immunization history and secondarily increase the percentage of children who are up to date in their immunizations.
In closing, I am excited about starting the training for career which I have chosen. I hope my enthusiasm and dedication will be an asset to this profession.
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