Radiation Oncology Personal Statement

Please accept this letter as part of my application to the Radiation Oncology Program at _________. _________ has a strong academic and research program and state of the art treatment facilities. Your program would provide excellent opportunity to continue my training. Please, find that my professional and academic experiences provide me with the qualifications and skills necessary to excel in a demanding residency program of Radiation Oncology.
Through my academic experiences, I have developed a strong interest and firm commitment to scientific research and posses an in-depth knowledge of medicine, physics, and biophysics. I have successfully completed a Master of Science degree (Physics) from _______ and a Bachelor of Science First Class Honors Degree in Physics from ________. I have been awarded a number of academic awards including the NSERC- PGS-A Scholarship in support of my M.Sc. research. As well, I am the first author of two publications in scientific journals.
While attending medical school, I continued to work with _________, reporting directly to the president, as a Project Manager and Research Physicist. _______ is highly focused, science based engineering firm whose business is the creation of Intelligent, active acoustic systems for a range of specialized applications. These applications encompass container less materials processing in microgravity conditions to very high-precision profiling of benthic seabed and manmade objects. In conjunction with completing my Master of Science experimental research thesis at ________, I was employed as a biophysics consultant at ___________, a biotechnology company based in _______, where I was directly involved in proof of concept studies investigating the use of ozone as a sterilizing agent for human blood and blood products. While attending graduate and undergraduate programs, at ________ and _________, I have held the positions of Teacher Assistant and Laboratory Instructor and been a member of a number of societies. From these experiences, I have developed strong research and problem solving skills. These experiences have afforded me the opportunity to develop excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
My original interest in Radiation Oncology as a career choice stems from my exposure during my graduate degree at _________. As part of Master of Science degree, I completed two courses in Radiation Biophysics at the graduate level. At _________ I worked under the supervision of Dr. ________whose research interest include hyperthermia and heat shock, heat shock proteins, membrane and protein biophysics. Specific research projects included the study of the mechanism of protection and repair of thermo labile proteins in response to heat and other stresses. Temperatures in the range used for cancer therapy were being employed.
I have chosen Radiation Oncology as a career choice because: 1) I see this particular area of medicine as opportunity to combine my background in medicine and physics, 2) it is a specialty with significant research potential and opportunity, 3) the specialty has a unique patient population, who is rewarding to work with and play an active role in their treatment, 4) the specialty combines an attractive combination of technical skills in medical procedures, and radiation planning / therapy with patient interaction in the out-patient clinic setting.
I have a strong interest in Radiation Oncology, I have completed a 3 week elective at _________ in Radiation Oncology, working with Dr. ________ . During this period I had opportunity to work with seven members of the Radiation Oncology staff gaining a wide exposure to the treatment of common tumor sites. In addition, I gained further exposure during clerkship as part of my Internal Medicine rotation I completed a one-month rotation on the Hematology Service.
My future career goals include a clinical practice with a significant research component.
I have numerous interest and hobbies outside of medicine. These include a wide-variety of outdoor activities, including hiking and snow shoeing. I am the proud owner of a demanding 4-year-old Siberian Husky. I enjoy playing ice hockey with friends and colleagues on a regular basis. As well, I have continued to play in a senior (under 35) recreational hockey league for the pass 4 years. In the past, I have played ice hockey at the level of AAA midget and Junior B. I enjoy mountain biking as well as staying fit with weight lighting. I have a passion for reading and book collecting.
My friends and colleagues would describe me as having a quiet, clam personality, with a relaxed style.
As my experience demonstrates I am a hard working, intelligent and an energetic individual, with the ability to take the initiative with new projects, to work constructively with others and to handle multiple demanding tasks. I would make a positive contribution to the residency program while working to maintain its high level of achievement.