DO Personal Statement

One of the main missions of the university is to help underserved communities. I believe that both my personal and academic experience has engrained in me the qualities that are essential for completing medical school and becoming a doctor. I want to become an osteopathic doctor that is involved in the community and serves those who lack proper health care. My primary care doctor, who is an osteopathic doctor, influenced my decision to pursue osteopathic medicine. She taught me that osteopathic medicine consists of treatment with holistic approaches, and it involves an education in physical manipulation. This aspect is particularly of interest to me because this is an approach that is used in India. Overall, I believe that I am a thoroughly qualified candidate to pursue a DO degree from Touro college of Osteopathic Medicine. The sheer pleasure I derive from helping people and sharing what I know, coupled with the mental stimulation intrinsic to the profession, make medicine the clear career pathway for

Currently there are two main types of licensed physicians in the United States. The first is the medical doctor or the allopathic doctor. About 95% of licensed doctors have been educated at one of over 120 allopathic medical schools and have thus obtained a medical doctor degree (M.D.). The second type of doctor, the doctor of osteopathy, is less common. Osteopathic doctors make up about five percent of the physicians in the nation (Peters 730). Although this represents a significant amount of physicians many people are unfamiliar with the second type of doctor. In a 1981 the AOA (American Osteopathic Association) released the results of a survey about public

Describe the top three reasons you have chosen osteopathic medicine as your professional choice in becoming a physician (Please use your own description and not one that widely describes the profession).

Describe the top three reasons you have chosen osteopathic medicine as your professional choice in becoming a physician. = why D.O.

Truthfully, as an undergraduate I knew very little about the osteopathic profession. In 2013, however, I began working as a medical scribe with Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, DO, in the Sibley ER and she opened my eyes to the beauty of osteopathic medicine. Thanks to Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, and a number of other osteopathic physicians in the ER, I have come to understand what osteopathic medicine is all about. Three years after my first exposure to the osteopathic profession, I continue to be motivated to become an osteopathic physician for many reasons. These include the following:

The personal statement is very important to applicants who intend to be admitted to an undergraduate or graduate school. The role of a personal statement is to make applicants be different from other applicants. It mainly serves the purposes of persuading the admission committee of applicants’ great passion for the study field, explaining their experience that shaped their personality, demonstrating their longtime desire and commitment for the degree, and showing their life goals. What the admission committee is looking for in a personal statement varies from school to school, major to major. Art and Design is a unique program requiring its prospective students to be different in every aspect. The Art and Design Admission Committee is looking for a student who has creative potential in all respects. Hence, for those who want to apply to the School of Art and Design, they should understand how to present their stories, experiences, practice, goals, philosophy, inspirations, and aspirations in a creative way.

I want to become an osteopathic physician, because osteopathic doctors take the additional strides toward providing their patients with holistic care. Unlike other health care professionals osteopathic doctors try to obtain the most detailed history, starting from the patient’s birth, sometimes even before that. During the history taking

The Dual Admissions Program would support my future goals by providing me with the education needed to prepare and train me for an enthusing profession in osteopathic medicine. As the university with the first osteopathic college established in the southeastern United States, I am awaiting an incredible experience in the Dual Admission Osteopathic Medicine Program. At an utmost level of merit and in a supporting environment of research and intellectual activities, it will permit me to practice and interact with other health professions students. Its distinctive curriculum offering academic and clinical training will prepare me for the true world of medicine. This will aid me in my path towards becoming an exemplary physician.

My decision to practice osteopathic medicine comes from the love that have developed for the philosophy of this type of medicine. I understand that given the opportunity to study medicine will also give me a chance to develop formal medical knowledge and expand my medical leadership abilities. This will help me accomplish my overall goal of expanding the medical organization operation that is involved in treating patients in underserved communities around the

A large influencing factor that inspired me to become an osteopathic physician began when I started working as an emergency room scribe. Prior to the job I had heard about osteopathic medicine and noticed the DO label on a few physicians coats, but didn't know what it meant. During my first scribe shift with a DO I observed how different his practice was from the MD doctors I had previously worked with. The osteopathic physician was more hands on with his patients and it seemed that many patients appreciated his hands on care. After learning more about the DO profession, I asked a few of the DO’s what the difference to an MD meant to them.

The time I spent working in the ER as a scribe and the people I met during my time there inspired me to apply to osteopathic medical schools. Prior to my working there, I honestly didn’t know there were two routes to becoming a physician. I started noticing that there was either D.O. or M.D. initialed after doctors’ names in the signature of different physicians throughout the hospital.

Through the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Mentor Program I was able to meet Dr. Phuc Huynh, DO, an osteopathic physician specializing in family medicine, who was excited to share his profession with me. Through Dr. Huynh’s mentorship, I was able to gain a higher understanding of the osteopathic profession and witness how it will allow me to practice compassionate, patient-centered medicine.

Since I was five, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor of some sort, so I started to prepare myself for medical school. I volunteered at one of the local hospitals, joined clubs that were specific to the medical field, shadowed different professions in the medical field yet, in all those experiences, I had never heard of osteopathy. I had no clue that osteopathic medicine existed until I saw an osteopathic school at a college fair. The admissions women and I had a conversation about medical school, and she suggested an osteopathic route instead. She gave me a pamphlet and when I went home, I tossed it out. To be honest, I thought that osteopathy was for people who could not get accepted into medical school. Osteopathy lingered around in the

My first exposure to osteopathic medicine occurred as a young man when I switched my Primary Care Provider. The change took place when I was incredibly ill and in urgent need of an endocrinologist. Months preceding this event, I had lost an enormous amount of weight, was in and out of the hospital, and my family and I feared I might die. Dr. Sirisuk, my new PCP, advocated on my behalf so that I could see an endocrinologist sooner. Dr. Sirisuk not only saved me from further complications and increased my quality of life, but he likely saved my life. As a patient of Dr. Sirisuk, I felt like I had a voice and he treated me not just my symptoms.

Taking initiative in life can be the difference between being stagnant and being a dynamic and multifaceted individual. My personal mission in life has always been to take the initiative to put my goals into perspective and make the most of my education and experiences. I believe taking action and capitalizing on opportunities that present themselves are central to success. The quintessential values that I strive to emulate are diligence and persistence in my work. Interacting and exchanging ideas with peers to me is extremely important because it gives multiple perspectives to a single issue. I pride myself on doing things without being told to and like to brainstorm possible solutions for improvements. My principal strengths are my ability to adapt to and overcome the obstacles I face, both as a student and as a person. I believe that taking action and