Doctor Personal Statement

I came to America from Vietnam when I was just three years old. I spent a majority of my life with my grandma, who has always taught me the importance of helping others. She always told me to have; you must give, and if you have nothing to give, you can always give your time. This phase has been a huge guide in my life, and it has truly shaped me into who I am. At a young age, I always felt that my purpose in life was to help people. After attending many doctor visits with my grandma for her health check-ups, I was confident my future occupation would be in the medical field. During these frequent doctor visits, I had the chance to watch the interactions and cooperation among different healthcare professionals in different settings. Being in this inspiring environment, I hoped one day I could mirror them and make a difference in people’s lives and the community. Although I have always wanted to help those in need, I was uncertain of what specific career role would allow me to fulfill my passion for helping others.

I was able to see the hospital setting for the first time during this experience. This shadowing took place in Palmetto Health's Pediatric ICU. I shadowed Dr. Hubbird during college, and I gained more under his leadership then with any other doctor. He truly showed the passion of healthcare in his daily routine, and he challenged me to use critical thinking skills under pressure to help patients. I witnessed surgeries to get children breathing again in front of their grieving parents, and I knew at this moment that I wanted to make a difference and save lives. The humanitarian spirit was released in me during this experience, and I know that I want to do this work for the rest of my

I am drawn to family medicine by this same appreciation for humanism that is evident to me among practitioners in this field. I am similarly motivated and excited by the intellectual challenges, scope, and meaningfulness offered by a career in family medicine. I strive to join a residency program that will provide rigorous clinical training among a diverse patient population while offering extensive resident responsibility for patient care. I believe that a family medicine residency program will inspire me to excel and arm me with the tools I need to achieve my future goals. Upon completion of residency, I aim to devote myself to serving the underserved while dedicating time to conducting research and participating in community and medical

I envision the next ten years to be a time of intense personal growth. I will be building upon my strengths and improving my weaknesses. I hope to be fulfilling my goals and crossing things off of my bucket list. I hope to have the financial security to be able to help my mother retire, and help my younger brother to finish graduate school. I hope to be involved within my community, whether through volunteer work or a community-based organization. As for my career, I see myself working as a primary care physician. I am drawn to the long-term comprehensive care aspect of Internal Medicine and the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population in a variety of settings. This role aligns with my personal values in regards to health maintenance.

It is a fact that we have a longer life expectancy than ever before. This has been achieved through years of thorough research, technological development, and most importantly resilient individuals. Doctors are constantly faced with different enigmas with no right or wrong answer. What first attracted me toward medicine was the desire to help and support, in particular, disadvantaged people. Coming from a country with an underdeveloped health care system has made me realised the impact it has on people’s life.

For as long as I could remember, I have seen my father rushing to the hospital in a white coat, answering pagers in the middle of important family conversations and attending night calls even in the most terrible weather. I had always wondered; what could be so important that it belittles every other responsibility in his life. It was only after many years of anguish and protests that it finally made sense to me. This defining moment of realization occurred when I first met a patient in his office. I saw how the gratitude in the patient’s eyes can provide a sense of fulfillment that triumphs all other feelings in the universe. It was human life that was most important. Being a doctor does not make you a mere healer but also gives you the responsibility of a caregiver. I had never felt more proud of my father and that was the day I felt the urge to relive this feeling many times over. It was there in that moment that I decided to pursue a career in medicine.

I have always had a strong passion for the sciences. They were always my favorite classes and I enjoyed putting in the hard work to master them. I did well in math and business courses too, however I never felt excited about the material I was studying. My favorite areas in science have been biology, anatomy, and physiology of the human body. Each time I learn something new, I continue to be amazed by the complexity and precision of the human body.

I am applying to Touro University’s MHS program to advance my medical knowledge and prove I am a worthy candidate for the PA program. Between the ambulance and the emergency room, I have worked in the field of emergency medicine for the past 17 years. To be able to help another person in their worst moments and help turn their situation around is the best part of my job. I want to magnify the impact of my contribution by acquiring the skills and knowledge available in Touro’s Physician Assistant Program.

Science and medicine has always fascinated me and has been interesting to be since my education started as a child. All my cousins used to play video games, playing house, playing cards, but instead I always forced everyone on pretending my patients and me treating them and caring for them as a doctor. I also wanted my family members to act if they were sick and they needed help. As time passed, I no longer had to play as it was the reality now and they really now needed help. I have witnessed my family members, my grandmother who passed away due to heart attack at an early age, my other grandmother who currently is sick, my grandfather who passed away also due to heart attack.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. “ Those words, spoken by Confucius, represent the goal of not only mine, but many others when it comes to finding your true calling. The voyage to find your purpose in life can be quite difficult. Often times this journey proves too challenging and forces an individual to give up all together and instead settle for something easier to obtain and inferior to their original goal. This can commonly lead to feelings of unfulfillment and regret in the choices you have made. It’s not until you find your true calling that you go from thinking about your job as something that you have to do to something that you love doing.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been interested in the field of medicine. Specifically, I want to be a Physician Assistant and work in a Pediatric Hospital. My Mother is a huge influence on my choice to pursue this career. She was a Firefighter and a Paramedic but recently decided to go back to college for a Bachelors in Psychology to become a Physical Therapist. An area of specialization in medicine that interests me is Emergency Pediatric Care. This area interests me because I love children and want to be able to help kids who have been ill or injured. When I was younger, I went to the hospital with my younger cousin Kylie. She suffers from cerebral palsy and I remember watching the doctors taking care and making sure Kylie was comfortable

I began volunteering at the Hospital for Special Surgery, to get an overview of what is is like to work at a hospital. Volunteering at a hospital was an eye opening experience, because I got to encounter how physicians, and medical staff communicate, and listen to their patients. These two skills are essential to understand patient needs, and therefore make the right decisions in diagnosing diseases. My role at the hospital was to provide snacks, beverages, and aid kits to patients, families, and medical staff. I have witnessed families that stayed up long nights, because they had loved ones undergo surgery. Any person that has a loved one undergo surgery becomes worried and scared, because of the uncertainty that lies ahead. However, the imperative skills that I have learned and exceeded on was my communication skills. Communicating with these families, and patients was exceedingly important, because you have to place yourself in their shoes to understand the situation they are in. I met young patients, as young as 5 years old, that were in the hospital for days recovering from surgery, or undergoing

I am interested in pursuing the Physician Assistant (PA) certification because of both my familiarity as a professional in the medical field and as a patient. The PA profession offers me the opportunity to continue my lifelong passion of helping others, providing a team approach to patient-centered medicine, giving back to my community, and provides me with further opportunities to educate. My sophomore year I was recruited by the director of the local Red Cross to join a HIV/AIDS peer education program. After attending classes on evenings and weekends for a few months at the florescent lighted, wood paneled walled, Red Cross building our education was complete and our team’s presentation skills were developed enough to head to the community.

I further supported my studies in biology and my interest of assisting the needy by volunteering at my hometown’s emergency room. While I did find that working at the emergency room constantly catered to my passion for knowledge about medicine, it was my trustworthy and compassionate nature that allowed me a heightened ability to interact with patients in a reliable and effective manner. I continued my desire by shadowing physicians in the many different departments of the hospital. However, since the marvels of the heart always left me in wonder, I found myself drawn into the life of a cardiologist. While shadowing him in his private practice, I had the chance to appreciate the responsibilities, commitment, and satisfaction of a career in

My objective is to help people and those who need care and compassion. Volunteering at Maimonides Medical Center helped me to be courageous, mature, and resilient on the path that I have chosen to pursue my future career. It is not always easy for anyone to endure the essence of working and volunteering at the hospital. Being a patient-care volunteer have utilized my skills needed when it comes to interacting with patients. At Maimonides Medical Center, I was helping patients in several surgical departments.