Gastroenterologist Personal Statement

The medical field is a career path that brings about many options and opportunities of great value. The noble idea of being a doctor tends to cloud the diligent studying and precise training that is actually required for this career. I have wanted to become a doctor since a very young age, and now that the opportunity is here for the taking, I have fully researched what it takes to succeed in this profession and various specialties of the practice. The road to a medical degree is one filled with thousands of notes, years of schooling, and many stressful nights, but the reward is one incomparable to any other. Saving people’s lives on a day-to-day basis has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember, so the rigorous curriculum

My knowledge and abilities are developing; nevertheless, I acknowledge they are far from refined. Consequently, I feel the Physician Assistant Fellowship in Hospital Internal Medicine is the ideal program to facilitate professional growth and encourage a successful transition from student to provider. In turn, I am confident I possess the curiosity, passion, and work ethic to make the most an extraordinary educational opportunity. I am excited to meet the challenges of the fellowship and the demands of internal medicine. Thank you for your

In addition to scholastic achievement, well rounded physicians have plenty of life experiences. They have fought through tragedies, yet find reasons to smile. They demonstrate success and leadership in spite of past failures. Their story may not be glamorous, but they consistently overcome obstacles that would stifle others. Their drive and determination defines who they are. The physician that emphasizes the well being of others over personal gain, that is the physician I plan to be. My path towards becoming a physician has been difficult in order to shape me into a more complete person. These past experiences allow me to sympathize, empathize, and more supportive of patients in the primary care setting. I feel the need to use my personal

As a child, I was fueled by curiosity to crack open computers and examine each piece to diagnose their individual contributions to the overall system. Driven by the same inquisitive character, I was drawn to the intricacies of the human body which shared many similarities with these complex machines. My thirst for further understanding of the human body and desire to translate my initial interest into an opportunity to improve the lives of those around me began my journey into medicine.

of accomplishing one of my most important goals as a physician, which is to lead a team into a

As an aspiring physician my preparation has been driven by motivation, intelligence and most importantly commitment. Over the course of my undergraduate education I have developed strong communications skills all while maintaining a strong work ethic. My best attribute is my willingness to help other. I am caring, compassionate, confident, cultivated and consistently eager to learn. The career path I have chosen has tested my ability to deal with uncertainty, problem solving, and most importantly helped me to distinguish my strengths and weaknesses. I have learned to manage risk and deal effectively with problems. Overall, I have developed the skills to virtually engage people.

It all came together last summer on a 5,724.8-mile bicycle ride from Texas to Alaska. I was among a group of students lucky enough to wear the Texas 4000 for Cancer jersey and devote a summer to pedaling for a cause. Like with many other premed students, signs that showed how interested I was in medicine were apparent since before I can remember, but everything from my summer trip validated further every desire I had to join the medical field as a doctor. At the age of ten I was confident I wanted to spend the rest of my life getting back at the disease that took my grandmother away – a decision that led me as a freshman in college to a drug design and biological recognition research lab. I joined the lab as a way to help others by studying infectious diseases, but I sought out a way to make a more personal and unique impact on others Texas 4000.

Knowing that I really did not want to pursue clinical medicine as I originally planned, my thoughts really wandered to the area of clinical research. I was encouraged by a colleague medical doctor and senior safety manager in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue a career in research as it definitely suited my interests. I was certain that by obtaining some practical experience and working in a research environment to gain first-hand knowledge of what the responsibilities of a researcher entails, I could answer my questions and satisfy my curiosity.

Entering my clinical years brought along with it an entirely new set of challenges, but I was pleasantly surprised to find my niche while

This sense of intellectual curiosity, combined with my desire to help others, is the key factor that fuels me and my journey in becoming a competent physician. Though I have faced much adversity in my life, I have learned to be adaptable and resilient. One of the most challenging situations in my life occurred during medical school. After being misdiagnosed with Wilson disease at the end of my second year, I experienced an unexpected delay in my medical school studies.

Following college, I left behind the family, community, and country I had known to advance my medical education in Saba University and my training in the United States. While blazing this new trail was challenging, I took every advantage of opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally. Stimulating classroom and clinical experiences taught me to be a better planner, critical thinker, and a trusted, involved ally in consultation. Empowered by such experiences, I acted with confidence and poise in the clinical environment. I still view the case where I helped my attending identify overlooked symptoms that subsequently led to a diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease as a standard for the type of in-depth commitment to care that will define my career in internal

My interest in teaching, problem solving, and willingness to accept unpopular tasks lead to new opportunities. These opportunities were in committee leadership and clinical projects. I went on to medical staff and the administrative leadership roles. I also helped start a Free Clinic and was the medical director. At present I am the Chairman of the Department of Medicine.

After all the hours of shadowing, clinical work, volunteering, research, studying for the MCAT, and going through the application process, I have finally been admitted and started medical school. Although getting accepted to medical school has not required a small amount of work, I know it will only become more challenging each year. However, many people have helped shape the course of my life to this point and I intend to maintain the characteristics that I have worked to develop.

My love for neurosurgery grew slowly over the past three years, like a tumor, until it finally took over my aspirations. With a master’s degree in psychology, I entered medical school thinking I would specialize in psychiatry. However, the field of neurosurgery soon enraptured me. On top of my underlying interest in the brain, I discovered a love for the operating room with all of its intensity, acuity, and finesse as well as a passion for neurological processes and pathology. During my clinical years of medical school, I tried hard to find specialties I could imagine myself doing instead of neurosurgery because I did not want to be someone who entered the field with superficial understanding or commitment. It was all in vain. In the end, having

Throughout my life, my family encouraged me to follow in the footsteps of my Grandfather, a General Surgeon. Grandfather always hoped that I would follow in his path. As early as I can remember, I had an interest in medicine, but it was not until the Summer of 2010 that these seeds would begin to grow in earnest. It was during that summer that my Grandfather took me under his wing and allowed me to shadow him in his daily rounds. That first day was a busy schedule for him: hernia repair at 8:30 AM, patient post-op follow up at 11:25AM, and a kidney stone removal at 3PM.