I Discovered My Servant 's Heart Through Mission Trips With My Youth Group

“Never be a doctor if you’re going to have any loans to pay back.” “Don’t do this to yourself.” “You’ll never have a family if you go to medical school.” “The two worst jobs in America belong to physicians and teachers.” Without even soliciting their advice, physicians noticed my “Pre-medical Volunteer” nametag, and immediately approached me with words of discouragement. I participated in a volunteer summer internship at St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, following my sophomore year of college, in an effort to gain more experience in the medical field and solidify my lifelong desire to become a physician. Throughout the eight weeks, I spent mandatory hours in both the Emergency Room and the Operating Room, made contacts with physicians in specific areas of interest, and spent time shadowing them. In addition, each of us in the program attended weekly business meetings in which administrators of the hospital and local physicians spoke to us about their particular positions and experiences. Unlike the many years of high school I spent volunteering at a hospital and a nursing home, where I was limited to carrying around food trays and refilling cups of water, I was able to gain hands-on and more intimate experience. Initially uneasy at the site of the blood gushing into plastic sheets draped around the orthopedic surgeon’s patient in the OR, it took only a few days to grow accustomed to the images on the television screen during a laparoscopic procedure and the

Medicine is a unique field in the sense that being a healthcare worker requires cumulative knowledge and skills in order to provide care for others in a sensitive and effective manner. My first direct patient experience with healthcare came on a Sunday morning in the basement of a church that serves as a clinic for the homeless, or for those who cannot afford to receive medical care. I was tasked with escorting patients from the waiting room into a makeshift examination room, and to gather basic information (why they came in, past medical history, drug use, and how they were feeling). A man in 50’s was the next patient, and I escorted him back to the room to start my routine as usual. When I asked about any current drug usage, he unexpectedly

One thing I think of often is how much I loved every second of my mission. And If I could preach and share the gospel in a similar way, shape or form for the rest of my life I would. It’s one thing that brings me constantly and continues joy. It changed my life and will continue to change and shape my life forever. In reflecting on these past two weeks I have come to realize that I am doing exactly what I hope and pray for on a daily basis. I get to smile and talk to people. To be honest and provide service and help others. Though it may be part of my job and tedious at time, I absolutely love

Being raised by two primary care physicians in a modest but comfortable lifestyle, I have always known that a physician is not what I want to become. Witnessing how their lives were and are to this day heavily influenced by the different stages of their careers and the constant changing of the policies and laws that affect health care led me to follow a different calling. On the contrary, their commitment to their professions and quest for higher knowledge did have an effect on me. Despite my occasional resistance and minor teenage rebellious spirit, the drive to do well in school was instilled upon me.

It’s 1997. I am four years old, and I have on my favorite plaid dress; I just started at my new elementary school. Unlike a typical child, my interest was the Discovery Health channel instead of Barney or Sesame Street. I grew up as an only child, so being an individual isn’t just a choice, but the only way I understand. It was on this day after school I went to visit my aunt who is my best friend. She was suffering a severe migraine from stress in her marketing position. I remember visiting and holding a small blue ice pack to her head for an hour or so while she watched Beverly Hills 90210. It was my first vivid memory and what I believe to be the spark of my aspiration to perform medicine.

My interest in medicine began when I was ten years old when my grandfather was admitted to the intensive care unit of Condell Medical Center after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Walking into his room I was shocked to see his face swollen and unrecognizable, his bald head, and his cough, loud and shallow followed by blood. Lots of blood. I had been too young to seriously consider a career choice for myself, let alone physician; however, sitting beside my grandfather, observing the various doctors and nurses compassion by trying to comfort my grandfather, my mother, and grandmother, nothing seemed more noble. Nothing seemed so natural.

I hadn’t always known I wanted to do medicine. I considered it due to my love for chemistry and biology, an interest furthered during an intensive chemistry summer course in 8th grade, however, it was only after working at a pre-school for 3 weeks that I realized I also wanted a career incorporating care-taking. I thoroughly enjoyed simple tasks such as reassuring a little boy who had lost his first tooth and found that a small thank-you would make my day. Medicine became the ideal choice, allowing me to care for others while also studying biomedical science and understanding the science behind treatments. To gain a realistic understanding of the career, I shadowed a paediatrics hospital in Romania for a week.

Through my years of studying banking and finance in college, little did I know that I would be in a career path of medicine today. While I Paced the hallway of the hospital my cousin was receiving care, I was mesmerized at how determined the internists were to stabilize her health and how much knowledge they possessed. This ordeal planted the seed of my passion to care for everyone like family and to continuously update myself with as much clinical and theoretical knowledge to be a better doctor with every passing day.

Pediatric medicine had a gravitational pull on me. Working as a scribe at a children’s hospital before medical school initially sparked my curiosity for emergency medicine. But when I returned to the same emergency department three years later, I knew pediatrics is where I truly belong. The hallways and friendly smiles were familiar, except this time I had a stethoscope in hand and the clinical mindset to problem solve alongside my attending. I was not the same woman who trailed behind physicians fixated on a laptop screen; I was a medical student.

I have been living in the United States and preparing myself to continue my journey in medicine. To this end, shadowing various doctors in the Washington, DC metropolitan area; has introduced me to the American health care system and also enabled me to keep my direct patient care knowledge current.

The medical field has always been an intriguing area of study to me. Even as a young child, when I had to go to the doctor’s office, I would ask the doctor tons of questions about how the medicine he or she gave me worked. As I grew older and started to enroll in upper-level science classes, my interest in healthcare became immensely stronger. Apart from classes at school, a variety of other factors contributed to my decision of pursuing a healthcare career.

My fascination with medicine was truly ignited during freshman year of high school, when I started volunteering at a local hospital. While all my friends slept in late, I was up early every Saturday morning so that I could attend to twenty patients. My job was quite simple: I was in charge of giving every patient new water and linen and communicating any patient needs to the hospital

I volunteered at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Pennsylvania, to shadow Dr. Krystal Ascencio, an Obstetrician- Gynecologist. I watched as she performed caesarean sections, and even an episiotomy to expedite a challenging vaginal delivery and ensure the safety of both mother and child. It was through shadowing her and other doctors that I further understood a physician’s great responsibility and the importance of making efficient and well-educated decisions. I witnessed the assertiveness in their decision-making and the compassion they had towards caring for their patients. I saw patients rely on and look to doctors for advice, treatment and reassurance. I witnessed how the privilege of working directly with patients requires sacrifice and dedication. I knew I had to be a part of this wonderful field where I would have the opportunity to treat patients and positively impact their health, but my resolve was further strengthened with my mother's illness.

As a student doctor, I continued to explore three core parts of my identity: a deep appreciation for the humanistic and scientific intricacies of the human body; intense enjoyment of research and analytical thinking; and a sincere devotion to serve. One of the most frustrating aspects of preclinical medical education is not having ample opportunity to learn medicine in the field through experience, and relegating the majority of learning to textbooks or small group discussions. To augment my devotion to serve the community in a way that

In a world filled with many opportunities in the health care field to impact and make a difference in others lives, missionary work is a huge contribution. It has created opportunities to not only improve health care, but also provides volunteer work, learning experiences, and the ability to share. Share, love, compassion, faith, and hope therefore improving others lives.