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Internal Medicine Personal Statement

Decent Essays

I found myself on the ground tasting dirt within minutes of getting on a horse for the first time. Having apprenticed as a stable hand for the first few weeks of equestrian training, I knew I had grown to love the sport. Fortunately, dignity bruises much easily than the body and though shaken, I wouldn’t be deterred. The sheer joy I felt during those short minutes was unparalleled, and I wanted more. Mastering this discipline I realized, demanded a commitment to extensive study and practice. Four months, three falls and a broken wrist later, I qualified for my first equestrian championship. It was during my internship year that I found my niche in Internal Medicine. Fresh out of final year, it was intriguing how illnesses seldom presented as described in textbooks, the classic paroxysm in Malaria being a good case in point. Preexisting co-morbidities and medications served to add another layer of complexity, effectively individualizing every person that presented to the service. Every bedside came with a different set of challenges even if the illness was the same. By the time the shift was over I would have interpreted Pulmonary Function Tests to adjust medications for a 60 year old with emphysema, ruled out dengue in a …show more content…

Providing acceptable healthcare in a resource-starved setting required ingenuity and cost-conscious innovations. For Ramji, a lower limb amputee of many years, this came in the form of the ‘Jaipur Foot’ prosthesis. It helped him not only regain mobility, but dignity as well. We worked to bring all stakeholders together and projects like these brought my leadership skills to the fore. His story is one of many others that helped motivate us look beyond conventional patient care to bring about needed change. Its success encouraged me to constructively analyze, evaluate and contribute to formulating policies and processes in my workplace, as long as patients

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