OHSU Secondary: What experience have you had that has given you insight into the patients you hope to eventually serve? (1500 characters) Before entering my master’s program at Tulane University School of Medicine (TUSOM), I had the chance to volunteer in the surgical department at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center (PWFMC). While volunteering, the majority of my patient interactions involved helping patients in any way possible, which usually meant simply talking with and comforting them. After all, most patients do not choose to be in the hospital and are to some extent afraid. They become scared as they attempt to contemplate the personal and financial costs of their ailments for both themselves and their loved ones. This awareness was further highlighted studying, observing, and volunteering at TUSOM. Most notably, shadowing Dr. Douglas Slakey, a surgical specialist, and his team in the gastrointestinal (GI) clinic at Tulane Medical Center. Witnessing Dr. Slakey explain the surgical options for a pancreatic cancer patient and their family was saddening, but it also reiterated crucial aspects of the profession. Most importantly, patients and their family members may not fully understand their ailments; as physicians do with years of training and experience. This unusual situation creates a particular anxiety and discomfort for the patient, which is why it is crucial that doctors exercise sympathy and empathy. Patients need to know that you sincerely care about
Not only do I have a good understanding of the patient population I want to work with, I want to help reshape healthcare. I particularly want to improve the access of primary care to medically underserved populations. Everyone deserves equal access to healthcare and there should be no disparity in the quality of care provided. Therefore, each additional encounter I had with a PA or a patient has elevated my passion for helping people in need.
Throughout my clinical experiences, there have been quite a few circumstances I have been placed in that have remained with me whether good or bad. All of them have been learning experiences for me whether it is how to improve and to do better next time from a mistake, for me to learn that this is or is not how a patient should be treated, how to handle family situations, and many others. One experience that I was able to participate in that will remain with me because I had not experienced this before was during my critical care rotation in the fall of 2015. This patient was dying and we were implementing comfort care for him.
The Georgetown University School of Medicine strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. Please describe how your personal characteristics or life experiences will contribute to the Georgetown University School of Medicine community and bring educational benefits to our student body. (1000 characters)
Through my compassion, responsibility, and teamwork I will be able to leave a positive impact on the patients, staff, and parents that visit this facility. Although I may only be a high school student volunteering a few hours a week at this local hospital and I may not be handing a scalpel to a doctor, what I do has the power to bring a smile to someone's day. This opportunity to make their experience better is definitely worthwhile. To conclude, I would also like to thank the Plano Presbyterian Volunteer Services coordinators and directors for providing this great opportunity for High School students like myself who are exploring the medical
Serving these populations is much more than serving food but also considering each individual’s unique story in its entirety. Some may have a dark past, some suffer from addiction, and others lose faith. As a hospital volunteer, I also served patients by spending quality time and assisting their needs. By simply understanding their viewpoint, I influenced them to believe in hope for a greater future. I learned that to effectively provide care for others, it is necessary to consider all the small scenes that combine to produce each person’s story. Compassion and service toward my patients are the sole ingredients for effective
The University of North Carolina (UNC) School Of Medicine was established in 1879, and is located at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Its mission is to improve the health of the people it serves, by achieving excellence and providing leadership in patient care, education and research. The faculty-student ratio at UNC Medical School is 1.8:1, where it has a total enrolment of 813 medical students, 52% male. In 2014, 180 students were matriculated (152 North Carolina residents), which was 3.17% of the number of applicants. The students had a mean MCAT score of 31.94, mean GPA of 3.78 and mean science GPA of 3.56.
On this unit we took care of diabetic patients, the majority of them being newly diagnosed. This is where I really found my passion for treating and educating patients on their new often terrifying disease. I came to realize my patients were not the only ones learning something new. I learned that I can
The organization in which I am familiar with is my current employer of ten years, University of Mississippi Medical Center. The University of Mississippi Medical Center, also known to many as UMMC is located in Jackson, MS. The doors of this phenomenal organization was opened in 1955. According to the Medical Center History (2016), The Medical Center functions as a separately funded, semi-autonomous unit responsible to the chancellor of the University of Mississippi and, through him, to the constitutional Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, which governs all eight state institution of higher learning in Mississippi. This is an educational organization that provide education to medical students, graduate students, interns and residents. Bachelor, Graduate, and doctorate degrees are all awarded through this great institution.
I discovered my passion for medicine. Conversing with patients is something that I found great joy in. Few other professional fields offer such connections to a wide range of human beings. I have been given advice I will never forget, and learned things about the world in a unique way. This offered an opportunity for spiritual, cultural and personal growth, and vice versa in the case of the patient.
I quickly recognized I wanted to practice medicine as part of a team and under supervision. However, I still desired sufficient independence with extensive and in-depth training. With this in mind, I began forming opinions about the various careers in healthcare until I came across the PA profession. By shadowing Araya, a PA, at a clinic, I observed how she provided sensitive and comprehensive care to the patients. She took time to explain to the patients their diagnoses in a warm, personable,and comforting attitude, which were all personality traits that I possess. I was extremely pleased of the lengths the PA went to in order to make the patient feel included and taken care of. Prior to this experience, I knew I wanted to construct strong relationships with my future patients and understand and treat patients as a whole. Not only was this palpable within the care Araya provided to her patients, but I now have the opportunity to build relationships with patients as a healthcare volunteer at Jamati Clinic by listening attentively to their main concerns as well as their outlook on their
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
Throughout my experience as a surgical patient, I always noticed three things my medical team never failed to perform: inform, educate, and care for me. Through my frequent visits to the hospital I began to notice that these ideals were essential in every successful physician-patient relationship. As I progressed in my career as a student, I came to realize that the academic and extracurricular activities I was involved in were helping me perform those very qualities.
While taking in each detail of the surgery, I witnessed the specialized skills required to make the incision and insert the tube through the patient’s chest. The physician’s success in carrying out the skills reminded me of the techniques I had mastered for my microbiology thesis. I found the missing link between my fascination with surgery and my thesis research: patient-centered care. I was awestruck by the physician’s ability to maintain focus on the chest tube insertion while simultaneously providing emotional support to the patient throughout the surgery. Witnessing the procedure instilled a deep desire to develop the physician’s abilities to deliver life-saving, patient-centered care.
I hope to gain more hands-on clinical experience by examining and preparing patients before surgery and monitoring them throughout the recovery process. Some of members of my lab are physician-scientists, and I have shadowed them when they see patients at the hospital. Since all of the physicians I previously shadowed were specialists, I have reached out to a family doctor. I will be shadowing him on weekends in the coming months so I can gain a better understanding of what being a primary care provider entails.
It is obvious that all of our instructors have a common goal, which is for all of us to learn as much as we possibly can. I honestly think that by allowing as many opportunities as possible to see and experience as much as possible will help us all learn from our clinical experiences.