Medical Professionals: A Personal Statement Of Purpose

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 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

My father’s journey and the medical care provided for him inspired me to seek a career in the

When I was young my grandmother taught me to always help others. Even those who may be mean or undeserving of it. There were many stereotypes and jokes made about me but she still wanted us to always help others. I learned to go with the flow and let it go. This lesson and the value in helping others helped me especially in high school. During my junior year in high school I began to take an interest in a program call Opportunities in Emergency Care. That year I was certified as a first aid provider and in CPR. As a senior I continued my education in this field. I am now a certified Emergency Medical Responder and I will be a certified Emergency Medical Technician. I have had many occasions to apply the knowledge and skills I gained, by working

I have been able to see the joy on a child’s face when they finally make a shot, the joy on their face when they learn how and when to cross the street, and the joy on their face when they realize that they have the potential to be anything they want to be in life. Being able to watch this all happen has allowed me to realize that I want to see these kinds of amazing reactions every day for the rest of my life. On top of this, I want to be the one to allow them to have this reaction. To me, it is the best feeling in the world when I know that I have helped someone do something they felt they couldn’t do before. This being said, my volunteer work has persuaded me into the direction of the medical field. I feel this has happened because the medical field gives me an enormous variety of ways to impact lives

1. Briefly describe the one clinical experience you have had that has most significantly influenced your decision to study medicine. Do not replicate your AMCAS personal statement.

My experience and skills are surpassed only by my enthusiasm to effectively meet the challenges before me. I am a highly capable, motivated, and energetic individual that enjoys working with others towards successful solutions. My leadership style incorporates motivation through positive feedback and support plus straightforwardness and open communication that builds trust and loyalty among my peers and patients alike. Throughout my personal experiences, education, and athletic career I have honed the ability to be a leader in times where others look for leadership. Leadership is not given; a confident, competent, and motivated individual takes leadership of a situation.

43 degrees Fahrenheit and realizing I had forgotten my arm warmers and iPod, I recognized the 26.2 miles ahead of me would require some grit. Yet before the starting pistol fired and the recording of Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” played, I knew all the preparation done in the months and weeks prior had primed me for a successful finish. There is a mantra in distance running, “the hay is in the barn,” to affirm that all of the training and miles logged up until race day will lead you to success. And it is this mantra which has guided my preparation for a career as a physician assistant.

The medical field has a wide range of opportunities that many plan to seek. Some, and hopefully a majority, pursue this career in order to better society one healthy solution at a time; however others simply pursue it to exceed parental expectations or to sit in a higher tax bracket. Personally, my reason for pursuing this career, through St Mary’s outstanding program, is altogether unique and abnormal to say the least. Normality never made an impact on the world. I, instead, stray far from the beaten path.

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.

As we rushed into the ambulance with sirens wailing, I was filled with trepidation. When an individual is so attached to someone, they forget that it could all end. They expect more, thinking they have forever, but they never know when it might be the last time. I endured the one I love in a life threatening experience and this encouraged me to want to become a part of the medical field where I can instill hope in people when they need it the most. Witnessing my mother have a heart attack consequently helped me realize I want to assist people in emergency situations.

“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.

When I was in high school, my great-grandmother became ill and came to live with us. Before school, after school, and during the weekend, I helped take care of her. This gave me a sense of pride and during that time, I realized how fulfilling it is to help people. I did not start out on the path to be a part of the medical profession, but I always had the desire! I have often given of my time volunteering at the Agape Senior Care facility. Now I am well on my way to becoming a medical assistant (MA)!

Being only five years old with no ability to form complete words yet, Michael’s hums are his own language and create a way to understand him. This quiet world that Michael lives in intrigued me. Michaels mother, Kathrynne, would always remind me that I did not have to watch him if I felt he was “too mentally exhausting”. Michael was challenging at times, but he was not, “mentally exhausting”, he was mentally stimulating. I was constantly determined to figure him out and maintain his humming.

All my life I have been in and out of hospitals. Every since I was born I had some problems that I had to face. Thanks to all the doctors that were there for me, that helped me become the girl that stands today, I get to live my life in peace. I had told myself from that day forward that I was gonna become a doctor or a nurse and help as many people as I can. I have always loved to help people in need. I hope that one day that I can save someone's life as someone saved mine.If I had to pick one role model that I looked up to ,I couldn’t. That is because I admire and idolize every single nurse and doctor there is in this world that help keep people alive and safe every single day.