Medical School And Residential Internship

It was near the end of winter 2005, when my grand-aunt suddenly fell ill. In a short period of time her illness worsened and the doctors informed my family, my grand-aunt only had a couple of months to live. The news was devastating to my family as we watched a vivacious, independent, and outspoken woman, who enjoyed shopping, reading mystery novels and spending time with family become very weak and confined to her bed. Instead of placing my grand-aunt in a hospice facility, my family and I, with the assistance of a hospice nurse cared for my grand-aunt in her home until her passing.

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

To further my insight into the medical field I have done four months of volunteer work at Jackson Memorial Hospital where I could see first-hand the necessities’ patients go through, their needs, their suffering and the human character to the profession, how humble it makes you feel and how self-rewarding it is to be able to help others in need. It is especially moving to go over the children’s section, for those receiving chemotherapy looks on their faces and as young as they are they know what they are going through, and their comments can hit you as a rock for children can be very expressive about their condition, and you must do all that is possible to try to put on a good face and help them the best way you can. This is extremely hard not only for the family members but for the professionals who have to deal in this type of life experiences daily which as routinely as it may seem, it doesn’t stop you from impacting you at a personal

With my older sisters away at college, the responsibility of caring for my ailing mother, suddenly fell to me, and my once picturesque childhood was at an end. I spent the early part of my adolescence learning how to run a household and play nurse to my mother. In addition to school and keeping the house in order, I administered her medications, gave injections, learned to catheterize her, helped her bath and use the restroom, and did all of the physician prescribed exercises to help with her leg cramps and numbness. When I had time I studied her disease, determined to find anything that might help alleviate her symptoms and bring the mom I remembered and craved back to me. And though she was often too far gone within her own mind to realize what was going on around her, when she was fully lucid she would smile softly and tell me what a wonderful nurse I would be when I grew up, just like she had been before the disease struck her. Looking back, I wish I could say that I preformed my duties with a smile on my face, but unfortunately that’s simply not

Kicker, a 3 year-old boy, who has never been to a doctor, never received any type of shot or poke, eaten a clean, nutrient dense diet throughout his short three years and never had anything toxic on his skin, was sitting in the cold hospital room waiting for news of a diagnosis. Nurses came in and out of the waiting room, bringing in needles, advice, paperwork and machines. All of which were intimidating to a 3 year-old and his mother, Season, who happened to be a holistic nutritionist. A nurse came into the waiting room and informed Season that an Oncologist needed to speak with her. At that moment, Season began holding her jaw tight to fight back the tears knowing that Oncologist specialized in cancer.

I participated in numerous and varied electives to gain a wide appreciation for the scope and practice of medicine. I learned countless lessons from physicians, nurses, midlevel providers and ancillary staff, while caring for hundreds of patients gaining a level of autonomy. The importance of a focused history and physical – to not be afraid of the myriad of details and at the same time to not loose sight of the bigger picture – how to present cases, and how to formulate a high-quality differential diagnosis with appropriate testing measures were all emphasized. These experiences showed me that being an effective Internist involves not only the treatment of those severely ill, but also the need for comprehensive treatment of the patient and their families. I was genuinely inspired to be a part of the IM team and my goal of becoming an Internist was

Andy was embarking on his second semester of his junior year in college. After a long bout with a cold and the sudden emergence of a protruding mass on his chest, he knew something was not right. Within a week, he received devastating news - a diagnosis of an aggressive form of bone cancer. The treatment regiment included two years of chemotherapy and radiation. The extensiveness of his cancer made surgical treatment impossible. After just his first dose of chemotherapy, he became septic and spent six weeks in an intensive care unit followed by weeks of rehabilitation. Although he had been optimistic about continuing to attend classes and staying involved with campus organizations throughout the treatment course, a disabled immune system and countless days in the hospital prevented this. His friends and peers became distant because his appearance and prognosis made them uncomfortable and speechless. He eventually relied on his mother and closest friends to take him to appointments because of increasing weakness and chronic pain. When his world was virtually turned upside down and he eventually lost much of his independence, Andy started to display symptoms of major depressive disorder.

I am interested in Emory’s School of Medicine MD program mainly impart to their commitment to train physicians to serve the community. I believe community involvement as a physician is key to diminish health inequalities where they initially develop. In addition, Emory’s emphasis towards understanding the biopsychosocial conditions of each patient will be vital in honing in on an accurate diagnosis and tailoring my approach as a physician to accommodate these factors while meeting their needs.

Each year, approximately 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer and unfortunately that number is not decreasing. My sister, Caitlin, was a part of that statistic 12 years ago, and to say her Ewing’s Sarcoma changed not only her life, but also my family’s would be an understatement. As a child, witnessing the deterioration of my sister’s health and the my family’s normalcy ultimately shaped me into the person I am today; a person that welcomes change with a resilient nature built on a foundation to never quit. I am blessed to say that my sister is flourishing and her cancer has been in remission and upon meeting her today, one would have no idea she ever endured such a relentless disease. Nevertheless in the past two years, my mother

My ambition to become a family practitioner has been fueled by events during my adolescent years, as well as experiences throughout medical school. As I rotated in hospitals and clinics over the past two years, I observed the multiple angles the family physician role encompasses. Coupled with my love and respect for medicine with its evolving curative and management possibilities and the desire to further probe the nature of the array of illnesses I have seen, my role of educator and counselor has been ignited. Once a morbidly obese adolescent at 324 pounds, I was counseled by my family doctor to “watch your portions.” Years later, those words of counsel still echo in my mind.

When I was a kid, I always wondered why it took so long for an ill person to become well again. I always thought that if the ill person went to the doctor they would be back to normal the next day, but that’s not the case. For some people it took several days, weeks, months, and even years to conquer an illness but as a child I never could understand that. I don’t know how many times I’ve asked my mom or dad how come the doctors don’t get together and make a “miracle” drug that could heal anything and everything. It wasn’t until the age of 15 when my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer that I understood why it took so long for others to heal and the process that they had to endure in order to be healthy again. Shortly after my grandmother’s diagnosis, I started looking into what it would take to get a drug that would cure cancer through the approval process on the shelf to save some many others just like my grandmother. But I kept running into a dead end. Everything seemed to keep pointing towards chemotherapy and radiation. Although I wanted something to heal my grandmother fast, chemotherapy and radiation was the only solution if I had wish to see her watch me graduate high school. I went to almost every appointment with her to watch how it helped strengthen but also watch as it drained her energy. A month of chemotherapy and a few weeks of radiation and my

It is an immense pleasure to write in support of the application of Suren Visvanathan, AAMC ID 13825842, for a position in your family medicine residency program. Suren waived his right to see this letter. I worked closely with Suren when he did a 8 week internal medicine clerkship with me. I have observed Suren in both the inpatient and outpatient setting, taught him in class and overseen his performance during this entire period.

Cancer’s a bitch! When I was 11 years old I lost my father, a 35 year old non-smoker, to lung cancer. Before the death of my dad, I had always wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. The overwhelming beauty and complexity of nature fascinated me. Watching my father slowly lose his fight with cancer was my first real push towards wanting to study medicine. Later experiences volunteering in hospitals, shadowing physicians, and watching my little sister’s boyfriend struggle through his own fight with a brain tumor only furthered and solidified my passion for medicine. Though I have had some rough patches in my life, I consider myself lucky in that I have seen and experienced things that most people never get to in their lifetimes. These experiences have given me me the chance prove myself able to deal with stress while performing academically, and have shaped me in ways that will make me a more aware and well rounded physician in the future.

Yet, the devastating news that my Mom disclosed when I was in high school shocked me so much: She was diagnosed with breast cancer stage 1 and would lose an integral part of her womanhood. The family adversity made me believe that being a doctor can help save the lives of my patients I would meet. But. Pursuing a broader area with the technological breakthrough in the field of cancer could help me save the lives of millions of patients I would never meet. My Mom bestowed on me the promise of a daughter, helping no Moms have any similar disease like her.

Deciding to pursue a career in Family Medicine was not a choice that I made easily. Before entering medical school, I assumed Pediatrics was the field for me. Taking on a leadership role as a volunteer peer tutor for students with disabilities in high school had stimulated my interest in working with adolescents. However, after completing rotations in various specialties, I recognized that I enjoyed caring for patients of all ages and wanted to be in a profession where I can treat not only the disease but the person as a whole.