My Experience As An Osteopathic Physician

Acts of service always created a desire in me to help make people’s lives better. People often put forth their best when

I first learned about osteopathic medicine through admissions workshop in graduate school. Osteopathic medicine’s emphasis on primary care and helping medically underserved communities truly appealed to me. As I delved further about its philosophy in the books, I am also interested by the fact that osteopathic physicians are trained to focus on health, not the disease. This will improve the overall well-being of a patient and prevent diseases. In Burma, I faced the challenges of substandard health care and education, without clean water, food or public sanitation. All these experiences, complicated by my bouts of tuberculosis and typhoid taught me at a young age to appreciate the value of a healthy life.

From day one my mom taught me that you will get more satisfaction giving to and helping others than you ever will by just doing things for yourself. I truly believe this. Volunteering to teach swimming lessons, organizing recycled items, and visiting the nursing home are all things I have been involved in and doing each of those I have learned more and more about how important service is. Just recently my classmates and I helped an elderly woman move all of her belongings out of her home and into the 4H building for an auction. The 4H building is on the fairgrounds where I have volunteered to clean up every spring for the last 3 years. Service is very important but also very rewarding. I look toward to doing more service projects in the

The needs of others is always prevalent, however, the means to satisfy those needs can be eluding. Community service with the Feeding America Organization and volunteering at charity marathons have taught me two essential lessons, any contribution matters and never take anything for granted.

As a volunteer I've learned the value of service to others and to the community, and I've seen the impact it has on those involved. I’ve seen so many people, especially through church outreach, positively affected by those who use their time and talents to serve others. Although volunteering has benefited me externally in many ways, such as my Eagle Scout Project and NHS hours, I’ve also gained a greater understanding of who I am as a person. I’ve learned how important service is and how it can benefit myself and others around

My most redeeming qualities are my passion and drive in my pursuit to further my education; although I have had some hardships, I have proven resilient. I wanted to expand my understanding of pharmacotherapeutics and pathophysiology, and subsequently chose to stay for an additional year at Truman State University. In that time, I decided to pursue an Agricultural Science Minor to become culturally competent in a rural, farming area, of which I would like to practice medicine. As a lifelong student and President of Pre-SOMA, I remain versed in the latest literature and medical advances in my spare time. These qualities will encourage me to continue my osteopathic pursuit through the difficulties I will be faced at KCOM. While I understand

Discovering the practice of osteopathic medicine and how it aligns with my future professional goal as a physician of viewing patients from a comprehensive perspective was made possible through my interactions with representatives of this branch of medicine. I was first introduced to osteopathic medicine when I was a student research intern at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). As an intern, I had the opportunity to attend the 2015 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Graduate and Professional School Fair and speak with an AACOM representative as well as admission representatives of different osteopathic medical schools. After reading informational booklets from osteopathic medical programs and investigating the

For most of my life I have valued, and sought to seek connections in all aspects of my life. The connections between neighbors, family, friends, and communities. Because it is these very connections, these unifying fibers, that are essential to thriving relationships. The reasons that I am interested in becoming an osteopathic physician are varied, but if I were to condense them into three distinct reasons they would be: (1) Osteopathic physicians seek connections in their everyday practice, (2) Osteopathic physicians see the whole person, not just a conglomerate of body parts, (3) Osteopathic physicians, from as far as I have seen, have lasting stronger relationships with their patients. Just like I highlighted connections in the beginning of my answer I would like to underscore them once again, because I believe they are representative of my three reasons as to why I want to become an osteopathic physician.

I was first exposed to the philosophy and teachings behind osteopathic medicine when I attended TCOM’s pre-medical conference my freshmen year of college. At this event, I learned about the holistic view that forms the basis behind osteopathic medicine. The philosophies behind osteopathic medicine and the emphasis TCOM has on primary care and preventative medicine aligns with my personal medical outlook and endeavors. Since this conference, I sought out a variety of experiences to explore osteopathic medicine. I was given the opportunity to shadow an osteopathic physician, Dr. Ball, before sophomore year. In addition, recently I observed TCOM’s medical students explain and perform OMM treatment. These experiences and others have allowed me

Volunteering is good for the mind, body, and soul. For some of us, it is hard to find the time. Becoming creative and doing what you deem a little can be BIG for another. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent questions is “What are you doing for others?”

My road into choosing medicine has been a turbulent route, but the bumps and hurdles along the way have created defining impressions on me. Over the years, I have been pushed and pulled into and away from being a physician. I interest in medicine initially sparked my high school friend asked me to take his job in doing his father’s, a primary care physician, paperwork for the year. I was in need of some gas money, so I gladly accepted. After signing towers of paper work regarding HIPAA, I began doing the simple task of scanning medical files and typing them into the electronic system.

Being immersed in a clinical setting has solidified my decision to pursue a career as a physician. However, directly witnessing the practice of both allopathic and osteopathic physicians has led me down a new, unexpected path towards a career as an osteopathic physician. As an emergency medical scribe/ clinical information manager at Sutter Delta Medical Center and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, I have had the pleasure of working alongside a handful of osteopathic physicians sprinkled amongst the majority that I now view as my first mentors. Prior to acquiring this position, I knew little if anything about osteopathic programs and even less about the distinction between allopathic and osteopathic medicine.

A D.O is short for dr. of osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic doctors are physicians who concentrate on holistic treatment. Osteopathic physicians also work and focus on developing skills that treat structural(bone) problems by using manipulative therapy and other treatments. Techniques and procedure that the physicians use includes spinal manipulation, massage therapy, and osteopathic medicine. Requirements are needed to become a D.O., there are multiple places to work at as a doctor of osteopathic medicine as well as places that will need a doctor of osteopathic medicine, and information about a D.O and their daily jobs will be provided.

Thank you for making time to speak with me yesterday during my interview at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. I truly enjoyed listening to a professor who is as invested in his school as you are and not only has an answer to the question “what brought you here?” but also “what keeps you here?” Your answer was a testament of the great community of professors and students at UNECOM. Doctors can best learn to provide patient-centered care by professors who provide student-centered teaching. Having professors who truly care about there students is rare to find, but after speaking to you in my interview, I could see your commitment to training quality doctors.

There are two kinds of physicians that practice in the United States; they are allopathic physicians and osteopathic physicians. They are very similar in the ways that they both can diagnosis and treat illnesses and provide preventive care to patients. Both physicians may even practice medicine in similar ways today, since their training is almost identical to one another. Allopathic and osteopathic doctors can both prescribe medicine, perform surgery and can practice in specialty areas such as critical care or emergency medicine (Indiana College, 2007). There are many things that cause people to want to be a physician, such as helping others, job security and the interest of researching.