My First Grade Teacher Has Never Let Me You Grow Up, Caleb?

My interest in medicine first stemmed from my freshman Biology class and my Nutrition class. I was intrigued by our studies of cells, genetics, and disease. Both courses incited a sense of awe and curiosity within me. Dissecting a frog, was the stepping-stone for my interest in medicine. Seeing the frog's heart made me wonder how the human heart worked. My research into the human heart inspired me to learn more about the medical field. I sought out volunteer opportunities that would give me insight into a doctor’s typical day. During my volunteer experience, I learned that as a doctor you experience many obstacles, including patient compliance and insurance approval issues. In my journey to pursue medicine, I learned that becoming a doctor means more than helping people, it means being the team leader, being compassionate, and most importantly being committed to the patient’s well being.

For the past nine years, I have known what I wanted to become. On June 23, 2015, my journey to becoming a pediatric surgeon will finally begin. Whenever I absent-mindedly think of my future and plans to get there, my face acquires an unusually large grin that attracts the attention of many. The endpoint of my plan is an image of me gripping my envelope on Match Day, the day in which every medical school graduate opens the envelope containing the place of their residency, and waiting for the person holding the microphone to give me the green light. Here’s how that plan starts.

The medical field is a career path that brings about many options and opportunities of great value. The noble idea of being a doctor tends to cloud the diligent studying and precise training that is actually required for this career. I have wanted to become a doctor since a very young age, and now that the opportunity is here for the taking, I have fully researched what it takes to succeed in this profession and various specialties of the practice. The road to a medical degree is one filled with thousands of notes, years of schooling, and many stressful nights, but the reward is one incomparable to any other. Saving people’s lives on a day-to-day basis has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember, so the rigorous curriculum

Many people in this world want to make a difference in life. However, most people do not want to put in all the effort that it takes to do so. The job of a pediatrician is life-changing to many. Unfortunately, it takes drive and effort that many people do not have, to become a pediatrician. A pediatrician’s job is a highly-skilled and interesting job because he or she has the privilege to deal with and help as many children as possible.

I have had a variety of experiences that contributed to my overall motivation to become a health care professional. My passion for medicine began when I was an adolescent being evaluated and taken care of by my pediatrician, Dr. Gonzalez. As a kid, I loved being active and playing several sports. However, I consistently had shortness of breath, wheezing, and tightness in my chest during my sports competitions, which my parents quickly noticed. I visited Dr. Gonzalez who knew from the symptoms and experience that I have asthma and prescribed both an inhaler and nebulizer for me to prevent further complications which allow me an opportunity to continue playing sports. I began succeeding playing all sports, and was extremely grateful for her medical knowledge, support, and advice. I was ecstatic knowing that she was going to ensure I stayed healthy and also become successful in various ways. . In middle school, I began looking into the health care careers to explore my options. Now that I am older, I envision myself in Dr. Gonzalez’s position one day. I know I have all the right qualities to be an amazing, caring children doctor.

Going through my education, I have acquired various skills to assist me on the road to becoming a physician. Devoting hundreds of hours to volunteering and shadowing in a hospital setting has given me a basic understanding of the care and patience required by physicians. In particular, shadowing a pediatrician helped me develop the ability of observation and acute attention to detail. I was given the opportunity to participate and interact with the patients and attempt to form my own diagnosis based on the given symptoms. Having the opportunity to input my own opinion and discussing the patient’s medical history with the physician assisted me in cultivating necessary characteristics such as versatility and keen intuition

Along with being a biologist, I envision the future me as a pediatric or trauma doctor. Not only do I love learning about how each cell in the human body works, but I want to implement that knowledge in helping others around the world. Along with biology, I am taking anatomy and physiology to pursue my interest in human biology. Choosing my program of interest—medicine—was an effortless decision due to the fact that ever since I was a kid, I have always aspired to be like my pediatrician: always there to treat patients with compassion. Being able to grow up and assist kids who are in need of help has always been a goal of mine, and being able to do so in the emergency department would allow me to give a faster and hands on solution to ailments right in the moment. Science in general is something I am immensely passionate about, in particular biology and being able to learn all the aspects of the human body, and I strive for the day that I graduate with a master’s degree in biology and medical

The process to become a doctor is one of the longest professional journeys. However, my experience at M. D. Anderson showed me how important and rewarding it will be in the end. I have a more in depth understanding of the purpose of being a doctor. It is not a flashy title nor a path for a secure job; being a physician is a key way to benefit another person’s life. Ultimately, my life goal is to help those around me and make a positive difference in their lives. Through biological sciences, I know I can impact the lives of current and future generations to

Dr. Nelson, the general practitioner for whom I volunteered for two and a half years, had always told me that the desire to become a doctor must come from deep within. In his office, I took patients’ vital signs and helped them feel more comfortable. I also spent a significant amount of time with Dr. Nelson learning about the physician’s role. He became my mentor. I learned of

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in working with children, even when I was very young,” she said. Naturally, when she began studying medicine, it was Pediatrics that drew her in. “Children are just the best – they want to get better, they want to get back

David sought to volunteer and/or job shadow at several medical facilities and was told by the HR departments that because of HIPAA laws and insurance regulations he had to be 18 years old. David thought if he had a name behind him to give him credibility in the medical world he could break down those barriers the HR departments had set before him as a teenager. Using skills from his 4-H background he formulated a plan and executed it. He started a 4-H Club, which is a 4-H club that has a specific interest, David chose medical careers. To get the program off the ground, David used his networking skills to enlist the help of the medical school at Southern Illinois University, where he is a student in the Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program (P4). Because of David’s position in the P4, he has been able to secure many speakers and offer up engaging hands-on medical experiences for the 4-H Club members. The club moved beyond David’s wildest dreams when he was interviewed for a newspaper article and a Physician Assistant read the article. The PA who was intrigued by the idea of teens getting a taste of medicine before spending a lot of money on education and realizing that medicine was not for them decided to give the group a try. Through that article 4-H members are now experiencing the practice of medicine first hand

As a child, my one desire was to become a pediatrician. Every time I went for a regular checkup at the doctor’s office, I enjoyed playing and watching cartoons in the waiting room, and getting stickers and toys afterward for being well behaved. My pediatrician, Dr. Victor Lui, was a huge inspiration to me, mostly in his way of treating children. He always carried a pleasant attitude to care for every child. The way he always knew how to treat me and the fact that he always joked around with me left me with a huge desire to become a part of the medical field, particularly pediatrics.

Pediatrics has always intrigued me because it is a child’s first peek into the world of medicine. At least it was for me. My pediatricians were my role models: compassionate, empathetic, and caring. Even as a young girl, I knew that I wanted to work in a career where I could make children feel happy and loved. In high school, I received the opportunity to shadow various physicians, most of whom were pediatricians. I loved the way they dealt with kids of all ages and personalities. It reminded me of how I dealt with the students I taught at

I have taken stock of myself, considering my skills, experiences, and goals. I have looked to family and friends, some of whom are doctors, for advice. Because of this self-examination, I have decided to pursue a career in health care. The process has been difficult at times but always illuminating. Throughout it all, I have never lost confidence - the confidence that I will actively absorb all available medical knowledge, forge friendships with fellow students, and emerge from my training as a skilful and caring physician.

Coming from a family where both of my parents are physicians, it was expected of me, as their firstborn, to follow their same path. The medical profession, thus, has been something I’ve always been familiar. At age of eleven, I remember explaining my grandfather how the heart contains four different valves and how important these are for the proper functioning of our heart and body. Hospitals, doctors, syringes, and people using “daunting” terms such as cephalgia to refer to a simple headache were things I was not estrange to because, due to my parents profession, I grew up in an environment where these were very common. It was exactly my familiarity with this profession, what made me realized, when I grew up, that the practice of medicine was not my vocation. As a result, when someone asked me what type of doctor I wanted to be, I proudly answered them that I wanted to be a doctor-in-law –a lawyer. Every time I said