Personal Statement
My interest in medicine stems from family experiences. My grandmother suffered from Parkinson’s disease for most of her life and required constant care. Helping my grandmother with simple tasks like eating breakfast, or helping her up the stairs was a humbling experience. This experience drove my curiosity about the human anatomy, specifically the brain and how it is treated, which led to the realisation that, for me, a satisfying career would involve helping others. A career in medicine will allow me to combine these motivations, and to gain knowledge that I can use to serve more people than just my family.
I recall visiting the neurologist with my grandmother and realising that she experienced differing levels of tremors according to her nervousness. I also took from this experience the extraordinary will-power and infectious love that she expressed through her never-ending smile and warmth; at this point one would forget that she was ever a Parkinson’s sufferer. The consultant who treated my grandmother took the time to listen and showed compassion and interest in his patient. I also observed how the successes of field research can influence the development of treatments for such diseases as Parkinson’s.
Inspired by my grandmother’s fight against her condition, I experience working alongside a neurological consultant at John Radcliffe Hospital. There I witnessed functional surgery on the brain for alleviation of the symptoms of Parkinson’s.
Careers in the medical field will allow me to experience a life I never had, but always dreamed of. I will finally be able to support my family financially without struggling and I will be able to say “I am the first doctor in my family.” That alone is enough to prove to myself that I actually made it.
Neurology is one of the most unexplored fields in medicine; however, more recently there has been a spike in the amount of research being done in this specialty. This is because people are becoming more interested in neuroscience, including myself. I attended a pre-medical vocational high school, which exposed me to a greater amount of knowledge pertaining to the basics of anatomy and physiology, along with hands-on opportunities in a medical setting. It was here where I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine; however, due to the fact medical field is very broad, I had no set specialty. This changed when I was exposed to the cruel manifestations of Parkinson’s Disease. During, sophomore year of high school, my grandfather passed away due to complications of Parkinson’s Disease. The way that a neurodegenerative disease was able to overtake a person in the manner that it did was shocking, and while it brought me great grief initially, it later intrigued me. I took up an interest in neuroscience and began to do my own research which culminated in various projects and applications throughout the remainder of my time in high school. These experiences have culminated in my decision to work toward a Cell Biology and
I feel that the world will always need people in the medical field. I want to discover cures, medicine, and ways to improve the quality of life. I want to be apart of a major breakthrough and reveal new things no one thought would be possible for a long time. I would love to see several changes in medicine and the field such as the prevention of diseases, making the public more aware of fatalities that can occur, and most of all to give people and animals a life that is enjoyable which people in the medical profession are entitled to do everything possible to make that
For as long as I can remember, I have always been interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. These interests were most likely brought to life from my desire to want to help people and learn more about the human body. The experiences I’ve had throughout my life have brought me closer to the belief that I can one day make a difference in the world through medicine. All though I am not completely decided on what I would like my future career to be, I have been able to narrow my options down to a few of the many choices available.
J.N., a 65-year-old Caucasian female with a history of anxiety and depression, presents for diagnostic testing at Saint Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Indiana to confirm or deny a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, after presenting with recent onset of upper extremity tremor affecting both sides and facial masking. Patient history also includes bradykinesia, restlessness, fatigue, muscle weakness, and poor balance and coordination, all of which are common in a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. J.N. was referred to the Neurology Department of Saint Mary Medical Center after a routine appointment with her Cardiologist, who noted the recent onset of additional signs and symptoms. J.N. is my mother and my inspiration for this assignment.
The World Health Organization projects that, by 2040, neurodegenerative diseases will become more common than cancer (Cashell, 2014). Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is widely listed as the second most common neurodegenerative disease (Wuong, 2012; Gillies et al., 2014; Cashell, 2014; Walker, Davidson, & Gray, 2012). This disease, usually characterized by a tremor, but featuring systemic effects, has been diagnosed in one to two percent of people over age 65 (Casey, 2013). Parkinson’s disease is incurable; the goal of the healthcare team is to help the patient to maintain function, independence and quality of life (Miertová et al., 2014; Magennis, Lynch, & Corry, 2014). In the discussion that follows, current understanding of the causes and treatment of PD will be summarized, along with examples of nursing interventions.
I will no doubt treat patients who suffer with Parkinson’s disease. Because the study identified what treatment areas need to changed and researched, other health professionals along with myself, will be able to complete that research and increase care and the success of treatment. The study has shown that exercises need to be developed that focus on specific symptoms patients with PD experience. I can create new exercises that address these concerns and reduce the effect the symptoms have on the patients. Using some of the research suggestions laid out in the article, I could conduct research to further the knowledge on proper and effective treatment for patients with
|I attended staff training session for Parkinsons |I now have a much better insight into the condition, and |
Dan Crenshaw had been the worship pastor at the church for as long as anyone could remember. Is was odd to Dan that lately everyone was always asking if he was ok. Of course he felt fine, just getting a little older. He was faithful to get his annual physical and always passed with flying colors. He was sure that the finger trembling he’d noticed when waving was nothing; come to think of it, he’d been having a little difficulty typing too. He’d had trouble sleeping for a while, but that was probably normal for his age. He made a note to check with his Dr. next physical, certain that it was nothing but getting older. In February 2013, after a routine physical, Mr. Crenshaw was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. At a mild to moderate stage, treatment will focus on patient safety, and mobility as well as education ( (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2016).
Parkinson’s disease is a very well-known disease. It plagues about five million people worldwide, about a million of those cases are in the United States. A person does not lower their chances of getting Parkinson’s by living in a certain part of the world. It is not more, likely to happen in one location than, another. It has to do with age and genetics (“Demographics of parkinson’s,” 2014). It is a disease of the older generation, around about one percent of people over the age of 60 years old have Parkinson’s disease (Hauser, 2014). As one ages the likelihood of a person developing goes up. About four percent of people over the age of 80 years old develop Parkinson’s disease. The percentage of people who have Parkinson’s that are younger than 40 years old, is less than 10 percent. It is more
I would like to become a physician because it is a career that is constantly evolving. As a physician, I would be expected to constantly learn new techniques and information to better care for future patients. I would also enjoy interacting with patients and affecting their lives
After the trail to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease was put on halt many of the subjects were interviewed on their experience on this trail. Smith wanted to investigate the attitudes of the subjects and their relatives on the medical trail. Smith (2012) states that both trial groups, placebo and treatment, were put through “general anesthesia, the fitting of a stereotactic
Charcot examined a large group of patients within Salpetriere Hospital in Paris, he had developed a way to observe tremors in action and at rest. “He noted that the patients with action tremor had accompanying features of weakness, spasticity, and visual disturbance. In contrast, those with rest tremor differed in having rigidity, slowed movements, a typical hunched posture, and very soft spoken.” (Goetz 2011) Charcot early tremor studies helped to establish Parkinson’s Disease through his very high publicized findings that neurological entity could be confidently be diagnosed. In 1957 a Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson found out that dopamine in the brain region that is important for movement control. He showed that the levels of dopamine can be reduced in animals to cause symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease and also by giving the animals levodopa (L-dopa) to reverse the symptoms of PD. PD is second most common neurodegenerative after Alzheimer’s Disease and the most common movement disorder. Over 60,000 people here in the United States are diagnosed every year but they say the numbers can be much higher with undiagnosed people out there but over one million people live with Parkinson daily.10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s Disease and April 11th is World Parkinson’s Day. On April 11th, 2017 marked 200 years since James Parkinson publicized his essay.
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized mainly by physical and psychological disabilities. This disorder was named after James Parkinson, an English physician who first described it as shaking palsy in 1817 (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). Jean- Martin Charcot, who was a French neurologist, then progressed and further refined the description of the disease and identified other clinical features of PD (Goetz, Factr, and Weiner, 2002). PD involves the loss of cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine in a part of the brain stem called the substansia nigra, which results in several signs and symptoms (Byrd, Marks, and Starr, 2000). It is manifested clinically by tremor,
Throughout my life, I have worked towards one goal which is to become a doctor. Medicine offers the opportunity for me to integrate different scopes of science while trying to improve human life. Medicine has intrigued me throughout all my life because it??s a never ending