My Life Experiences With Healthcare

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.

I was able to see the hospital setting for the first time during this experience. This shadowing took place in Palmetto Health's Pediatric ICU. I shadowed Dr. Hubbird during college, and I gained more under his leadership then with any other doctor. He truly showed the passion of healthcare in his daily routine, and he challenged me to use critical thinking skills under pressure to help patients. I witnessed surgeries to get children breathing again in front of their grieving parents, and I knew at this moment that I wanted to make a difference and save lives. The humanitarian spirit was released in me during this experience, and I know that I want to do this work for the rest of my

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

I was introduced to the World of Cardiology early during my medical school years, and had many experiences that initiated and reinforced my desire to become a cardiologist. During the basic sciences year I became fascinated with cardiovascular physiology and its application, and realized that the complex structure of the human heart is a unique beauty. My love for Cardiology was reaffirmed during my clinical training at medical school. Within few days of starting my first elective cardiology rotation,

I first realized my passion for health promotion and disease prevention the summer following my first year of college. I had the privilege of attending the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), which introduced me to numerous healthcare professionals. During the program, many of the professionals shared their stories about why they choose the profession, and with each story, I began to reflect deeply on my own background and what drew me to medicine. It was not until an emergency medicine physician spoke about his experiences, that allowed me to fully understand connecting my background to my future. The physician mentioned growing up in D.C., which brought to mind my family in D.C. It had been almost a year since my grandmother

My passion for medicine is something deeper than a mere interest in learning the extraordinary functions of the human body. I am completely fascinated to learn gross anatomy, histology, pathology, and the complete medical school curriculum. However, I am more captivated by how the knowledge I will gain in medical school will allow me to perform the lifesaving procedures that physicians are able execute. Although, medicine is not always ideally as I have written, I believe that as a physician I would use my knowledge and my experiences to provide the best holistic care to my patients. My culture, my experiences, and my education will bring a different perspective to the medical field. I aspire to have the ability and knowledge to save a child that might not live, to save a woman that suffers a heart stroke, and to even provide the necessary treatment for a child with a mere cold. Additionally, participating in the Loma Linda Gateway to the Health

For as long as I could remember, I have seen my father rushing to the hospital in a white coat, answering pagers in the middle of important family conversations and attending night calls even in the most terrible weather. I had always wondered; what could be so important that it belittles every other responsibility in his life. It was only after many years of anguish and protests that it finally made sense to me. This defining moment of realization occurred when I first met a patient in his office. I saw how the gratitude in the patient’s eyes can provide a sense of fulfillment that triumphs all other feelings in the universe. It was human life that was most important. Being a doctor does not make you a mere healer but also gives you the responsibility of a caregiver. I had never felt more proud of my father and that was the day I felt the urge to relive this feeling many times over. It was there in that moment that I decided to pursue a career in medicine.

I did not know much about the health care field then but in that moment, I felt as if the health care system failed since the day he was born. This experience made me become eager to be a part of making a difference in the health care world. The lack of managed care caused the life of my nephew, and for this my passion for Science and the need of helping others only manifested because of my experience. My aspirations were to become a Registered Nurse and specialize in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. In my early college years, I also became a part of the UCLA team through an internship program. UCLA Care Extenders allowed me to gain valuable knowledge.As an intern, I did clinical rotations and was able to discover what takes place behind closed doors. However, what lead me into

It was dark and there were so many noises around me as I slowly woke up and recalled I was in a hospital with abdominal pain. I then heard a familiar voice say “Sweetie, wake up! Wake up!” I opened my eyes to a blurry image of my mother. “Shhh… don't make any noises. We're leaving now. Just act like you are fine. We'll try to sneak out before anyone notices”, my mother said. She explained later that she could not afford to pay hospital bills, so we had to leave before any physician checked over. Living in Vietnam, I was filled with resentment towards their healthcare system, as people were rejected treatment and left to perish in the streets. As a child, I therefore never considered medicine as a career. My spark for medicine was unforeseen until I went on a high school field trip at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. Hovering over the glass ceiling of the operating theater, I watched doctors performing coronary bypass surgery while witnessing the heart beat stronger and stronger. At this magical moment, I was overwhelmed by the power of medicine to save people’s lives.

The biggest influence of my life has been the Dr. Bill Neches Heart Camp for Kids. Heart Camp is a weeklong summer camp for children who live with Congenital Heart Disease. I have been attending this camp since the age of eight and have worked as a junior counselor the past two years. As I have grown older and learned more about my heart problem, I realized that I wanted to work with children who are faced with similar trauma. By attending Heart Camp, I have had the wonderful opportunity to speak with many nurses who work at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Not many teenagers have the opportunity to have a personal connection with people that save lives every day. By attending Heart Camp, I have met dozens of health professionals that I am

Samuel Hahnemann once said “The physician's highest calling, his only calling, is to make sick people healthy to heal, as it is termed.” Over multiple years of being posed the question “What do you want to be when you grow up? I have come to the conclusion that I want to become a physician or at least I think I do. Who wouldn’t want to help save lives? As a physician, I am presented with the opportunity to help better communities all around the world for the rest of my life. I always wanted to try to make a difference that people would appreciate. As I researched this profession, I discovered that because of physicians and their ability to use medical science, the life expectancy in the United States has more than doubled between 1990-2013

As an active thirteen-year-old who spent his afternoons and weekends playing basketball, I was taken aback when I first heard of my atrial septal defect and inevitable open heart surgery. I could not fathom being away from the court for so long. But what seemed like the end of my passion for basketball ultimately lead to a new passion – to become a physician assistant.

I further supported my studies in biology and my interest of assisting the needy by volunteering at my hometown’s emergency room. While I did find that working at the emergency room constantly catered to my passion for knowledge about medicine, it was my trustworthy and compassionate nature that allowed me a heightened ability to interact with patients in a reliable and effective manner. I continued my desire by shadowing physicians in the many different departments of the hospital. However, since the marvels of the heart always left me in wonder, I found myself drawn into the life of a cardiologist. While shadowing him in his private practice, I had the chance to appreciate the responsibilities, commitment, and satisfaction of a career in

During my undergraduate career, I discovered further inspiration to pursue medicine while founding Texas Healthy Habits, a student organization. As an officer, I created engaging lesson plans and traveled to local elementary schools to teach children the importance of public health. When I revisited the schools, I was delighted to see that my lessons stuck with the children and they were already applying them to their daily lives. It became apparent that my lessons were helping kids make decisions that had a positive impact on their health. This opportunity revealed to me that I am drawn to a career in medicine because one of my long-term career goals is to be in a position that allows me to

After having many clinical years in the medical field, I have found what interests me most – Medicine. I have fallen in love with helping the sick and injured and being there for them when they are at their worst condition. It’s something that can’t be explained, but it is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling feelings in the world. The field of medicine is vast in that there are many different avenues one could take to pursue a career helping the sick. The path I have chosen thus far, is nursing. Specifically, flight nursing.