Personal Narrative: A Career As An Advocate At Boston Medical Center

As a young child, I was always drawn towards the field of health care. I remember reading about the many options that are held within it and wondering what path it would lead me on. Neonatal nursing was something that always came into my mind, but it was often pushed to the side by people and teachers who thought I should become a pediatrician instead. This became a real struggle for me, but as I grew up and began researching and exploring the health care field I came to a decision for myself. I came to the realization that everyone was wrong. I didn’t want to be a doctor at all. This sudden burst of independence from what everyone else wanted was the first step to reaching my end goal. Along with this, an accelerated education, volunteer

Not only do I have a good understanding of the patient population I want to work with, I want to help reshape healthcare. I particularly want to improve the access of primary care to medically underserved populations. Everyone deserves equal access to healthcare and there should be no disparity in the quality of care provided. Therefore, each additional encounter I had with a PA or a patient has elevated my passion for helping people in need.

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

At this point in my life, my greatest accomplishment is graduating from the New Jersey Medical School Pre-Medical Honors Program at Rutgers University. This accomplishment was the determining factor in my decision to take on a career in medicine. In this program, I was to be under the mentorship of renowned professors and students in medical school. Through these mentors, I gained a firm knowledge on what a career in the medical field consisted of. The professors were able to teach me about the history of medicine, issues in medicine, and the wide variety of career paths that exist within it. In addition, the mentors explained the pivotal impact that the health care system and health care professionals have on the health of the public. The

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

“Never be a doctor if you’re going to have any loans to pay back.” “Don’t do this to yourself.” “You’ll never have a family if you go to medical school.” “The two worst jobs in America belong to physicians and teachers.” Without even soliciting their advice, physicians noticed my “Pre-medical Volunteer” nametag, and immediately approached me with words of discouragement. I participated in a volunteer summer internship at St. Mary Hospital in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, following my sophomore year of college, in an effort to gain more experience in the medical field and solidify my lifelong desire to become a physician. Throughout the eight weeks, I spent mandatory hours in both the Emergency Room and the Operating Room, made contacts with physicians in specific areas of interest, and spent time shadowing them. In addition, each of us in the program attended weekly business meetings in which administrators of the hospital and local physicians spoke to us about their particular positions and experiences. Unlike the many years of high school I spent volunteering at a hospital and a nursing home, where I was limited to carrying around food trays and refilling cups of water, I was able to gain hands-on and more intimate experience. Initially uneasy at the site of the blood gushing into plastic sheets draped around the orthopedic surgeon’s patient in the OR, it took only a few days to grow accustomed to the images on the television screen during a laparoscopic procedure and the

Mercy Medical Center is where it all started. On August 4th, 2004, 6:47 p.m. I was born. My name all started as a simple idea 4 years before I was even born. It originated from an American singer-songwriter Shannon Hoon, the lead vocalist of Blind Melon. Eventually, Shannon had a daughter, and named her Nico Blue. My mom liked the name and decided she would name her first child that. Though my first name isn’t actually Nico, it’s Nicolynn. She added her middle name to the first half, leaving me with no middle name.

As a young girl, I vividly recall writing about being a doctor; this dream became more of a pressing desire as I aged and noticed the increasing needs of my neighborhood. As an African-American woman growing up in South Los Angeles, I am aware of the lack of educational, financial as well as health opportunities in my community. I want to become a physician-advocate who is sympathetic to the needs and circumstances of residents, as well as one who is active in the improvement of communal wellness. As a first year student within the Charles R. Drew/UCLA medical education program, I have been provided a foundation that will equip me with the tools needed to be an effective community-based physician, but it is my belief that participation in the GE-NMF Primary Care Leadership Program (PCLP) will offer a challenge and a gift that will mold me into a great doctor of service to the community.

My circumstances had changed from an inability to reliably obtain good healthcare, to good healthcare I could not access. In the last three years, my family's economic situation has improved, but I have only recently been able to obtain health insurance and begin regular physician visits. This entire process has sensitized me to the ease at which simple health issues can be compounded due to a lack of options and how much work remains to be done to ensure that the quality healthcare we strive to create is accessible to those who need it. This personal understanding of healthcare challenges and the sum of my experiences across distinct locations defines my interactions with others. At Columbia, I would be able to build on my experiences, receive an unrivaled and balanced medical education, explore my passions via the comprehensive P&S club, and grow into the physician I want to

As an anxious first year in 2017, I remember joining a club, MedLife, that first sparked my interest in becoming a surgical physician assistant. In the year of 2018, I was elected as a board member for MedLife, where we encourage our members to devote their time, energy, and most of all their dedication to underserved populations in third world countries. This club is based on three committees: fundraising, volunteering, and mobile clinics. I participated in each of these committees because they all seemed compelling to join. However, the mobile

The person interviewed was Dr. John Watson, a family physician who specializes in the care of children and currently owns his own medical office in Scarborough, Ontario. The interview was conducted in his medical office on November 21, 2015 utilizing an audio recording device, as well as a pen and paper in order to take notes. Verbal permission for this essay to be read by a third party was given. The alias Dr. John Watson is utilized to protect the privacy of the person interviewed. The character traits that this essay will focus on are ambition, compassion, and perseverance.

We may not be able to help everyone who has medical problems, but we can try to help as many as we can. We can at least help a few people, and it can make a huge difference in those people’s lives. I liked the story that our guest speaker, Drew Worsham

I come from a small family in a small, homogeneous town. The majority of families here are wealthy, conservative, and white, and it is difficult to find someone that does not fit the mold. I have grown tired of the repetitiveness I face in my life, leading me to savor the moments when I encounter someone who is different. To have relationships with others who have had a life journey drastically different from mine gives me a different perspective, so I do not only see the world from my own lens. I am beyond eager to expand the tiny unit I call my "family," and at Tufts, I will build upon this family, taking my once bland life and transforming it into a mural of abounding color. While some people may appear more unique or look exactly like you,

In 10 years, I hope to be a graduate from the University of California, Riverside, School of Medicine and be a practicing physician in Southern California. Though I will thoroughly explore all specialties, I have a particular interest in pediatrics. With frequent visits to the doctor’s office due to illnesses and infections from my vesicoureteral reflux, the health care setting became a place I was comfortable with. I developed a strong relationship with my pediatrician and aspired to be like him. Becoming a pediatrician would allow me the privilege of watching my patients grow up and develop a relationship with them and their families. The root of my interest lies with my love for working with children. Throughout high school, I thoroughly enjoyed my time volunteering at a summer camp for elementary school children. My recent experiences tutoring disadvantaged children through Project Literacy at UCLA and volunteering at Kids Come First Community Health Center in Ontario have confirmed my decision to pursue pediatrics. My time at Kids Come First has exposed me to the health issues those in Inland Southern California are facing. Through my time at UCR School of Medicine, I hope to develop strong relationships with nearby hospitals and clinics, so that I would have the opportunity to continue serving that region. I would also love to incorporate my passion in community service into my career. I want to not only focus on healing individual patients, but improve the health of

Having lived in three different countries in my childhood, it was a challenge for me to I wade through the unspoken rules of each culture. My Chinese heritage, reminded by my mother’s cooking, complements my penchant for Japanese snacks and trinkets. At the same time, I proudly represent Seattle where I grew up. My friends were often confused by my habits or certain beliefs and my family often did not comprehend what I was learning and struggling with at school. These obstacles were not solved overnight; I slowly learned to understand, taking the advice of many helpful teachers and mentors. I had to learn how to ask for help and advocate for myself. In my pursuit of medicine, I recognize healthcare transcends this cultural barrier, but the