Personal Narrative Essay

As I have moved toward the path of a career in Internal Medicine, there have been certain educational events which served as catalyst to my career. My first clerkship in Internal Medicine Outpatient in a rural and underserved area of Tennessee, I met Dr. Candi Overholt. She was an extraordinary mentor as I watched her daily manage each patient’s numerous comorbidities and yet she also showed sincere interest in each patient’s emotional and personal life.

The morning of October 8th, 2005 shook my world - both literally and figuratively. A major earthquake devastated the entire region of Northern Pakistan and changed my life forever. Little did I know, when I was woken up by the sound of shattering glass and falling trees, that the scale of destruction would be so catastrophic. As the death toll continued to rise, I changed my inertia and grief into action and altruism. I decided to volunteer at one of the largest hospitals in my city. While watching doctors working tirelessly to save lives, my passion for becoming a doctor grew stronger. The satisfaction and sense of fulfillment I achieved after easing the patient's pain and making them feel better was priceless. This indeed was a defining moment in my life and gave it new direction and purpose. With a new found vigour and determination I entered medical school the same year.

In hindsight, although becoming a physician was always my plan, I was not quite ready to commit. However, my time away from school has allotted me clarity in many areas. Much of this clarity came from becoming independent, not only financially, but more importantly in own my beliefs. I no longer constantly look to others to validate the decisions I make. Working side by side with physicians has given me a better understanding of the interdependence of business, clinical work, and the politics that come with working in a large hospital. Not only has my desire to enter the healthcare field become personal, but more importantly I now understand what it means to be a caretaker. The most essential realizations have been recognizing the amount of sacrifice and humility that coincide with being a caregiver, and appreciating that someone entrusts you to care for them. Maintaining this trust while remembering to be empathetic are two great responsibilities, and I cannot think of a more noble reward than having your community’s trust bestowed upon you. It is an honor to be granted the ability to improve peoples’ lives through

After my observations, I have learned a lot about how the the medical aspect of the health care system worked. I always had the mindset that the doctors were the ones who ran everything in a hospital or a clinic. Upon observing, I realized that this was false and that it took teamwork, cooperation, and communication to help create an environment to best serve its patients. When I came into the University of Michigan as well as the Health Sciences Scholar Program, I had set my target to go into family medicine in order to pursue a career as a family physician. I also saw that there were many health disparities and inequities among patients in hospitals as well. I thought maybe I could help fix this if I became a physician. After my observations, I had an ambivalent feeling if I should still continue with what my heart was set on. I never really thought about exploring the vast array of other health-related professions. There were many fields of health professions I had really never thought about and this class as well as my observations had really helped open my eyes to the complexity of the health system to make it work.

Through my exposure to the various branches of medicine during my rotations in medical school, I found that I was drawn toward Internal Medicine. The variety of clinical encounters, procedures, and degrees of illness make internal medicine extremely appealing to me. During this period, I was mastered in taking patient history and conducting thorough physical examination. I actively involved myself in interacting and educating patients and their families about their diseases by willingly staying extra

Until the 5th grade of medical school, when my clinical clerkship began, I had just passed many tests without a passion. My first rotation at the university hospital was pediatrics. A little girl, I called her K, changed me completely. She was diagnosed as having an abdominal malignant tumor and her tumor was not responding well to chemotherapy with radiation. Just a medical student, I could not do anything to treat her disease, but see, play, and talk with her and her mother every day.

Adversity has only improved my tenacity, focus, endurance, and problem solving abilities. Various circumstances have affected my academic performance negatively, but I use that as motivation to continually improve myself. I want to be a part of the solution to the family physician shortage and serve the community in the most effective way. My drive to improve the lives of others will help propel me through the difficulties of medical school and beyond. The personal experience I have with my immersion in the field of primary care gives me unique characteristics that will translate into creating a successful physician that focuses on building meaningful relationships with patients. I continually witness how my grandfather is positively impacting the community through medicine and it is my goal to be granted an opportunity to do the same. My belief in lifelong learning and continual self-improvement consistently drives me towards the study of medicine. Because of my life experiences, I now have the balance, endurance, clarity, and tenacity needed to be a successful medical

November 26th, 2004, and there is a sea of burnt orange everywhere at Darrell K

Deciding to pursue a career in Family Medicine was not a choice that I made easily. Before entering medical school, I assumed Pediatrics was the field for me. Taking on a leadership role as a volunteer peer tutor for students with disabilities in high school had stimulated my interest in working with adolescents. However, after completing rotations in various specialties, I recognized that I enjoyed caring for patients of all ages and wanted to be in a profession where I can treat not only the disease but the person as a whole.

I entered the gym door with 16 people, walking to the lockers on a hot summer day. One by one we all changed into our uniform. When we finished the coach called us all out and made us get a volleyball. Things got really interesting and fun. From there we practiced serving the ball over the net. Next, he made us get in a circle to serve the ball to each other. Tomorrow same time 2:30, we will start again. The objective for today was to play against the team. He split the girls and me into two teams. I got on the black line, feeling anxious but dauntless. I saw the net and the line across the other room and I gazed at it. At practice, I couldn’t hit the ball back when the other team served. I constantly tried and tried, but I failed. I experienced that volleyball’s not my thing, but I had to keep trying.

HAROLD, is a flight instructor. He is in his mid fifties, and is too lackadaisical to be giving lessons. His hair is a frazzled mess. He looks as though he just rolled out of bed. He leans back in his seat wearing sunglasses, having not a care in the world.

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.

The most influential lesson learned was during the transition from class-based studies to donning my white coat and engaging with both patients and physicians in the clinical setting. It is here that I was able to utilize the knowledge acquired in the pathophysiology of disease and to gain confidence while doing this. Prior to rotations, I shuddered at the thought of having to present a patient or medical topic in front of my team. I managed to excel by relying on the information studied during my first two years of training, and applying that material to each practical experience in patient care. Most importantly, I learned that while medicine is substantiated by findings it is essential to listen to the patient. Overall, rotations re-invigorated my drive to become a physician and I began to focus on determining what area of medicine that I could have the most meaningful

I had the opportunity to do my underserved rotation at Mi Doctor in Fort Worth. While small, the clinic sees a wide variety of patients ranging from family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. It was through this clinical experience that provided me with the chance to not only learn about the people residing in the community but also recognize their barriers to healthcare and lack of education on certain topics. Furthermore, I was intrigued about the different roles one must take on as a provider to treat the wide personalities of patients. This rotation, while humbling, also helped me achieve the course goals of knowing how to take a history, performing physical exams, interpreting diagnostic studies, making working diagnoses, and

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.