Personal Reflection Statement

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 understand the path to becoming a physician will be rigorous and demanding, and I have thoroughly evaluated my desire and competence to walk that path. Through various medical and non-medical related experiences, I have deduced that my interest in medicine is sincere and that I have the aptitude to succeed in medical school; however, medicine is not my only interest.

Unlike other medical students, I never had one particular defining moment that changed my life but from a very young age I had set myself to becoming a doctor, but not just any doctor, a surgeon. Therefore, instead of just one determining event, many events helped propel my dream, with medical school being the beginning of much more I hope to achieve.

I have chosen osteopathic medicine as my professional choice in becoming a physician, because I have a passion for the healthcare field and learning, I want to be able to help others and give back to the community and I believe that medicine is evolving towards an osteopathic approach which takes into account the body as a whole. Passion is the driver behind any good physician. I am always looking to learn and improve upon my performance in whatever I am doing. Whether it was undergraduate coursework, medical shadowing, EMT training, or community service I put forth my fullest effort into the task at hand. Every moment in medicine and life in general is a valuable learning experience. Osteopathic medicine will force me outside of my comfort zone and many mistakes will be made along the way, but I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead of me and in the end it will allow me to become the best physician possible.

My decision to pursue a career as a physician was not a blinding revelation, being the daughter of two immigrant parents the thought of becoming a physician seemed distant. In high school I pursued to obtain what for me was then the highest education I perceived I would be able to achieve which was going to college and obtaining a bachelor’s degree. As the quote by Ralph Ellison highlights, “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free”. This quote resonates with the start of my second year in college, as I have been able to find my passion for medicine. More specifically, I explored my values and how I wanted to shape my future. I reflected upon the encounters and dramatic effects that physicians have had with my own family. The most impactful

Through my life, I have made many decisions to help develop my interests and skills as well as my character. Such choices of mine include becoming my high school’s band president, a three season varsity sport captain, a national honor society member, a boy scout and an eagle scout. I have been fortunate to earn many awards including merit badges like emergency preparedness and the first aid and the community service award after being accredited for over 180 hours of cheerful community service. When it came time to think about my future with my high school guidance counselor, she introduced me to an idea of becoming a Physician

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

The purpose of this assignment is to self-reflect on what has been learnt in the topic this semester and how it is going to influence as a health professional in our chosen field. This assessment is made to encourage us to be able to identify the values and beliefs we have as individuals and how these impact on our ability to interact without others in a diverse society. This self-reflection will include the results from an Implicit Association Test to help gain a greater awareness of my own unconscious thoughts as well as evidence from reliable sources to help back up statements and give evidence to support this assessment.

Even before I knew I wanted to practice medicine, the underlying ideals of what it means to be a physician have always been a driving force in my life**. Throughout my accident and illness prone childhood, I had nothing but positive experiences within the world of medicine. Every physician I encountered in those years instilled in me a firm belief that my health was a priority to them. Time after time, they proved to me how, no matter how serious their ailments, much each patient mattered to them. As I grew older, I began to recognize that all of my personal strengths were rooted in my chronic desire to help others and gain knowledge in any way I could. The day I realized that becoming a physician meant dedicating my life to learning, healing, and protecting human life, I knew there was no going back. I can 't say I believe my calling to this profession was destiny, but I do believe that you must harness your own strength to bring about a positive change in the world. And I believe that I possess the mind, the passion, and ultimately the heart that it takes to be a great physician.

Being raised by two primary care physicians in a modest but comfortable lifestyle, I have always known that a physician is not what I want to become. Witnessing how their lives were and are to this day heavily influenced by the different stages of their careers and the constant changing of the policies and laws that affect health care led me to follow a different calling. On the contrary, their commitment to their professions and quest for higher knowledge did have an effect on me. Despite my occasional resistance and minor teenage rebellious spirit, the drive to do well in school was instilled upon me.

Personal circumstances have played a great role in choosing medicine as my career pursuit. My family, in particular, has not been without influence on this decision. My dad, now a nurse practitioner, was still in school when I was younger and so I grew up around the influence of his books and study materials as well as stories from his time working at the hospital. I, of course, did not understand any of it; in fact, I suffered nightmares for several nights after I came across pictures of tumors in one of his Pathophysiology books. Nevertheless, the seeds were planted and my interests slowly gravitated toward the field of science and a career in medicine. The reason why I am choosing to become a physician in particular is because I am interested in playing a more central role in shaping the structure of the care a patient receives. Furthermore, the gratification and honor of being a healer is utterly

The purpose behind this assignment from my own understanding is for a couple of reasons. One of them is to help improve and practice report writings/responses, while another reason is to express what we believe our strengths and weaknesses will be in this chosen career path. This assignment is beneficial because it will prepare us for future writing assignments in the program, and better understand how we will be graded. It will also help us reflect on what skills we think we can bring to the table, along with weaknesses we can improve on. It will be a useful assignment to reflect on my own personal strengths, and will be a beneficial tool to my success in this program.

My personal mission statement is as follows: To be a positive and influential person in society while still being myself at all times.

The writing I did this semester for Engl 110c has meant alot to me because I was able to pick a topic that has such a huge impact in my life. I was able to do the topic about Navy Wives, which has a huge impact on me. I recently became a navy wife a year ago and my life has changed drastically. I was able to share everything I wanted to about the life of a military wife through my writings, as well as share to my classmates about my topic. I really enjoyed creating my ePortfolio because I could come out of my shell and be me. I made a ePortfolio website that would be for military wives to read. I believe this website would be perfect for any military wife reading it. I was able to give tips and information on what it’s like to be a military wife, how to prepare for deployments and how to stay strong being a military wife.

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.