Personal Statement: Nurturing A Passion

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

I have always had a high admiration for the impact that physicians have on families. At an early age, my younger sister had major heart surgery. Being four, I was too young to fully grasp what this meant for my family, but I quickly learned the grief my parents endured thinking their only daughter would not live past two. Dr. Jane Doe saved my sister, giving me a friend for life. I have set my goal to be like countless doctors who save lives daily and improve the quality

My experiences in the hospital confirmed that this line of work and this unique interaction between physician and patient is right for me. By observing Dr. Layth, it taught me to give the patients more than just a prescription for their pain; but also your friendship to them, a companion. Discovering that personal interactions with patients are crucial, I found that the primary focus as a caregiver was to provide not only physical, but also mental, spiritual and emotional

As I wrapped up my shadowing experience with Dr. Tammy Hart, I reflected on how much I’ve learned from her during my time as her mentee. Shadowing Dr. Hart gave me a better understanding of what practicing as a Family Medicine doctor in a rural area is like. I am very grateful for the opportunity and that I was always welcomed into her practice to meet her patients and learn more about my future career. I know that my time there prepared me for medical school and exposed me to cases I may see as a practicing physician one day.

I had gotten to know Jon and his girlfriend "Dee" well in the past few months, and worry racked through me when I heard them arguing loudly through our shared wall. I planned to let the argument subside before approaching them until I heard Dee loudly demand that Jon get off her. Almost instinctively, I stepped into the required role; I knocked on the door while recalling my violence prevention training. They were reluctant to open the door, but I assured them I was there because I cared about them both and wanted to ensure their safety. It was apparent that they were both emotional, but after diffusing the situation, I let them know to come to me if they needed anything. The next evening Jon and I had a long personal conversation, in which he told me of his struggles maintaining his distance from the rough family environment of which he grew up. My heart ached for him as I listened intently at stories I never would have imagined. Together we created a plan for his future, including a visit to a campus counselor and a post-graduate plan to maintain a healthy distance from the family environment that he considered toxic. I checked in with Dee and Jon regularly, even after they graduated. In a roundabout way, it pushed me further into the pursuit of a career as a physician. Similar to patient experiences, I learned the importance of being responsive and open; qualities that allow others to share their untold stories that may be the key to appreciating their

Each of these individuals took time out of their schedules and consoled with my family. They had explained the treatment plan in detail, precautions, risks, and had answered all of our questions. At the age of thirteen I didn’t understand much of the details the doctors had explained. Although, I knew my father had cancer and he needed to be treated.  I saw my father undergo a thirteen-hour surgery, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chemotherapy and radiation, and rehab. My father was strong enough and defeated cancer. This life experience has influenced me to become a physical therapist because I saw my father undergo physical therapy. By undergoing therapy sessions, he was able to walk on his own without a walker and speak more fluently.  Seeing my dad defeat cancer for the second time, motivates me to work harder and help others going through such situations. I hope I have the opportunity to provide and care for patients and their families as the

My experiences throughout my life and in college have provided me with many skills and abilities that will prove beneficial in my practice of medicine. Although it is something that is relatively common now, I grew up as the eldest child in a single parent home. My parents are Nigerian immigrants who came to the United States in their 20’s without assistance awaiting them. After their divorce during my youth, I took more responsibility in our low income single parent home. Although these now regular occurrences happened to me I still maintained focus on my goal of finding something I could be successful doing and consistently achieving milestones.

It is difficult enough as it is to not become attached to a patient in a short 12-hour shift, let alone spending months in the privacy of a pediatric patients home with their families providing home care. Sometimes I still find myself walking out of a patients room in the hospital, (adult, not pediatric) and am bothered by the fact that families of the patient know more than I do about the illness and care of their loved one. It is going to take a lot of training, knowing this blow to my ego is not something I should take personally or be offended by. I will never know as much as they do. One thing I often observe is care providers attempting to obtain medical information from the families when it is already available in the patient’s medical

Growing up, being a physician was never a part of my plan. Coming from a first generation immigrant family, I was encouraged to simply do what I could with what I had. There was never an emphasis to do anything beyond living day by day. I saw this not only in myself, but also in those around me. Yet, the exception to this came from my mother.

Being the oldest of four siblings, I often find myself taking on the role of the third parent. As a result, I become more of a disciplinarian, with a stricter nature. My experiences with the geriatric and pediatric population have allowed me to become a better listener. To be more receptive and open-minded. By listening to my patients and students tell me about the good and bad aspects of their lives, I have noticed a common trend. They all want to be heard. I have learned to be more patient in all aspects of my life, and to take the time to listen to my siblings and understand their perspective. As a result, my relationship with them has become much more open and continues to develop strongly. Not only do I feel like my life experiences have prepared me for a career in family medicine, I’ve found that family medicine is mutually beneficial in my life. It can best be described as a harmonious symbiotic relationship. Many experiences in my life have helped me decide, without a doubt, that the field of family medicine is the path for me. My desire to treat and heal patients drives me to become a successful physician. I look to the future with enthusiasm and optimism as I enter the field of family

As a health care provider, it is very interesting to meet and talk to people from every walk of life and different backgrounds. I have the privilege to interact with them and discuss their health issues on a daily basis. However, I feel that I’m lucky to be in a position where I can learn from my patients and their families. There are many teachable incidents that happen to me when

Developing long-term relationships with patients is what I’m looking forward to as a Family Physician. Through my experiences as a medical student, intern, hospital volunteer, and observer, my most enjoyable moments are those spent listening to the patient. I have learned that communication, empathy and good listening skills, attributes

Sometimes it’s hard to find that little thing in life that makes you succeed. That small detail that brings you a long way. Passion is a never ending journey. A trait that My journey started out when I was only four years old. I got to that age where my parents were ready to send me off for an extra activity to keep me occupied. I started out like every other little girl, a ballerina. Dance class was the highlight of my week. I looked forward to dancing in front of a mirror with my class and on top of it got to have the opportunity to wear my pink sparkly leotard. After two years of two tutus and tiaras I realized I wanted to be involved with a more athletic and team sport. I gravitated to soccer. On my team I was surrounded with all of my school friends and we worked very well together.

Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is an ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind body and soul into something as is possible. It is an intense emotion, a compelling enthusiasm or desire for something. Passion is the beginning of success. It is motivation in action. When I speak of passion, I do not mean it in the romantic way. What I mean by passion, is the powerful feeling of enthusiasm we all have inside of us. We are all enthusiastic and passionate about something, whether it’s ambition and aim or goal of life. That enthusiasm is very powerful. When we can combine it with our work, we are setting ourselves up well

It’s 9am and little Saigon is bustling. I’m five years old and sick with a cold. My mother drives us to our family physician – the same doctor who has cared for me my whole life. The medical assistant takes me through the basic routine, then my physician and his wife greet us with warm hugs. I have my regular check-up and we are off to the pharmacy. Within the week, I’m feeling like my normal self. Our family physician gave me my first glimpse of how a medical practice operates, from patient care to building a relationship and trust with their patients. The care and treatment I received sparked my interest in medicine.