Pre-Med Personal Statement

“Letto diciassette!” I froze at the sound of “bed seventeen,” and watched with horror as the Italian nurse ran into my grandmother’s hospital room. The monitors were beeping out of control, yet my heart seemed to be beating even faster and louder. I stood at the end of the dimly lit hall, shaking and unable to move. A health care provider spotted me standing there, desperate, alone, and vulnerable, and made her way over to comfort me. The feelings I experienced next were what I remember most when I look back on that dark and gloomy day in Italy. ***The feelings of hope, reassurance and genuine kindness. The feeling that a missing piece of my heart had been put back where it belonged. That is what I remember most and that is the role I want

When I think of medicine I think of diversity. The medical field contains a multiplicity of individuals, culture, and exchange; exposure to the Guatemalan culture offers a plethora of experience that allows me to build on personal growth, educational enhancements, and the opportunity to make a difference. The availability of this program through the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine is a blessing as well as a prayer answered for the prospect to experience the world beyond the borders of the United Stares.

I am drawn to family medicine by this same appreciation for humanism that is evident to me among practitioners in this field. I am similarly motivated and excited by the intellectual challenges, scope, and meaningfulness offered by a career in family medicine. I strive to join a residency program that will provide rigorous clinical training among a diverse patient population while offering extensive resident responsibility for patient care. I believe that a family medicine residency program will inspire me to excel and arm me with the tools I need to achieve my future goals. Upon completion of residency, I aim to devote myself to serving the underserved while dedicating time to conducting research and participating in community and medical

I come from a small rural town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. My hometown is split down the middle by a set of railroad tracks. On the north side, one can find pristine neighborhoods, newer schools, most doctors’ offices, and the only hospital in town. The south side of the town stands as a stark contrast. On the south side, you no longer find the wealthy neighborhoods but rather dilapidated and condemned homes and housing projects. One seems to find abandoned buildings on every corner, many inhabited by those that have lost their homes. Limited help is coming for those who need it, mostly through churches and volunteer programs targeting the underserved. Many doctors, dentists, and nurses are giving their time and resources to help

For my CESL project, I intend to be an instructor for the NJMS Mini-Med Program. This program holds personal significance to me as I too was a student in this program when I was a sophomore in high school. This program was my first exposure to medicine and the insights I gained, not only from the lecturers, but also from medical students, has shaped my passion medicine. Therefore, I want to give back to the program that has had such a significant impact on my life. Furthermore, before coming to NJMS, one of the most rewarding experiences of my life was teaching chemistry for a program called ODASIS at Rutgers- New Brunswick where I was able to provide resources and guidance to students from minority and underserved populations. Consequently, I want to use my experiences and affinity for teaching to introduce young students to the various topics in medicine.

My passion for medicine continues to grow with each patient that I’ve had the privilege of caring for through shadowing, volunteering and my job as a CNA. Being my grandma’s translator has inspired me to pursue a career as a physician assistant, and beyond becoming a physician assistant, I aspire to practice in underserved populations so that everyone has an equal opportunity to access the health care they need.

Science and medicine has always fascinated me and has been interesting to be since my education started as a child. All my cousins used to play video games, playing house, playing cards, but instead I always forced everyone on pretending my patients and me treating them and caring for them as a doctor. I also wanted my family members to act if they were sick and they needed help. As time passed, I no longer had to play as it was the reality now and they really now needed help. I have witnessed my family members, my grandmother who passed away due to heart attack at an early age, my other grandmother who currently is sick, my grandfather who passed away also due to heart attack.

I want to empower my patients to take control over their health; the best way for me to accomplish that is to remain in direct and prolonged contact with the same patients over time as their primary care physician. My own life and my teaching experience equip me with the tools and passion to care for patients over a lifetime through primary care.

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. “ Those words, spoken by Confucius, represent the goal of not only mine, but many others when it comes to finding your true calling. The voyage to find your purpose in life can be quite difficult. Often times this journey proves too challenging and forces an individual to give up all together and instead settle for something easier to obtain and inferior to their original goal. This can commonly lead to feelings of unfulfillment and regret in the choices you have made. It’s not until you find your true calling that you go from thinking about your job as something that you have to do to something that you love doing.

Picture opening up a box with over 1000 pieces belonging to a jigsaw puzzle, emptying the contents out on to a tabletop, and then being tasked with putting those pieces together to ultimately create a beautiful picture of the human anatomy. One can imagine the eye for detail, patience and thoroughness that would be required to complete such a task. As with any puzzle it is critical that the wider picture is envisioned at all times, as focusing on only one piece would effectively hinder any progress towards completion.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been interested in the field of medicine. Specifically, I want to be a Physician Assistant and work in a Pediatric Hospital. My Mother is a huge influence on my choice to pursue this career. She was a Firefighter and a Paramedic but recently decided to go back to college for a Bachelors in Psychology to become a Physical Therapist. An area of specialization in medicine that interests me is Emergency Pediatric Care. This area interests me because I love children and want to be able to help kids who have been ill or injured. When I was younger, I went to the hospital with my younger cousin Kylie. She suffers from cerebral palsy and I remember watching the doctors taking care and making sure Kylie was comfortable

I have been interested in medicine ever since I was young, when my mother caught studying her medical almanac with a flashlight, under the covers, every night during second grade. However, I was only seven, so studying was the child’s equivalent of looking at “pretty pictures” of coronary artery bypass grafts and intricate diagrams of alveoli. I became intrigued with human anatomy and how each body part works in harmony. Through my activities, I discovered a hands on approach to body functions. From kicking soccer balls to breaking boards with my feet and exhaling to play the flute, I have observed the body’s ability to perform and nothing takes my breath away like anatomy can. During my high school years, I observed a close family friend during his surgeries.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Growing up, I have always acknowledged that the opportunity to help people will be the major significant part of my future career. My interest in healthcare began many years ago at the age of 18 when my favorite aunty, Christian Anyaele, was frequently hospitalized because of chronic illnesses. My penchant for health care delivery made me to consistently and effortlessly give her care and attention. Although she passed on in 2004, I was rather glad that I didn’t leave any stone unturned in trying to help her recover from those ailments.

This program will only help me in achieving my goal of going to medical school. As an applicant to medical school, I believe that it is important to be able to articulate why you want to become a doctor. I have not gained enough first hand experience in the medical field up to this point, and that is how I came to apply to this program. Through a friend's recommendation, I began to research this program to see if it was right for me. The more I learned about it, the better I could envision myself as an RA at Hackensack. I want to interact with patients, make them feel better as being in the hospital can be a very rough

I already know that I don't have the funds to make it through all the schooling it takes to be in the medical field. So my investment is not in terms of money, more so in time, concentration, and deep commitment. Just looking to my desired future I can tell it’s gonna take more than just time, concentration and deep commitment to make it.