Pursuing Medicine 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

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

The patience, compassion and encouragement of one person improved my family’s last years with its patriarch in countless ways. It was this improvement that inspired me to pursue a career as an

As a former college athlete and the daughter of a veteran, I was always infatuated with the idea of staying physically fit. However, when I began working as a medical scribe at a Family Medicine clinic and interacting with many patients living with a pattern of chronic illnesses such as Diabetes Mellitus and Coronary Artery Disease, I realized that many people did not share these same ideas and passion for physical activity and disease and injury prevention. Talking to these patients and their families, I realized that most of their diseases were life threatening and costly, yet what if these patients had taken steps to prevent their illnesses through exercise and diet, would heart disease still be the leading cause of death in the U.S. today? If we could lessen tobacco prevalence,

Before being introduced into the medical field, I had always seen myself as an engineer. Growing up I was fascinated by how everything worked. When something would break down I would be the first with a screw driver in my hand ready to take it apart. Of course being at such a young age, I would often worsen the situation than fix it, but the thrill and excitement from fixing a broken object meant the world to me. I thought becoming an engineer was my lifelong passion.

I am applying to the MD/MPH program after experiencing four years of undergraduate coursework to receive a degree in public health. The coursework as an undergraduate greatly drew my interest to things such as epidemiology, microbiology, environmental health, and global health. I was introduced to the importance of population health and preventative care, as well as the social aspects of health and the disparities stratified across populations. I believe that the rigorous undergraduate coursework I completed exemplifies my competence in terms of public health and suitability as a candidate for an MPH. I also had opportunities to have real-world experience related to public health, more specifically I have worked as an infectious epidemiology

1. Briefly describe the one clinical experience you have had that has most significantly influenced your decision to study medicine. Do not replicate your AMCAS personal statement.

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.

“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.

During my four years at Brooklyn Technical High School, I was part of the Gateway to Medicine program. I was introduced to courses such as anatomy & physiology, organic chemistry, and biology. These extremely challenging classes piqued my interest to explore a future career in health care. The Gateway to Medicine program was multi-faceted, I went from dissecting cats to learning about spontaneous de-combustion. My guidance counselor also helped prepare me to choose a career in the medical profession.

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 considered a career in medicine because I want to help people, especially those in developing countries who are not able to obtain healthcare that I and my family are blessed with in the United States. My dad is a pastor who travels to Vietnam many times a year for mission trips. A few years ago, I was able to go with him to Vietnam and saw many Vietnamese who lived in impoverish areas and were not able to receive good healthcare because they either do not have access to it or cannot afford it. Simple illnesses that can be cured with modern medicine were out of reach for these people and they languished in pain and misery because of their poverty. This experience touched me deeply and instilled in me a desire to obtain a career in medicine

Every night, as I sat on the table with my younger brothers assisting them with their homework, I hear a familiar sound at the door. As she walks her heels click, and I can hear her searching her bag for her keys, the next thing I know the keys are in the lock and as it turns me and my younger brothers’ jump. We run to the door and indeed we scream in unison “Mommy’s home”, one by one she gives us a hug and a kiss. My mother asks us how our day was, and if we finished our homework, she then looks to me and said “did you cook and assist your younger ones with their homework”; I replied “yes mom”. As I warm the food, I take my mother’s purse, jacket, and shoes put them away and prepare the table for her to eat dinner. As I glance at the

My curiosity for human anatomy, combined with my academic talents and compassionate nature, has led me to the pursuit of a medical career. I found myself wanting a deeper understanding of the human body, and my wealth of work experience has confirmed my commitment to a career in medicine. I have been lucky enough to secure a range of placements where I have witnessed the clinical environment. At MRI, I shadowed healthcare professionals for a week, including observing a urologist in the outpatient clinic. It was apparent that to become a good doctor, it is vital to have well-developed interpersonal skills.