Essay about Pusuing a Career in Medicine and Public Health

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.

When challenged as to why I would want to pursue a career in medicine, my response includes an acknowledgement of the realities of an intensely stressful and academically rigorous profession, but also a recognition of the rewards that come with having the ability to make a real difference to peoples’ lives. We depend on medicine in our weakest times and seek strength in those who dedicate themselves to research, prevention and treatment and I believe I have both the compassion and motivation to make a positive contribution.

I was regularly identified and characterized by my teachers as an introverted child growing up. Each year, I had to designate my future career aspirations, and every year until the end of my high school career, I wrote down “MD.” This may have stemmed from the fact that, in my culture, growing up as a child of an immigrant generation, education was the primary emphasis. Having minimal access to delve into possible career options, I assumed that the MD route was the only way to become a health care provider. My parents probably pondered how a quiet, soft spoken child like me would want to become a doctor. My journey did not take me in the track to become a medical doctor, but I am confident that this path is in fact a true blessing in my life. As I prepare to begin the FNP graduate nursing program, I am delighted to announce to my family and friends that I am finally on the road to becoming a primary health care provider.

From the time that I was able to talk, I have always expressed to my family and friends, how I wanted to work in the medical field. Your mind is the most creative when you are young and I had some great ideas on how I was going to run my own office. As I grew older those thoughts slowing begun to fade away. My first job in the medical field was a work study as a medical receptionist. Even though I only worked there for about 6 months, I thought I knew it all, I was soon to be faced with the truth that I didn’t know the half of it.

I don’t come from a background that is heavily associated with medicine, nor have I ever really been immersed in a medical setting. As a result, I do not have a first-hand experience of what it is like to practice medicine. However, since my early years,

During my internship, I had a patient newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He and his family came from a rural area and did not have enough knowledge about the disease. Seeing that, I took the time to educate them about his condition and the details of his care.A year later I received a phone call from this patient’s family thanking me for what I did, and consulting me for a minor illness that he encountered at that time. Although they knew I was a junior doctor, they have valued my opinion. I felt appreciated and exhilarated to experience such a satisfying moment. Learning medicine in Sudan was challenging, being in a country with a culturally diverse population and limited resources doctors are confronted countless times by the lack of diagnostics, medications and even hospital beds. Therefore, patient care necessitates sharp physicians who rely on their fierce clinical sense. Throughout the years I realized how important it is for a physician to build such a firm clinical background. It is stunning how minor changes in clinical signs and symptoms could lead to different interpretations from one patient to another. Every case was challenging and mysterious, nonetheless I incredibly enjoyed the intellectual stimuli and the excitement of solving clinical puzzles and interacting with patients. Additionally, I believe I have an inquisitive nature, and I resolved to take on the intellectual challenges offered. This along with my intense passion will guide me to

Since I was a kid, medicine has always had my attention. I remember that I used to watch documentaries about surgeries and since then I decided that I wanted to be a Doctor when I grow up. Since day one of my decision I knew it’ll take a long time and a lot of determination, and like I managed myself back in high school to learn English and succeed in my classes; I have set my mind to do the same until I reach my goal and become a Doctor. My plan is to Major in

Growing up I dreamed of becoming a physician because of my family’s extensive medical history that has always kept us familiar with the hospital setting. Watching television shows such as House and Grey’s Anatomy glamourized the career in that it showed physicians who often made decisions independently of the patient and without patient consent. In the end, they were always right. This idea provided the basis of my thinking of how doctors operate in a hospital. Years later when I joined the healthcare field my experiences would change these initial impressions.

Growing up in the Philippines, I always found myself sitting inside my aunt’s pediatric clinic, watching her treat numerous patients while my parents were at work. Seeing my aunt help make others’s lives better was appealing to me. It wasn’t until when my family and I migrated to America that I discovered my passion for science and interest in medicine as I watched countless documentaries from the Discovery Channel and reading my first children’s encyclopedia after school. I was ecstatic as I flipped through the pages, absorbing the information, and often found myself looking up articles online to see how the topics I saw and read about impacted the modern world. Since then, becoming a physician has always

I decided very early in life that I wanted to become a medical doctor because I always felt the need to help people who were sick. People thought I did not have the brains for that, but my passion

I showed an early interest in medicine. It was this attraction that helped me attain my first volunteering role in the field of health care as a 10-year old Objective Standardized Clinical Examination (OSCE) standardized patient. While I understood absolutely none of the dialogue that the medical students used, it was their mannerisms, attention to detail, and enthusiasm to help others that sparked my desire to become a physician. Since then the field of medicine has granted me with an opportunity that very few have been given. My dedication and passion for becoming a physician has allowed me to help others, explore my own limits, and re-evaluate what is important in life.

Still, I stayed resolute in my decision to not become a doctor. Then, in twelfth grade, when I took Advanced Placement Biology, I couldn’t hide or shame my love for the subject any longer. Biology is all encompassing and fascinating because of

Personal circumstances have played a great role in my choice to pursue a career in medicine. 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 a brain tumor 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. From the many possible careers available in the medical field, I chose becoming a physician as my career pursuit because I was interested in playing

When a patient walks in to visit the pharmacy they are making a decision about their health care. Patient’s health care decisions should not be limited to choosing their doctor or pharmacy, but should be extended to deciding how that doctor and pharmacist works with them to achieve their personal health goals. Pursuing a career in health care requires a commitment to a long-term formal education, a great deal of debt and a lifelong commitment to continuing education. After completing school a pharmacist has a well-developed set of tools for dealing with patient populations to help them manage their health care. These tools are not acquired to determine patient’s health care needs for them. Often pharmacists and doctors complete their

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.