Seeking The Wisdom That Will Can Your Knot

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

The medical field is a career path that brings about many options and opportunities of great value. The noble idea of being a doctor tends to cloud the diligent studying and precise training that is actually required for this career. I have wanted to become a doctor since a very young age, and now that the opportunity is here for the taking, I have fully researched what it takes to succeed in this profession and various specialties of the practice. The road to a medical degree is one filled with thousands of notes, years of schooling, and many stressful nights, but the reward is one incomparable to any other. Saving people’s lives on a day-to-day basis has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember, so the rigorous curriculum

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

I stood with a look of wonderment as I watched the beehive of physicians, radiologists, nurses, and paramedics collaboratively save a man’s life. The scene initially appeared chaotic with scrubs flying around and doctors swarming all over, but in actuality the team was extremely single-minded—as if driven by instinct. I was amazed by the speed and conviction with which the attending doctor made his decisions; his training and experience was evident with every move. Seeing the tearful wife thank the doctor highlighted the impact of his work—his actions had saved a husband and a father. I left admiring both the competency of emergency physicians and their ability to touch lives in such a dramatic way. While my enjoyment of high school biology sparked my original inclination towards medicine, my first hand experiences in the hospital deepened my motivation and left me steadfast in my decision to become a doctor.

It was dark and there were so many noises around me as I slowly woke up and recalled I was in a hospital with abdominal pain. I then heard a familiar voice say “Sweetie, wake up! Wake up!” I opened my eyes to a blurry image of my mother. “Shhh… don't make any noises. We're leaving now. Just act like you are fine. We'll try to sneak out before anyone notices”, my mother said. She explained later that she could not afford to pay hospital bills, so we had to leave before any physician checked over. Living in Vietnam, I was filled with resentment towards their healthcare system, as people were rejected treatment and left to perish in the streets. As a child, I therefore never considered medicine as a career. My spark for medicine was unforeseen until I went on a high school field trip at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. Hovering over the glass ceiling of the operating theater, I watched doctors performing coronary bypass surgery while witnessing the heart beat stronger and stronger. At this magical moment, I was overwhelmed by the power of medicine to save people’s lives.

After beginning medical school, I quickly realized that for every one question we could answer there were about a dozen that could not be answered. I delved even deeper into my studies, determined to learn all I could to help my patients to the best of my ability. Suddenly, two of my close family members died, and with this my determination to find answers increased again. Something else awoke within me during the morning of these loved ones, as well. I truly understood what families were going through while watching their loved ones suffering, and my empathy, compassion, and bedside manner became even stronger.

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care, the words of Theodore Roosevelt written in the radiology department at Good Samaritan Hospital, where I work as a Radiologic technologist. These words are a constant reminder of why I choose to pursue a career in medicine. Growing up in Haiti, I was an underweight, mal nourished child with a weak immune system. Sick days seemed to occur every other day. In a country with limited resources, I remember traveling with my parents to different towns in search for medicine and the right physician. We would walked miles, but no miles was ever long enough to stop my parents from getting their son the proper treatment. At a young age my parents showed me the true meaning of altruism and empathy, necessary skills needed to make a great physician. Living in poverty can have major consequences on one’s health. I witness this in my own health and those surrounding me. To survive these harsh conditions, as a community we had to stick together, we had to care for one another. We shared everything with our neighbors, from clean drinking water, food supplies, to natural herb treatment and medicine. From observing the change in lives in the community when treatment was provided, I quickly learned to values the benefits of good Health and medicine.

I further supported my studies in biology and my interest of assisting the needy by volunteering at my hometown’s emergency room. While I did find that working at the emergency room constantly catered to my passion for knowledge about medicine, it was my trustworthy and compassionate nature that allowed me a heightened ability to interact with patients in a reliable and effective manner. I continued my desire by shadowing physicians in the many different departments of the hospital. However, since the marvels of the heart always left me in wonder, I found myself drawn into the life of a cardiologist. While shadowing him in his private practice, I had the chance to appreciate the responsibilities, commitment, and satisfaction of a career in

As I moved from one area of the building to the next – from the main entrance, to the surgical waiting room, to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit – and spoke with other patients’ family members from all across the country, I realized the true extent of the UW Hospital’s greatness. The ill came from Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, and several additional far-away states so that the physicians and nurses at the UW Hospital could treat them. Having had a keen interest in the medical field since middle school, I set a substantial goal for myself: I would, one day, work alongside them; I would follow in their footsteps, do the impossible, and recondition people’s grandpas, role models, and best

Also, as a student with a strong interest in research, Saint Louis University School of Medicine’s dedication to advancements in medical research appeals to me. Furthermore, another reason why I wish to attend the Saint Louis University School of Medicine is the organization of the curriculum into organ system-based courses, this curriculum aligns with my way of learning and studying habits better than traditional methods of teaching medicine. Through the combination of these factors, I believe in such an environment I can flourish and succeed as a medical student, as well as add to the community at Saint Louis University School of

His wound was healing but I was curious to know more about my uncle’s profession. I never thought I would ever ask my uncle to take me to his work place. After shadowing him for few days, I realized his job is not really a job but an opportunity to help and serve people. I saw him providing smiles to hundreds of families everyday. Furthermore, blessing from the patients and their families were priceless. I realized our need for his company in our family gathering is incomparable to the need of patients in hospital. His empathy towards the patient motivated me to learn more about medicine. I have always felt ultimate satisfaction serving other people. I decided to be part medicine.

In all honesty, deciding to pursue medicine is not a choice I have taken lightly; it is not a choice made after a life-changing event, nor was it due to social pressure. There are several factors which prompted my decision to pursue my passion in medicine, one of which is my parents. My mother was unable to conceive for the first 12 years of her marriage and was bedridden for the 9 months of her pregnancy and my father, on the other hand, had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a year before I was born. My curiosity arose when I witnessed my father progressively recovering from what was known as a degenerative disease and when my mother explained the life-threatening complications she had experienced before and after conceiving me. Their stories have led to my fascination of medicine as I found myself asking the ‘why’s and the ‘how’s whenever I sat in on their consultations.

Throughout my life, I had the opportunity to live fulfilling experiences that helped me confirm my desire to be a doctor. I was fortunate to participate as a volunteer, at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital working in the emergency room, where I saw and experienced different cases as simple as a flu, and as difficult as intensive care cases, such as heart transplant. There is one particular day which stayed permanent in my mind. It was one of those that are full of doubts concerning your

“I can’t pay my bills”. As I was screening a patient for the physician, she explained how debilitating her health problems had been. I grabbed the blood pressure monitor only to find her vitals ran well above normal at 175/122 and her blood sugar was greatly elevated as well. When I asked her about those stats, she just repeated, "I need the doctor to make me better. I have to work." After assessing the patient and sending her to the physician, the gravity of the situation struck me with sobriety. That moment put the profession of medicine into perspective for me. For that patient, medicine, and its practitioners were providing much more than treatment: they were helping her secure her livelihood and provide for her family. I had always envisioned medicine as the practice of saving lives, curing ailments, and generally improving an individual 's health. While medicine was all of those things, in that moment at the clinic it became something much bigger. Medicine was the avenue through which a physician could not only improve an individual 's health but also help transform their life outcomes. In many ways, I aspire to become the type of physician whose impact reaches beyond treating illnesses.

There are many today who are in search of knowledge and wisdom hoping to find within these qualities the answers of life’s struggles or the strength to endure even the most burdensome trials that life holds for us. Gaining these qualities may take many a lifetime to achieve. Once one is in possession of either knowledge,