Simr Program Research Paper

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,

When I was nine years old, I was very sick, and I had to stay in the hospital. I have very few memories of the hospital, but I do faintly recall a few calming faces as I lay in a hospital cot. These calming appearances were the doctors and nurses of the hospital. During my stay, I interacted with the hospital staff which was made up of nurses and physicians. The main reason why I didn’t feel scared about my condition was due to the trust I had in the abilities of my doctors and nurses.

I first became exposed to a hospital setting during my early ages of childhood due to my constant issues with my immune system. To my parents, I was commonly referred to as the sick child in the family since I would constantly catch even the simplest of illnesses such as fevers, colds, flus, running nose, severe coughs and much more. The time period, in which I would visit the doctor’s office, lead me to become more accustomed overtime to the environment and eventually grow a passion for what is being done.

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.

During my sixth grade year, I began experiencing chronic migraines, stomach aches, and vomiting spells that would last for weeks at a time. It took months for my doctors to diagnose with me with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS), but what seemed like a curse became a blessing in disguise. My time at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) opened my eyes to the field of nursing by allowing me to see how important of a role nurses play in the care of patients. Each nurse that I encountered made me feel like I mattered by taking the time out to get to know me personally. When I was in the hospital, I was often by myself because my parents work schedules kept them from visiting during the week. The nurses would leave my door open and check on me

    Ever since my childhood, I have always found medicine to be intriguing. My interest first sparked when I learned about my cousin’s, Austin, illness. Austin was born nearly four months early and was diagnosed with an underdeveloped trachea and COPD. Within Austin’s first moments of life, doctors had to perform a tracheotomy. As I observed my cousin’s suffering over the years, my desire to help others was ignited. Since then, my will to help people has only grown immensely. From playing doctor to caring for my family when they are sick, my caring nature and love to help people has always been evident. All I want is the ability to help others and to make a difference. Now, my cousin has miraculously lived

Hospitals are not the best places; no one wants to stay, but one was my favorite place for six months. People think of hospitals as some place to sit and wait for bad news. Brunswick hospital is the hospital I visited every day. It had plain white walls, red seats to sit in while waiting, and had a great staff. I was in sixth grade living life as any normal eleven year old. Life was a breeze. Then on February twenty-sixth, my whole world changed. My mother found out she had stage three Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. “Mom was going to die,” was the only thing running though my little scatter brain. She would not see my graduate or follow my dreams.

I became captivated by the opportunity to apply my knowledge of the biological and chemical sciences in a way that one day may save a life. Though my interest stems from my experiences, my passion to pursue this field lies elsewhere. Growing up in a family of low socioeconomic status in an area with few sources of acceptable health care, I saw my parents struggle as they aged to provide my siblings and I with a proper education. There were times they would ignore their own illness in order to save funds for an emergency for us. Observing this, I knew that no matter how difficult of a path I picked, regardless if it was pharmaceutical sciences or the medical field, my parents had concurred greater difficulties. Growing under such conditions, I began to realize the disparities in quality of treatments my parents received compared to those who of a higher socioeconomic status. This motivated me to pursue a career where I would be given the chance to offer care to individuals through unbiased views. Of course, there are a plethora of careers that can fulfill this but medicine has presented itself as very unique to me. It promises a lifestyle devoted to empathetic patient care, direct patient interaction, and a boundless opportunity to learn and experience something new. As the end of my undergraduate experience is forthcoming, I look forward to taking on the next phase of my life, endeavoring to join the ranks of tomorrow’s

The memory of George’s struggles provides a continuous reminder of why I am pursuing a career in medicine and serves as a perpetual source of motivation. I have a responsibility to those less fortunate than me to work my hardest and to continuously improve, so I may grow to ensure that others do not needlessly suffer as George has. Moreover, the knowledge of healthcare inequities I have gained will allow me to bring the concerns of underserved populations to the Wake Forest School of Medicine and help foster the growth of physicians who are dedicated to aiding the disadvantaged. Medical school will undoubtedly be wrought with challenges; however, I am confident that dedication to ameliorate others’ suffering will allow me not only to thrive, but also enrich the learning experience of my peers.

To say that this incident was the defining moment as to why I chose medicine would be an exaggeration, but it had undoubtedly been an affirmation of my decision. To embark on a career in Medicine was not an easy decision, and it was certainly not something that I had aspired to be from a young age. In fact, it took nearly half a decade of careful consideration and exploration before I reached this conclusion. My motivation to become a doctor stems not only from my love for science, but also from the special connection that is established between a patient and a doctor during diagnosis and consultation. The opportunity for devoting a lifetime to alleviating illnesses stands as my inspiration. I believe that there is no other profession that can be compared to one which utilizes one’s acquired abilities to bring about a more immediate impact on someone’s life, just as this experience had

Hospitals for me as a young child were quite terrifying. I attribute this fear to witnessing young and old alike being on life supporting machines, while their loved ones’ countenance showed fear and trepidation. Regardless of this fear, I spent majority of my childhood in and out of the doctor’s office and emergency rooms because of routine visits and unforeseen injuries due to an active life. My pediatric physician, Dr. James Mitchell, became a permanent fixture in my life. Dr. Mitchell genuinely cared about me and what was going on with the numerous conditions and injuries that I frequented his office with; such as: asthma and chronic bronchitis, the influenza virus and streptococcal pharyngitis – which I contracted within days of each other, cases of gastroenteritis, a busted tongue and knee, dislocated joints, fractured bones, and a torn cartilage.

I am interested in the soars program, because I love helping people; especially the young ones. The young ones are the future! It is the adults’ job to show them something that will help them in life. If not home then elsewhere. I never had a good influence to further or let alone someone encouraging me along the way. Therefore, I want to offer something I never had, whether it’s from encouragement to inspirational. Day by day many of us struggle to live, especially the youth. They go from peer pressure to trying to “fit in” any bad move can be life threating and then right before you know it, it’s over. I want to show the young ones that the college path is the right path no matter how they look at it. Futhermore, being part of the Soars program

Ever since I was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis at three, I have traveled between two dichotomous worlds. One world consisted of red wagons, IVs, and doctors and nurses clustering around my bed for rounds, and the other of school, friends, and soccer games. Until now, my worlds had remained separate. Inside the hospital, tubes and

I was exposed to medicine at an early age due to my frequent illnesses and infections. One urinary tract infection became too much to handle and I developed a 104 degrees fever. My parents rushed me to the emergency room and the physicians discovered that my infections were attributed to vesicoureteral reflux. From this, I developed a close relationship with my pediatrician and the doctor’s office became a place I was accustomed to and comfortable with.

It’s 1997. I am four years old, and I have on my favorite plaid dress; I just started at my new elementary school. Unlike a typical child, my interest was the Discovery Health channel instead of Barney or Sesame Street. I grew up as an only child, so being an individual isn’t just a choice, but the only way I understand. It was on this day after school I went to visit my aunt who is my best friend. She was suffering a severe migraine from stress in her marketing position. I remember visiting and holding a small blue ice pack to her head for an hour or so while she watched Beverly Hills 90210. It was my first vivid memory and what I believe to be the spark of my aspiration to perform medicine.