Upon entering medical school I had no idea what type of medicine I wanted to practice. I had originally anticipated that I would become some type of surgeon, because of my enjoyment of working with my hands and visual attention to detail. It wasn’t until after completing my core rotations that I envisioned myself as a family doctor.
During my rotations, the rounds were limited to inquiring about pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, passage of gas and inspection of surgical wounds. The patient interaction was unfulfilling, as the patient interaction was superficial and difficult to see the patient as a whole. I did, however, enjoy all the clinic aspects of all my rotations. I enjoyed caring for both the young and old, the well and sick, new problems and chronic ones. I was able to get to know people of different backgrounds; from the homeless, to Hispanic migrant workers, to upper class suburban individuals. I enjoy approaching complex problems in a systematic manner: taking a problem apart and dividing it into organ based systems, looking for connections, and searching for the root of a problem. My strengths lie in my ability to address and incorporate a person’s cultural and emotional well-being while tackling a generalized problem and narrowing the options down to a single source.
Ironically, I began to have a change of heart while attempting to impress my internal medicine attending by staying late after evening rounds to look up an interesting case on patient A.C..
Having succeeded in the pursuit of my DMD as one of the top students in my class both clinically and didactically, my immediate goal was to broaden my horizons in understanding dental medicine. This understanding encompassed the multifaceted and dynamic collaboration of specialties- both of which share the goal of comprehending biomechanics concerning maxillofacial complexion and the proper treatment of various malfunctions.
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 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.
Although science has been my favorite subject in school for as long as I can remember, my passion for medicine started in fourth grade, after I spent three weeks in the hospital. The doctors and nurses were so good at explaining what was going on inside my body, and I learned so much about medicine and myself. It really improved my healing process knowing what was happening and how I could make myself feel better. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted a career helping others feel the same way. So, I met with my father’s friend, who was an anesthesiologist, to discuss all the options that are available in the medical field. After he listened to some of my interests and dreams for my future, he said that he thought
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
As a student aspiring to pursue a medical career, I knew it was imperative to attain a firsthand experience in a medical setting. Therefore, my experience volunteering at the Volunteer Healthcare Clinic, or VHC, was profoundly significant as it allowed me to learn how the profession was in practice, which strengthen my desire to become a doctor. This experience, engaging with patients and physicians, exposed me to a different side of medicine through which I learned the crucial role of interpersonal communication; and, it also led me to discover a new aspect of medicine that captured my interest and motivated me to seek a profession within this field of study.
As a young child, I was always drawn towards the field of health care. I remember reading about the many options that are held within it and wondering what path it would lead me on. Neonatal nursing was something that always came into my mind, but it was often pushed to the side by people and teachers who thought I should become a pediatrician instead. This became a real struggle for me, but as I grew up and began researching and exploring the health care field I came to a decision for myself. I came to the realization that everyone was wrong. I didn’t want to be a doctor at all. This sudden burst of independence from what everyone else wanted was the first step to reaching my end goal. Along with this, an accelerated education, volunteer
Throughout all of time there have been people known as doctors. In some places they have been known as shaman, witch doctor, healing man, or even cleric. The way they were trained was usually through apprenticeship with an older doctor when they were young. As the times and practices advanced and changed so did the learning of medicine. People went from apprenticeships to schools. Then the schools became more extensive and thorough.
Since childhood, I’ve aspired to become a physician to alleviate the pain of others by helping them through medicine. Currently, I’m not sure which specialty I want to pursue, but in 10 years I want to have completed medical school and residency and started working to give back to society through medicine.
Developing long-term relationships with patients is what I’m looking forward to as a Family Physician. Through my experiences as a medical student, intern, hospital volunteer, and observer, my most enjoyable moments are those spent listening to the patient. I have learned that communication, empathy and good listening skills, attributes
Since I was young, I always envisioned myself wearing the decent white blazer and my fashionable clothes, having the “Dr.” before my first name, and owning and managing my own clinic with a lot of merry patients who trust me as their doctor. As a kid during those days, “doctor” was the only term I knew. I did not have any idea of pediatrician, cardiologist, neurologist, surgeon, etc. and the meanings of the said specializations.
During my Internal Medicine rotation, I experience the unique thought process and strategy needed for the treatment of patients with multiple co-morbidities and the need to treat the patient as a whole. I had my final year rotation with one of the best internist in my country, who later became the Vice Chancellor of the university. His vast knowledge and clinical acumen inspired me even further. The cycle of curiosity was vicious, the more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew and more I wanted to
I had the opportunity to do my underserved rotation at Mi Doctor in Fort Worth. While small, the clinic sees a wide variety of patients ranging from family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. It was through this clinical experience that provided me with the chance to not only learn about the people residing in the community but also recognize their barriers to healthcare and lack of education on certain topics. Furthermore, I was intrigued about the different roles one must take on as a provider to treat the wide personalities of patients. This rotation, while humbling, also helped me achieve the course goals of knowing how to take a history, performing physical exams, interpreting diagnostic studies, making working diagnoses, and
Database management system is used in many fields, and especially important in the environment where a lot of information needs to be collected and organized. For example, in hospital, the information about patients was diverse: name, date of birth, medical history, symptoms, treatments and etc. In order to deal with the huge information, health information technician is the important job to organize and manage health information data in hospital or other health care department. The capacity of using database software was necessary for health information technicians. Apart from these, they also need to have the knowledge about medical science and biology, so that they can communicate with professionals about patients’ information. The job is so attractive to me, not only because it is a relatively stable work, but also because it is closely relative to my major (Bio-chemistry) and minor (Information system). In order to know more about this field of work, I chatted with a friend Young who worked as an information technician in hospital. She recalled the interview she experienced and talked a lot about the interview criteria and experience of her job, including the skill of information system she need to use during work. In the following sections, each of the details would be discussed.
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.