Over fifteen years ago my father was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, discovered after he suffered a stroke. Unfortunately, the diabetes also caused irreversible vision loss. Prior to this diagnosis, I could not recall the last time he had seen a healthcare provider; had he sought care through routine visits, the stroke, as well as the blindness, led on by untreated diabetes, may have been prevented. Throughout my work and volunteer experiences, I have observed many unfortunate cases similar to my father’s, which is a commonplace in underserved areas. These preventable cases drive my interest to pursue the healthcare field.
As a first generation, college bound member in my family, being a physician was what I assumed as being the ultimate career attainable to reach success in healthcare. Therefore, my mindset was to get into medical school. Ironically, the Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program (MEDPREP), a post-baccalaureate program, known for assisting economically and educationally disadvantage students get into medical or dental school, made me realize becoming a physician was not the best fit career with what I desired for a profession in healthcare. Although MEDPREP gave me the opportunity to prove I can be successful in a professional school, the program also made me recognize there are other successful careers in healthcare, which would be in par with the goals I set to accomplish. As a result of my past experiences along with my nurturing
As a young child, I witnessed underserved communities in India and America that truly needed health care, but were deprived of it, due to high poverty. I was a casualty of this situation when I moved to America. I lived in a neighborhood that was poor, and there was a lack of proper healthcare, especially if one did not have health insurance. The neighborhood had only one hospital in its vicinity, and the wait hours were long. My experiences were never pleasant, for the staff and doctors were often rude. These experiences made me realize that my passion for helping would be most helpful in a health care career. However, I knew that if I were to become a doctor, I had to maintain my grades, as it is a highly competitive field. This desire to become a doctor led me to take classes at a community college while attending high school.
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
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
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.
Allison Krausz is a senior in the Health Education program at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Allison is from Swansea, Illinois and graduated from Belleville East High School in 2012. When Allison came to SIUe her first semester, she was set on becoming a dentist. Throughout her first semester, Allison mom would always tell her, ‘there is more to a career than money. You are such a caring person Allie, you were meant to do great things.’ At the end of Allison’s first year of college, her mom passed away. Listening to her mom’s words in her, Allison decided to change her major to Health Education. The Health Education program at SIUe has offered Allison the proper education to use her caring heart for good by educating others
I first realized my passion for health promotion and disease prevention the summer following my first year of college. I had the privilege of attending the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), which introduced me to numerous healthcare professionals. During the program, many of the professionals shared their stories about why they choose the profession, and with each story, I began to reflect deeply on my own background and what drew me to medicine. It was not until an emergency medicine physician spoke about his experiences, that allowed me to fully understand connecting my background to my future. The physician mentioned growing up in D.C., which brought to mind my family in D.C. It had been almost a year since my grandmother
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
Time flows like a river and you find yourself not thinking the way you used to as a child. As I grew older, my dreams and goals changed as well as my mindset on how to achieve those aspirations. Mercyhurst University’s Public Health Program is the main step toward helping me achieve my career goal of becoming a Registered Health Information Technician. I’d like to define success as many achievements and accomplishments, as well as the coming of knowledge for that which was unknown to one’s self. Therefore, there should never be an ending to a success story. It was when I graduated as a medical assistant that sparked the realization to what field I was most interested in.
Poor first-generation college students are underrepresented in medicine, despite their wealth of experiences giving them a unique and significant perspective into the challenges of patients. Even through tireless work and perseverance they may be only a few steps away from achieving their dreams. I am one of those students and I intend to become a physician. My interest in the ABLE Program is rooted in two main reasons. First, its focus on disadvantaged students. Second, ABLE aligns with my long-term goal of service to underserved communities across Michigan.
The health care system is flawed, and I believe every individual who pursues a career in the health field has the ability to help fix it. During college, I was still exploring and researching potential career paths. The decision to pursue a career as a physician assistant (PA) came from a thirst to help others and to improve quality of life of individuals.
Approximately 69.2% of high school graduates, in October of 2015, were enrolled in colleges or universities. It is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that in the year of 2016 the number of high school graduates enrolling in colleges will increase. Personally, a goal of mine is to enroll into the University of California Los Angeles, specifically UCLA School of Nursing. The career that appeals to me is one involved in caring for children. As a result of my interest, becoming Nurse Practitioner in Pediatrics would be the most desirable. UCLA is finest option in Medical Schooling around my location of interest. It is also the most reasonable for the price with benefitting high class education. In order to achieve this grand goal, one would need to pursue strongly a schedule in advanced academics as well as extra curricular activities to attract attention to the university application. A career in Medicine is one of the best options in occupations. As result of it’s reasonable amount of work in schooling for its tuition, it is practical in job application, finally Medicine is extremely beneficial for future financial income and retirement.
Diabetes is associated with wide range of complications such as chronic renal failure, blindness, amputations, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and neuropathy (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). There is no known cure for diabetes, but the disease can be controlled through health management that includes multiple perspectives of care such as medications, blood glucose monitoring, diet, nutrition, screening for long-term complications and regular physical activity (Alotabi, A., et al., 2016). Managing diabetes may be complicated and requires the knowledge and skills of both healthcare providers and the clients. Studies have shown that to prevent or delay diabetic complications due to diabetes, counseling and other lifestyle interventions are the effective therapy. Even with many policies set up for diabetes, 8.1 million Americans are undiagnosed with diabetes mellitus, and approximately 86 million Americans ages 20 and older have blood glucose levels that considerably increase their risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus in the next several years (CDC, 2015). For diabetes care to be successful there needs to be a good understanding of the disease and management by both patients and healthcare providers,
Since early childhood, I always believed I would choose a career in the medical field. When I was five years old, I was asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up”? I always responded by saying: “I want to become a dentist”. I began to pursue my lifelong goal of becoming a dentist or doctor after enrolling at the University of Georgia majoring in biology. I interviewed and shadowed many doctors, all of whom specialized in different areas. I learned about the education process of becoming a doctor, daily tasks, their lifestyle, and the hours they worked. However, the more time I spent shadowing and working with people in those fields; the less I believed that a career as a
Diabetes is a major problem in our society today. Many people have heard about the disease; however, they do not know too much about its complications. Diabetes is a chronic, progressive and lifelong condition that affects the body’s ability to use the energy found in food (WebMD, 2016). Many new cases are confirmed every year and unfortunately, many go undiagnosed for years. Diabetes is a serious disease and need to be taking seriously. The disease can lead to many other health problems such as blindness, nerve damage and kidney diseases. The more the community understand and made aware of the seriousness of the disease, the better it can be control and or prevented.
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.