The Seeds of Glory: A Legacy Fulfilled

A medical practice that I have highly considered is general surgery. Both my grandfather and uncle are general surgeons, so the idea of following in their footsteps interested me greatly. Also, the idea of combining science and art, as doctors do, has always fascinated me and called me to this profession since a very young age. Like any doctor, the road to becoming a general surgeon is vigorous. “Surgery is a career for the committed. Much of your life is dictated by the demands of the operating room. The training is long and demanding. But for those who love it, a

It’s not worth dedicating your entire young adult life to medicine only to quit afterwards. Not only is it a waste of your own time but also a waste of money and resources. Dr. Ibrahim Hussain, MD illustrates this like no other. Dr. Hussain came in and gave an amazing presentation about his journey in medicine. Co-hosted by AED, AMSA, and the HPO, this event had a great turn out with undergrads, graduate students, and even professors/deans in attendance. As a neurosurgery resident at Weill Cornell Medical Center-New York Presbyterian Hospital, Dr. Hussain shared his stories from a pre-med in Rutgers to a busy surgeon at the hospital. His talk was very inspirational as he started out in Rutgers with extremely low grades and had lost motivation for medicine. After he talked to many people and shadowed many doctors, he was able to lift himself up and excel for the rest of college, getting accepted into NJMS where he got his MD. He was then able to get into Cornell for the coveted neurosurgery residency and has been there since, saving countless patients' lives. He works countless hours and feels such privilege to help all these people. He does not feel it is a chore to go to a medical conference, read medical literature or remain updated on medical topics. He also brought pictures from his surgeries, from the more complicated brain tumor removal to the simpler appendectomy or cholecystectomy. This was my favorite presentation because it combined some of

At this point in my life, my greatest accomplishment is graduating from the New Jersey Medical School Pre-Medical Honors Program at Rutgers University. This accomplishment was the determining factor in my decision to take on a career in medicine. In this program, I was to be under the mentorship of renowned professors and students in medical school. Through these mentors, I gained a firm knowledge on what a career in the medical field consisted of. The professors were able to teach me about the history of medicine, issues in medicine, and the wide variety of career paths that exist within it. In addition, the mentors explained the pivotal impact that the health care system and health care professionals have on the health of the public. The

I finally came to recognize that spending my life doing something that I find enjoyable needs to be replaced by something incredible, and in my eyes, inconceivable. One person, the doctor, is trusted enough by the patient to carve their way into this unknown body and explore their internal organs in an attempt to fix a medically induced complication. I know that by pursuing this career, I’ll reach my goal of doing something that is going to benefit both myself and the surrounding community in a way only few can achieve.

“I was recruited to the University of Missouri to serve in a tri-appointment with the School of Medicine, Harry S Truman VA hospital, and division of general surgery in July 2013. The assignments were seemingly going well and clinical growth was exceeding expectations. My most recent evaluation by both the division of surgery and the surgery residents had been completed and were more than

Adversity has only improved my tenacity, focus, endurance, and problem solving abilities. Various circumstances have affected my academic performance negatively, but I use that as motivation to continually improve myself. I want to be a part of the solution to the family physician shortage and serve the community in the most effective way. My drive to improve the lives of others will help propel me through the difficulties of medical school and beyond. The personal experience I have with my immersion in the field of primary care gives me unique characteristics that will translate into creating a successful physician that focuses on building meaningful relationships with patients. I continually witness how my grandfather is positively impacting the community through medicine and it is my goal to be granted an opportunity to do the same. My belief in lifelong learning and continual self-improvement consistently drives me towards the study of medicine. Because of my life experiences, I now have the balance, endurance, clarity, and tenacity needed to be a successful medical

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

That day changed my father's future, as well as mine. The mutual respect exchanged between my father and the medical staff, as well as the doctor’s ability to relieve my father’s suffering and save his eyesight, inspired me to obtain a career in medicine. I wished to one day give back to my community in the same way that doctor gave back to me and my

Since this wasn't the first nor the last, medical obstacle I would likely face in my lifetime, I chose to use this experience as a stepping stone toward shaping who I would become in my adolescent years. This setback taught me how to take adversity and grow with it. Instead of

Sarah B. office, I felt a slightly nervous, but very confident that this interview will go well. She walks in with a smile as she heads toward her desk. “So, I was told that you are a student, do you mind me asking what school you are currently attending?” she asked. I answered, “I am currently attending City College of New York in Harlem.” As we continue to converse about me and my background, I felt more comfortable enough to interview Dr. Sarah. For this piece, I am have changed her name per her request. First few questions I asked was about her educational background as well as her experience. To my surprised, it is very impressive and interesting. “I attended John Hopkins. It was not what I had expected, but there was always a competition between my classmate and I to always to do better. This was a motivator to make sure that I was on top of my game.” To go back to her past, I asked when did she realized that the medical profession was something she wanted to do. Her interest in surgery came about when she was a teenager working in a general surgeon’s office. The very first operation she witnessed was a gallbladder removal, also known as cholecystectomy. “I can remember it was appealing because I could see the anatomy that I’d have learned in school, but it was in real life. It was

As a person with keen interest and enthusiasm in surgery and fascinated by the inventions and discoveries in this field, I have always wanted to participate in this march towards excellence and be a cog, albeit small, but significant in the wheel of evolution. With this sublime goal I have always striven to excel in my studies and acquire knowledge in this field. My desire to enter general surgery began when I was just 14. Of course I didn’t know what I was doing back then, but I enjoyed dissecting frogs and other animals!

In my junior year in college, I realized that an engineering career will not be as challenging of a trail as medicine. From very early on in my anatomy cadaver labs, I always had the impression that I would enjoy a surgical profession, but this decision for surgery did not shape until the third and fourth year of my clinical clerkships. During one of my surgery clerkships in Atlanta, I observed a young male with necrotizing fasciitis who got admitted in a critical condition. My attending was initially hopeless, but fortunately after four weeks in the ICU and a few surgeries, he survived and got transferred to the floors. I paid full attention to how Dr. Mayor was refining his strategic methods to save his patient’s life. He was consulting a group of diverse physicians from various departments, and collaborating many assessments into his plans.

Considering my uncle had died of skin cancer about a year before I thought the only option when having cancer was death. This scared my sister and I meaning many nights of crying. I would feel reluctant to leave my house even for school in fear it would be the last time I’d see my father. This lasted for a few weeks until he finally got surgery. After his surgery, the doctor invited in my family to see the machine that they used, and I was in awe. This time and the other multiple times of going to the hospital and seeing how these doctors could save a family inspired me. Without my dad, my family would be suffering greatly. He is the rock, our firm foundation, keeping us stable. These events have made me want to work in a hospital. It had given me insight on how one doctor or one invention can save a person’s life, and I want to be a part of

During my summers in high school, I had the opportunity to shadow my grandfather at his pediatric endocrinology practice. My experiences there were influential in shaping my decision to pursue an education and career in medicine. Throughout the years, my grandfather taught me what it meant to be a doctor and the responsibilities a person takes on when treating people. When meeting with his patients, he would take the time to ask about their life, what kinds of events were coming up, their families, and hobbies. He got to know them as people first, before asking them about their health problems or what brought them into his office. I watched him explain exactly how he was going to treat his patients and how they would feel during even the most minor examination or procedure. He left lasting impressions on his patients, whether he saw them once or hundreds of times through the care he took in communicating with them — something I hope to continue into my future career.

Two days after the operation, I met the doctor and he was all that I imagined: friendly, self-assured and modest. His name was Dr. Charles and he told me that he learned much about me from my teacher. He knew of my aspirations to become a doctor. Dr. Charles encouraged me to pursue medicine if I had the patience, the will, and most of all, the desire. He said to me, "The rewards of being a doctor