Why I Am A Doctor

Studying to be a physician requires lots of effort and time. To an immigrant like me, I tried to manage my studies, volunteer work, and adjusting to a new culture at the same time. I like to stick with my plans, and it has always been my plan to enter medical school on 2018. However, my road to entering medical school didn’t come as easy to me. After transferring to University, two of my close family passed away.

I decided to take this class because I am interested in learning the basics for the medical field. I am interested in being a pediatrician because I enjoy working with children. I look forward to helping families by curing a sickly child or completing a usual check up. No one in my family has entered the field of medicine. I chose the medical field because I feel as if I can provide help for people who need it. Although these are my interest, I am still undecided for what I what for my future and I'm hoping this class can help me make the best

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.

In the novel, No Apparent Distress: A Doctor’s Coming-of-Age on the Front Lines of American Medicine by Dr. Rachel Pearson, the author, Dr. Pearson, encounters several patients and experiences several personal challenges that builds her role as a doctor and helps her realize the social injustices in the healthcare system. With the personal encounters she faces with her patients, her family and her peers, Dr. Pearson learns that there are several flaws in the healthcare system that is beyond the doctor’s power to fix. She also learns that the education she receives progressively builds as she meets new patients and learns about their individual cases. She begins to understand that the nature of her education is surprising because one cannot fully understand something unless they have experienced it. Consequently, Dr.

I want to be a MedServe Fellow for several reasons, with the ultimate goals of improving my community and providing a stepping stone between college and medical school. One of the main things I want to do during my gap year is gain clinical experience, something I believe I need before applying to medical school, and this program fulfills that desire. I could do research in my gap year, but working in a primary care setting would be the most beneficial in preparing me, not only for medical school, but for my career. My career goal is within primary care, and while I also could gain experience via an EMT route, I feel that MedServe provides a unique opportunity to truly experience and understand primary care. I want to have a more active role

Anything could have gone wrong. A Japanese soldier murdering my grandmother as they marched into her small village during the Rape of Nanking. The Communist forces dropping an aerial bomb on my mother’s home before the Fall of Saigon. My father’s old fishing boat capsizing in the South China Sea while escaping Vietnam before his miraculous landing in the Philippines. From time to time, I reflect upon my family’s fortuitous circumstances in the darkest periods of war and their tumultuous journey to America. Being the eldest child of second-generation war refugees has significantly impacted my life decisions and aspirations. Neither of my parents finished their education due the Vietnam War, so I have the privilege of being the first in the

Growing up around three female nurses in my family has sparked an interest in working in the medical field; being the introvert that I am, I decided that it was best to become a medical records field technician in Surprise Arizona. Being a big part of my life has I was growing up, my Nana and my two aunts Phyllis and Theresa all took upon the same career choice and became nurses. On February 14, 2012 I went with my Nana and my sister to the nursing home where my Nana works and passed out cookies for Valentine’s Day. While I was passing out cookies with my sister, I was able to see how the staff interacted with the patients and helped them if was needed, it made me realize that one day I would like to work somewhere in the medical field, but

“Expertise is the mantra of modern medicine. In the early twentieth century, you needed only a one-year-medical degree to practice medicine. But by the century’s end, all doctors had to have a college degree, a four-year medical degree, and an additional three to seven years of residency

Their medical school is the leading medical school in the United States. I will need to earn an MD degree in order to apply for a General Practitioner.

Not everyone has a physician in the family, and Dr. Byock’s status helped him greatly through his father’s death, but also made him recognize the importance of advocating for his patients who are not certified MDs.

Looking back at my career of over 15 years as a physician in India,I can safely characterize myself as a caring and empathetic medical practitioner. After immigrating to Canada 4 years ago, as advised by my immigration settlement counsellor, I studied to become a licensed

Cultural influences have large-scale impacts on personal decisions. You may decide to go out to a social event that you are not particularly interested in just because you’re expected to. In the medical education setting, cultural influences play an active role in decision making. During a medical student’s primary education, they often are forced to rely on mentors and staff to guide them through the grueling process. Many decisions are made, what to specialize in? Do I go into private practice? With these important decisions at hand, the influence mentors have on students could not be more impactful. Individuals trust practitioners with their lives, but is community health the determining factor for medical students when deciding the field of medicine to practice? Should it be? I have decided to conduct my research on why primary care seems to be looked down upon in the medical school culture, and the impact declining numbers of primary care physicians has on the community. I’ve also researched the Affordable Care Act’s impact on public health, and how this may increase the demand for primary care doctors even more so. This act is notable due to its political nature, and educating oneself on the effects of policies could impact political and voting stances. It is interesting to investigate why primary care is discouraged in medical school even though the field plays a sizable role in public health. For this trend to change, it is necessary to examine the cultural forces

Slowly, months pass by, and you find yourself “drifting goals” because you do not comprehend the language or the system. A family depends on you, so you apply "fixes that fail" and nothing seems to resolve the reality that your inability to practice “limits your success.” In fact, depression and anxiety kick in, and now you start to “escalate.” The system fails you, and you find yourself “shifting the burden.” The competition is intense. In essence, it is the “tragedy of the commons,” we fight for the same resources, yet it is never sufficient. Now, you feel trapped, and realize you cannot “grow without investment,” so just give up! Never forget, regardless, U.S. trained medical professionals have better resources from the beginning. Therefore, I salute you: “Success to the Successful!” In their countries, International Medical Graduates (IMGs) study five to eight years to become physicians. When they come to the United States, graduates often struggle with a new language and standardized tests. Numerous foreign doctors like myself, explore alternative pathways into a health care career. Even if a foreign medical graduate speaks the language and passes the test, the disadvantage exists. Foreign medical graduates have a 50% chance they cannot advance their careers compared to the 94% of Seniors in US medical schools (Bailey,

If I was asked why I wanted to study medicine a year ago I would have provided a fairly satisfactory answer but if I’m asked why I want to study medicine - or continue studying – now I’m positive that I can provide the best answer possible due to the fact that I have actually studied and engaged in Medicine the whole past year.