Why I Am A Physician

While volunteering, I checked in patients, helped organize charts, and worked as a receptionist. This allowed me to serve the underserved population and work with a diverse group of professionals. It was inspiring to volunteer at the clinic because I witnessed esteemed professionals sacrifice their time to volunteer at a free clinic in order to help the community flourish. This inspires me to follow in their footsteps when I become a physician. I volunteered at the community clinic my freshman year; unfortunately, I became extremely busy with course work that I had to stop. However, I have registered to volunteer starting August and I plan to continue working throughout my senior year.

I came to America from Vietnam when I was just three years old. I spent a majority of my life with my grandma, who has always taught me the importance of helping others. She always told me to have; you must give, and if you have nothing to give, you can always give your time. This phase has been a huge guide in my life, and it has truly shaped me into who I am. At a young age, I always felt that my purpose in life was to help people. After attending many doctor visits with my grandma for her health check-ups, I was confident my future occupation would be in the medical field. During these frequent doctor visits, I had the chance to watch the interactions and cooperation among different healthcare professionals in different settings. Being in this inspiring environment, I hoped one day I could mirror them and make a difference in people’s lives and the community. Although I have always wanted to help those in need, I was uncertain of what specific career role would allow me to fulfill my passion for helping 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

I have been given many opportunities to help others and make an impact in Johnson City through organizations like the Family Medicine Interest Group at ETSU, serving as the coordinator for student involvement in free clinics. I have also been able to make an impact through medicine in Cleveland, TN by way of the Good Samaritan Clinic. This is a free clinic in downtown Cleveland that I have been volunteering at for the past seven years. I have also been directly involved in the start-up of the Just Care clinic in Mountain City, TN, a medical student ran free clinic in rural Appalachia. I was also been able to spend time in rural Guatemala with a medical team from my undergraduate university helping diagnose, treat, and care for patients whom receive little to no regular healthcare. From my own first hand experiences in both Guatemala and my time spent in the Just Care and Good Samaritan Clinics, I have seen the impact that an inadequate health care system can have on a population. I hope to use my medical and public health training in areas that do not have adequate access to health

As the vice president of my Health Occupations Students of America club at my school, I have worked hard to expand the focus of medial outreach for my community. While the club is mainly focused on competitive events, I realized there was a lack of exposure in the medical aspects. Because of this, my club had expanded its purpose by revisiting what it means to be a physician and connecting to the community as we did when I lead my club in hosting a day at our local Space Coast Fair to boost emotional support for the elderly from assisted living

I was raised in a third world country where only few people living in major cities had access to health care, whereas the majority residing in suburbs and rural areas struggled to find a doctor. I believe that health care should be accessible to everyone regardless of his or her place of residence. I chose Morehouse College of Medicine because its mission resonates with my goals of serving the underserved populations and improving the well-beings of disadvantaged communities. Morehouse is a leading medical school in the nation in community engagement and public service. Its mission and vision intersects with the core values that I have been striving to implement and achieve since the moment I decided to become a doctor. Serving the community through education, volunteering, and community involvement are things I have been working on throughout my

Through my compassion, responsibility, and teamwork I will be able to leave a positive impact on the patients, staff, and parents that visit this facility. Although I may only be a high school student volunteering a few hours a week at this local hospital and I may not be handing a scalpel to a doctor, what I do has the power to bring a smile to someone's day. This opportunity to make their experience better is definitely worthwhile. To conclude, I would also like to thank the Plano Presbyterian Volunteer Services coordinators and directors for providing this great opportunity for High School students like myself who are exploring the medical

through volunteer service, a physician can help improve the health of the community as a whole. Throughout my life, I

To this day, this culture of service continues and is evident to me by the administration, student body, and faculty’s preventative medicine initiatives. Initiatives such as, providing medical help by encouraging students to participate in student-run free health clinics as well as providing uncompensated medical and dental care to its local community. In addition to providing help, MMC focuses on educating the community with the use of health programs, the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, and Project C.O.P.E designed to help HIV/AIDS patients. Other initiatives that I desire to be a part of involve the use of research endeavors to help not only local communities, but also global communities such as Dr. Villalta’s research into diseases found in Latin America. Through its altruistic vision MMC has established a culture of service that has inspired many, as well as myself to accomplish great things not only in the local Nashville community, but also in the

Through these volunteering efforts alongside medically underserved individuals I gained experience as well as a better sense of cultural competence and compassion that has gradually helped me learn the capacity to understand other people’s experiences and sufferings in a way I never had before. Furthermore, by specifically working in family and free health clinics, I have had the opportunity to gain perspective to the present health disparities of minorities and socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. I have witnessed how a lack of insurance, monetary income, or health education can affect one’s decision to attain primary health care. Seeing their medically related hardships increase has only challenged me to contribute my unwavering efforts to pursue the Biomedical Sciences MS degree and become a compassionate, culturally competent, and respectful type of physician who thinks logically and rationally when striving to help people in their greatest time of need, instead of focusing on their

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

I further supported my studies in biology and my interest of assisting the needy by volunteering at my hometown’s emergency room. While I did find that working at the emergency room constantly catered to my passion for knowledge about medicine, it was my trustworthy and compassionate nature that allowed me a heightened ability to interact with patients in a reliable and effective manner. I continued my desire by shadowing physicians in the many different departments of the hospital. However, since the marvels of the heart always left me in wonder, I found myself drawn into the life of a cardiologist. While shadowing him in his private practice, I had the chance to appreciate the responsibilities, commitment, and satisfaction of a career in

Emory School of Medicine provides a unique environment to mold my medical education to work within clinical care in a dynamic global community. My diverse range of experiences from my upbringing, eclectic communities I have grown in, and unique perspectives of medicine and public health I have gained through my professional pursuits will be vital to me contributing to the unique atmosphere of ingenuity at Emory that supports the development of doctors who strive to serve individuals and communities of all types. Through my research experiences, I gained a multidisciplinary understanding healthcare through different contexts, which converges on finding effective ways to communicating with people and gaining a better understanding of what goes

My decision to volunteer at Gloucester-Mathews Free Clinic was primarily motivated by curiosity. There are seven medical professionals in my family, and I wanted to explore the possibility of pursuing a similar career path. The experience provided an opportunity to learn that I do not want to go into medicine, but more importantly, it made me reevaluate the way I think of healthcare.

As I approached my senior year of high school, I was lucky enough to be accepted in the Teen Volunteer program at Upstate Medical University. During this four week long program, I was able to shadow medical professionals and broaden my understanding of the medical field. I was given the unique ability to experience the field that I want to go into before entering secondary education. Before this opportunity, I had always known that I wanted to help people in my future career; however, volunteering at this hospital solidified my desire to make a difference in the world through my future in medicine.