Different Fields of Medicine
My choice of Medicine, as a career, stems from the immense
satisfaction I gain from acquiring new scientific knowledge combined
with a genuine interest in people. My commitment has been reinforced
through diverse work experience and a long standing ambition. Biology
has developed my fascination for the human body further and I enjoy
the logical nature of Chemistry.
To gain a better understanding as to what is involved in different
fields of medicine I carried out work experience in the cardiac,
orthopaedic and stroke wards at Queen Elizabeth Hospital over a period
of three weeks. Following this, was time spent at ITU, which brought
to life the use of modern medicines in life threatening conditions
while often highlighting ethical issues. Accompanying a consultant
physician in the course of his ward rounds for orthopaedic patients, I
recognized the extra challenges involved when treating the elderly.
The shadowing of a surgical consultant and visiting theatre was
extremely eye opening and I was intrigued by the multi-disciplinary
approach to patient care. Attending a specialist outpatients Cancer
clinic gave me a brief idea about the essential follow up and
palliative care required by patients suffering from such terminal
illnesses and I now appreciate the nature of teamwork necessary to
provide a high standard of patient care. Spending two weeks
accompanying a GP gave me an insight into primary health care whilst
recognising its’ importance. I am bilingual, speaking both English and
Bengali which proved useful when spending eleven days at a women’s
hospital and two weeks at a GP surgery, situated in a poor rural area
of Bangladesh; I observed difficulties in diagnosis and treatment due
to the lack of basic supplies and investigatory facilities in lesser
economically developed countries. My time in Bangladesh was
fascinating and I witnessed an epidemic outbreak of diarrhoea, I
helped to give out free oral re-hydration saline (ORS) provided by the
Lutheran charity. The completion of a First Aid course in August 2004
has helped to hone at least some of the basic practical skills
Dr. Atul Gawande, a Harvard Medical School graduate and writer for The New Yorker, phenomenally illustrates the unknown side of healthcare professions in his book, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science. By exploring the ethical and analytical aspects of medicine while entertaining readers with relatable anecdotes, Gawande impresses on his audience the importance of recognizing the wonders of the healthcare field, as well as the fallibility of those within it.
I was born in a small town of -----------of underdeveloped country of Bangladesh. I grew up speaking Bengali, wore traditional clothes, created intricate henna designs on women’s hands, and performed classical Bengali music. Since childhood, thought other than becoming a doctor never registered in my mind. My high grades in high school helped me to obtain admission in one of the most desirable place to learn Medicine, Mayemen Medical College.
I am applying for prior learning credit for the Medical Communications course. I worked for CIGNA Healthcare from 2001-2007 as a Senior Customer Service Associate. In 2001, I completed the Medical Terminology I course at Central Piedmont Community College. The course description states this course introduces prefixes, suffixes, and word roots used in the language of medicine. Topics include medical vocabulary and the terms that relate to the anatomy, physiology, pathological conditions, and treatment of selected systems. Upon completion, students should be able to pronounce, spell, and define medical terms as related to selected body systems and their pathological disorders.
Born and raised by parents working in the medical field, I have always had the urge to follow up on on a health related career. Despite never being pressured into choosing scientific subjects as my academic studies, I deeply admired what a long way science has come and longed to give my contribution to this fascinating world. I am presently studying for my A-levels at St.Aloysius Sixth form in Malta, a college for high achievers.
Volunteering in the Pediatrics Department at Aga Khan University Hospital in 2003, one of the largest hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan was a defining moment for me. The compassion and tirelessness with which doctors treated cancer children and their incessant pursuit of giving better health treatment to patients amazed me. This was an experience that cemented my resolve to pursue medicine.
Reminiscing over the conversation, I considered the implications of a career in family medicine. I began contemplating the vast array of illnesses around me that I was naïve of before becoming a medical student. The importance of the field could be seen all around my personal life. My father recently started losartan for hypertension, my mother and sister frequently encounter migraines, my brother’s has vitiligo of the foot, and my youngest brother has eczema on his arms in connection to his asthma. The list continues with my uncle’s rheumatoid arthritis, my aunt’s recent hepatitis infection, an aunt’s bilateral knee replacements due to osteoarthritis, two uncles with chronic back pain, and a younger cousin in Pakistan, having a limp due to improperly diagnosed hip dysplasia. Also, Pakistan, where I am from originally suffers with polio vaccination deficiency. I witnessed my uncle having polio of one leg and becoming dependent onto a wheelchair. Family medicine was the only field that would allow me to make a change in all of these
A recent controversy among soon-to-be parents and the medical profession is over the use of midwives. Some say that midwives are a good choice because of their personal, loving, educated and competent obstetric and gynecological care. Stacy Stich of the American College of Nurse-Midwives states, this not only includes the hands on care but also the emotional and supportive aspects. A midwife has the ability to assist a couple through the birthing process in a natural and comfortable atmosphere.(1)
I can still remember the words, ‘When you are a clinician, you are saving a life, but when you are a public health practitioner, you are saving thousands of lives’. These words were delivered by a professor during orientation of my undergraduate Community Medicine course. That introductory speech was so motivating that I contemplated for a while, should I be in the ‘thousands life saver’ group? Though inspiring, that speech alone was not sufficient to grow my interest in public health. Day by day I felt the importance of public health while dealing with various patients as a clinician.
I know that by doing my job, no matter how different each patient may be, that I have made a difference in someone’s life. I am very content in my job knowing that there is an increasing need in healthcare. With the demand of healthcare today, there will always be a demand for physicians, and with the need of physicians there will always be a need for medical assistants. In this profession the rewards and opportunities will only continue to grow, and there is not a better place to than here in America, because like Ralph Waldo Emerson (journalist, poet, philosopher, and essayist) once said, “America is another name for
...ed throughout this paper that a career as either a pharmacist or physician would be perfect careers for me, due to the fact that they are equivalent with my interests, values and goals in life are. There is a lot of hard work involved in these professions, but my love for helping people would carry me through the stresses involved in the schooling and work required of a physician or pharmacist.
I perceive medicine as an intellectually stimulating and socially rewarding profession. Along with an understanding of science, it requires passion, devotion and personal sacrifices, which I learnt about after speaking to consultants at "A Career in Medicine" course. I have always enjoyed studying science and my enthusiasm to study medicine stemmed from an early interest in biology. To explore this, I completed a two-week work placement in Year 10 in the transplant research laboratory at Addenbrooke's Hospital. I was fascinated by the concept of transplant rejection and even witnessed a mouse heart transplant. In the lab I assisted in carrying out experiments, helping me develop analytical skills and allowing me to see how advancement in medicine is underpinned by research.
During my parents’ quest for answers, I have been shuffled in and out of the greatest clinical and research hospitals in the country, as well as some of the worst. I have seen oncologists, hematologists, endocrinologists, surgeons, orthopedists, interventional radiologists, pulmonologists, dermatologists, nutritionists, integrative medicine specialists, homeopathic doctors, and one spiritual healer from India. I have been in a clinical trial, a lymphatic imaging study, and had one of my ribs and some lymphatic fluid removed for research. These experiences were where I started to gain perspective.
At three in the morning, the phone rang. A trembling voice relayed the news that my friend had fallen into a coma due to an inoperable brain aneurysm. A few days later, her family decided to stop life support after confirmation that she was completely brain-dead. The fact that nothing could be done for her in this day and age, despite all our technological advancements, was a great shock to me. In addition, the fact that she was younger than me made me realize how short and precious each life truly is. Her death inspired me to pursue medicine so that one day, others in similarly hopeless situations, would have a chance to survive. My dream is that one day, I will contribute to bringing medicine one step closer to curing someone with a currently untreatable disease.
Physicians play many roles in society – ranging from family doctors to political activists. However, the primary objective of a healer and/or physician is to provide quality care that serves the patient’s best interests. As our life expectancy grows higher, physicians play an ever more important role in society for our public well-being. In this class, we have already read numerous articles that chronicle the challenges and controversies that are associated with this difficult job. Unfortunately, the readings have generally discouraged me from pursuing a career in the medical field.
I started to explore the different fields of medicine by working as a Medical Scribe in the Emergency Department, ER tech in Trauma Centers, getting involved in research, volunteering at hospitals and taking high level science classes. This will enhance my knowledge and experience i...