Personal Statement - Internal Medicine
When I was 10 years old, I came across a quote by Virgil that translates to: “Fortunate is he who has been able to understand the causes of things.” As I reach the end of medical school, I have come to appreciate how much the inspiration behind that phrase has transformed for me as I have pursued this career. I have evolved from a young girl enamored with the idea of learning to save lives to a pre-medical student fascinated by amassing comprehensive medical knowledge and finally to a medical student ready to apply both skills directly.
I approached my third year clerkships with an open mind, ready to immerse myself completely in each field. I love challenges, and I was excited for the wealth of knowledge and clinical skill I knew I would gain during my Internal Medicine clerkship.
A career in medicine has been a childhood dream for me. I was born and raised in a small and underdeveloped city in Sri Lanka, where hospitals and doctors were sparse. At the age of ten, I lost my father due to a lack of immediate medical care. Shortly thereafter, a civil war erupted and I witnessed countless deaths throughout my childhood. At a young age, I understood that many deaths could have been avoided, if the sick and injured had access to medical professionals. These experiences have fueled my passionate desire to live my life as a physician.
Providing clinical treatment, education, and empathy while involving the patient in their care achieves a win-win situation for all. I have adapted my practice to address the primary needs of each patient; education and treatment are modified to attain the best outcome for every client. Segueing from the bedside to clinical research has permitted me to concentrate on the distinct needs of each patient; while allowing me to contribute to the advancement of science and treatment modalities. As I work towards obtaining my advanced practice degree, I have focused on the evolving changes in health care (Mudd, 2014, p. 2).
At the age of 21, I came to the decision that I wanted to become a physician. My original notion was that I wanted to, “help people,” and that patient care fit into my giving nature and social skills. Through clinical experiences I discovered that patient care is much more than a desire to, “help people.” Patient care re...
Medicine is an enigma doctors spend years of their lives unraveling. It's a never ending wellspring of knowledge; no matter how many books a doctor reads, or how many conferences he or she attends, there will always be discoveries in the field of health that he or she has yet to unveil. Because of those medical revelations, a study of medicine does not end with receiving a degree; a doctor is a lifelong learner. Becoming a successful physician is a path fraught with difficulties, but I have known that this is the path I want to take ever since I could reason.
Communicating with one’s eyes is crucial in dentistry. In a room where faces hide behind masks and mouths are full of instruments, it is necessary to wordlessly convey reassurance and kindness. I witnessed the significance of this detail during my childhood in Taiwan. Growing up, I did not brush my teeth until I was eight years old because I did not understand the importance of oral hygiene, causing an oral infection that inflamed my cheek. When I first received treatment, the sight of the lidocaine syringe and dental handpiece struck fear in me. However, what I recall most vividly were the dentist’s eyes; they expressed confidence and empathy, promising I was in good hands. I strive to emulate this thoughtful care as a welcoming, compassionate, and effective dentist.
As I read through the Eastern Virginia Medical School’s mission and vision, I feel the school will offer more than just a medical education. I especially excited to know that the school would offer a community-oriented and patient-center learning environment. I strongly believe those two things would make an impact on how we practice medicine as future physicians. I like how EVMS is very community oriented and focusing on providing the needs of the healthcare to the communities. As a prospective student, I would like to take advantage of local community outreach at the school and provide services to underserved populations. I acknowledge medicine is a lifelong learning career, which I think it’s important to be knowledgeable when providing
I could work on my own communication skills by asking questions and learning as much as I could about each patient’s situation. I could see how to interact positively with each patient and how important it is to listen to their own thoughts and opinions on their treatment. I saw the struggles of being a patient’s advocate to get the proper equipment or care that is necessary for achieving a positive treatment outcome. Being able to experience the treatment of patients of all cultural and religious backgrounds helped put in perspective the importance of maintaining values and ethical treatment. My undergraduate education and clinical experiences have prepared me to one day be a professional by instilling in me the important qualities of professionalism.
My 29 years in the medical field have been working in nearly every medical specialty and hospitals throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Region. During that time, I’ve been able to penetrate and access every area in both small and large medical practices to help educate a physician and their staff how to increase their practice revenue and referrals while providing state-of-the-art care for their patients. As a business owner, I have developed extensive experience negotiating contracts with hospitals, physicians, manufacturers, CEO’s and top executives. At the same time, build relationships with every level of management in companies, hospitals and physician practices as well as all personnel in the organizations. As a business person,
Those in the medical field not only treat our physical illnesses, but go far beyond that by helping us to face the personal and emotional challenges that we may also face. This became apparent to me at a very young age as I struggled with Adrenal Fatigue.Though I had visited many qualified doctors, none could diagnose this until my teen years. This made a big impact on my childhood, causing me to lose consciousness due to small triggers. It was both frightening and incomprehensible for my parents watching me lose consciousness in seconds, yet to the health professionals that I had come in contact with, I was the picture of perfect health. It was difficult for my parents seeing their baby on a heart monitor, having their little sunshine being hooked up to a brain activity monitor. The most frustrating aspect of all of this is that all of tests, treatments, and efforts of recuperation resulted in seemingly failed efforts. A process as painful as this was greatly eased due to the uplifting and delicate nature of the doctors and nurses that informed us all along the way, and assured us that they would take every measure to replenish my health. Their positivity calmed our concerns, and made those tough times more bearable.