Get On That Bike

1024 Words3 Pages

Studying for a final. Researching in a lab. Getting my EMT certification. Volunteering. Getting heart disease. I know what you’re thinking. How are these things all related to each other and wanting to go to medical school? Admittedly, it took me some time to figure that out myself. As I started each of the things above I didn’t necessarily begin with the thought that this experience would some how better prepare me for life as a medical student and physician. Even though being a doctor has always been my dream, I began each (albeit one of them with no choice) for a unique reason. I studied because I wanted to learn. I did research because I wanted to further my studies by using them in a practical capacity. I got an EMT certification because I wanted to put what I learned to use in the real world. I volunteered because I wanted to do something good for other people. I got heart disease because so that I might be able to understand how it feels to be a patient. As I sit here thinking how these things were related to each other and my desire to go into medicine, it dawns on me. My unique experiences as a student, researcher, person, and patient have given me a basis for understanding what a Physician must have. A Physician must have the technical knowledge to make a diagnosis as well as the kindness and empathy needed to deliver compassionate patient care.

What would later lead to a publication in the Journal of Physiology as well as an EMT certification all began in my first physiology class. Learning about how the heart works, how your kidneys function, how you get oxygen was like a catalyst; it sparked my interest in science and medicine. It was all so exciting, so interesting, and so theoretical. Wh...

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...ething similar. The confusion, fear, doubt, anger. I finally felt like I had the capacity to show empathy and understanding to patients and that medical school would help me to advance this ability

From my utter ignorance on the first day of University, to the dark cloud of despair that hovered above me, and finally through to my diagnosis and new understanding, the desire to be a physician has always been with me. Studying for a final. Researching in a lab. Getting my EMT certification. Volunteering. These experiences helped clear up that ignorance and showed me the importance of knowledge (and the excitement of seeing that knowledge in action); while getting heart disease helped push me past that moment of despair and gave me a new understanding of how disease affects people. I’m now ready to brace myself, take a deep breath, and get on that bike.

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