Makeover #1 GENERAL SURGERY PERSONAL STATEMENT - Part III (Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3)

AFTER - SINUS Rhythm

As I sat under the African sun during my Peace Corps service in West Underserved Country, I would dream about what it would be like to be a doctor. That vision recently came to fruition as I teased out my first suppurative appendix, the object of pursuit that had begun when I sensed rebound tenderness on his abdomen an hour earlier. The many years encompassing premedical studies, medical school, and now internship had prepared me as I had diagnosed my patient with acute appendicitis, and now I was ready to resolve the problem. As my attending guided me, my satisfaction was unsurpassable – I was on my way to becoming a surgeon.

My path towards surgery began quite differently than most medical students. Having studied public health nutrition in college, after graduation I joined the Peace Corps to make a difference in malnutrition in a small village. Although I developed a sustainable baby weighing/vaccination program to optimize preventative care in a country with little resources, I longed to make more immediate changes in people’s lives. [Good! First the applicant leaves out the part about being rejected from med school, then goes on to say what they did instead. Also, the writer transitions well to why they decided to pursue medicine] Drawn to international health care, I pursued a masters in public health in tropical medicine after I returned from Africa. However it was only after I rotated through general surgery in medical school that I was able to define exactly how I wanted to help people in my future. In surgery I found a balance between caring for patients and pursuing a field of medicine that invigorated and challenged me. Having spent much time and effort in public health, I was often questioned during residency interviews last year about my motivations for a career in general surgery. Ultimately I feel that the discrepancy between my past work and present ambitions coupled with my ranking very few programs led to me not matching to a categorical position in general surgery. On the contrary, with such a broad education and experience, I possess a combination of knowledge and skills to become a surgeon not only versed in knowledge and technique, but capable of tending to larger issues in health care and population dynamics for the future.

My love of surgery was cemented from the first midline celiotomy I assisted on as a third year medical student during my trauma rotation. I watched as my chief resident opened the gunshot victim’s abdomen with finesse and stamina akin to a sculptor shaping his finest art. Surgery blends art and science by allowing one to heal with hands, and I have always loved working with my hands. As an intern this year in a preliminary surgery program I monitor floor patients more often than I scrub into surgery but it only takes one case in the OR to bring back the exhilaration I first felt from seeing disease cured just below my fingertips. Also, this year has thus far illustrated that general surgery is indeed my career destination. I intensely enjoy learning about general surgical principles, perioperative care, and technical acumen. It is to my benefit and the benefit of my future program the additional intern year in general surgery I will have completed because I can immediately bring additional productivity to a surgical team with my foundation of surgical knowledge. [Excellent! Here the applicant is making the transitional year a big positive selling point on the application] The extra year will also allow me to focus more on the didactics of general surgery and perfecting my surgical skills in the future, which will ultimately allow me to become a more well-rounded surgeon as I may have time to dedicate to research and learning to care for the whole patient.

My aspirations are to participate in a training program that optimizes attainment of surgical knowledge and skill while promoting communication and total care of the patient. Currently, I am most intrigued by the bowel and therefore leaning towards a future in colorectal surgery, but I favor a program with a broad patient population and diverse team of surgeons. Given my public health background, I am interested in pursuing clinical epidemiological research as a part of my graduate medical education. Further, I would like to find a program that embraces the less fortunate in other countries by providing opportunities for surgical staff and possibly residents abroad. My goal is to one day be a general surgeon who knows no boundaries in the care of my patients.

[A solid essay that states the applicants goals, ambitions, and decision making process. This essay focuses on the positive aspects of the application, and making negatives into positives.]

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