FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT "The Career Change"

Although I began my medical career in anesthesia, I have developed a genuine interest in family practice during and after my anesthesia training. While practicing anesthesia, I always missed the wide spectrum of pathology, the continuous care for patients of different ages, and psychosocial issues in medicine. Family practice is the specialty that offers all these. Through family practice, I feel confident that I can achieve greater personal and professional satisfaction.

Although unable to find an observership program in family practice, I found several programs in general internal medicine. I have been doing observership at both Medical Education Alliance and Medical Hospital. During my observership training at both programs, I felt great achievement in using my knowledge of pharmacology, microbiology, and physiology to explain signs and symptoms of patients. This ensures me that I would be greatly benefited from a specialty in primary care.

I personally believe that providing long-term care, both preventive and therapeutic, to patients is an integral part of practicing medicine. During my observerships, I admired the relationship the attendings had formed with their patients. I love the idea of caring for patients from birth to death and building long-term friendships with them. While I was an anesthesiologist, my contact with most patients usually started one day before and ended one day after surgery. Even though patients developed complications from anesthesia, they did not seek medical care from anesthesiologists, because there was no communication channel between anesthesiologists and patients.

My knowledge and skills in anesthesia will be a useful asset in family practice. I am skilled in performing different kinds of invasive and non-invasive monitoring procedures. This will make me feel more comfortable while caring for critically ill patients. My hands-on clinical experience at both Memorial Medical Center of Medical University and the University of California was a unique opportunity to learn how the medical care system works and to enhance my communication skills with patients of all age groups. My volunteer experience at a mental health clinic helped me realize the importance of psychosocial issues in managing mental illnesses and develop a great compassion. By participating in all the activities during my observership training, I honed my history and physical skills. In addition, while I was an anesthesiologist, I enjoyed easing the anxieties of children undergoing surgery before I delivered anesthesia. This not only increased the quality of anesthesia care but also decreased the psychological harm on children. All these will make me better prepared for my residency training in family practice. Meanwhile I know exactly what I am going to face and I know I am able and willing to handle it.

I will bring enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism, as well as clinical knowledge and skills to my family practice residency program. More importantly, I am very glad that I receive support from my family in applying for a family practice residency program. I seek a residency program that provides a balanced training approach. Through this training, I hope to develop excellent clinical skills and judgment, and embark on a career with constant intellectual stimulation and the opportunity to provide long-term medical care to patients in a manner that I could not provide as an anesthesiologist.