The Medfools Emergency Medicine Sample Residency Personal Statement Library is now open!
These sample ER – Emergency Medicine personal statements are here for your viewing pleasure (fully anonymous). We’re hoping to add more in the future, including Pre-Med personal statements. If you’ve got one to add to the free library, don’t forget to contribute yours.
The wind whipped through the airplane cabin as the door opened at 13,800 feet. As I sat waiting for my turn to jump, I felt more anxious and uncertain than I’d ever been in my life. “Ready?” the jumpmaster yelled. I didn’t have time to respond. My rotation in Emergency Medicine, as a fourth year medical student, had been going well. I never imagined it would lead me to this. I had accepted an invitation to go skydiving with a couple of the residents. Suddenly, I was flipping through the sky. Only moments before, my instructor and I had discussed why I wish to become an Emergency Medicine Physician. I told him about my experiences in the field and how intense, exhilarating, and rewarding I found Emergency Medicine. His response was, “Well, buddy, you are about to have one of the most exhilarating and intense experiences of your life!” He was right. For fifty seconds of freefall towards the Earth, I felt pure ecstasy. After pulling the rip cord, we smoothly glided down under the parachute. Everything became serene. Sailing down from the sky, the anxiety and uncertainty had disappeared. I found myself completely at peace and gratified with my decision to jump. I feel that same sense of peace about my dive into pursing Emergency Medicine.
Emergency Medicine appeals to me as a humanistic, challenging field, offering the opportunity to provide immediate help to people in the most vital aspect of their lives: their health. The emotional rewards of helping those during their greatest times of need are intangible. Twelve years ago, I encountered this first hand as knee surgery introduced me to medicine. It was an eye opening experience to me; then, a 14-year-old kid who, before surgery, dreamed of playing professional football. As a result of the positive impression the entire experience had on me, the medical profession emerged as my newfound desire. My employment prior to and during medical school, working as an E.M.T. and a Scribe in the Emergency Department of Saint Elsewhere Regional Medical Center in Wyoming, introduced me to the field of Emergency Medicine. It was there, as well as my experiences with the Army National Guard, serving as a flight medic, that my interest blossomed.
Being in the ED as a medical student has fortified my desire to enter the field.
Emergency Medicine offers me the opportunity to be at the forefront of medicine and to participate actively in making decisions right from the onset of patient care. I’ve learned that the ability to immediately establish rapport and make the patient feel better is not only a part of the Emergency Medicine Physician’s responsibilities, but is also one of the most satisfying aspects of the specialty. The fast pace, community involvement, and the required broad knowledge base attract me to Emergency Medicine. The Emergency Medical System comes together to help all people, including those who have nowhere else to turn. I want to be an active part of that system.
I look forward to a career in Emergency Medicine involving clinical practice, education, and research. During my own medical education, spending time in a research lab studying the response to thermal injury in a rat model, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of research. I will seek out opportunities to participate in Emergency Medicine research that will promote advancement in the field. I also feel that teaching adds a gratifying and stimulating aspect to practice that can be incorporated [into almost any situation. Having the opportunity to train residents and students is something I will weigh considerably when selecting a location to practice. I hope to be in an area that allows me to serve a diverse patient population, as well as providing an environment that supports my outside interests of mountain biking, golf, basketball, scuba diving, and skiing. Skydiving doesn’t make the list just yet. These hobbies and my sense of humor allow me to keep a balance in my own life and increase my enthusiasm for practicing medicine. I’m ready to jump into residency training with this enthusiasm.
Emergency Medicine will endow me with a solid education and preparation for a profession in which I am able to deal with the entire spectrum of acute illness and injury in all age groups. I wish to enter a residency program that will provide a broad-based clinical education with a diverse patient population that emphasizes education, encourages mentoring, facilitates opportunities for research, and is intimately involved in Emergency Medical Services. I will bring to my residency program a hard working, mature individual who has a clear vision of a career in Emergency Medicine. My experiences and training have reinforced my dedication to this dynamic and exhilarating field of medicine.