The Medfools Pediatrics Sample Residency Personal Statement Library is now open!
These example pediatric residency personal statement samples are here for your viewing pleasure (fully anonymous). We’re hoping to add more in the future, including more pediatric and Pre-Med personal statements. If you’ve got one to add to the free library, don’t forget to contribute yours.
The most challenging and rewarding thing I have ever done is being a father. Completing medical school while balancing my studies and my family life is a very close second. Having taken the non-traditional route into a career in medicine, I have faced many challenges that I otherwise would never have imagined. Most significantly, fatherhood has taught me humility and thankfulness as my wife and I have nurtured our son from a newborn in the NICU into a creative and observant toddler. Similarly, the poverty and violence I witnessed in the lives of children in My Town, New Jersey is imprinted on my mind and heart. My Town is a city of 80,000, 35% of which are children, where 40% of families live below the poverty level. I am saddened by the violence and hunger that many of these children face daily. Still, I continue to be inspired by those that succeed despite these obstacles, and I have grown more dedicated to reaching out to children with unmet needs.
In light of my natural concern for children, , I was attracted to the enduring relationships that pediatricians enjoy with their patients. Having been the parent of a child in the NICU reinforced my interest. In the midst of this personally difficult experience, our family received comfort and support from our son’s team of physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff. I was left with a clear understanding and admiration for the affect that an attentive pediatrician can have on his patients emotionally as well as medically. My interest grew during the summer following my first year of medical school, when I was awarded a summer fellowship to research subcutaneous glucose levels in adolescents at risk for type II diabetes mellitus with Dr. Endocrine. Our findings were intriguing, and I had opportunity to present the results at the Student Medical Research Forum, and again at the Endocrine Society in 2003.
My clinical rotations have removed all doubt that pediatrics is for me. Though I have appreciated the educational opportunity that has come with treating adults, I have unequalled enthusiasm for my pediatric patients. I thoroughly enjoyed my pediatrics clerkship, eager to learn in the wards and clinics, and inspired to investigate further on my own. Rotating through the NICU, my knowledge and experience have continued to grow, and I remain passionate about my patients. I have increasing admiration for pediatricians, as I understand more fully the breadth of knowledge needed to treat the scope of unique and diverse pediatric illnesses. I look forward with enthusiasm to being a resident and the opportunity to focus my energies on learning and contributing to this dynamic field.
I am confident that I bring unique skills and strengths to pediatrics. As an osteopathic physician, my holistic perspective makes me particularly aware of the emotional, spiritual, and cultural components of health. Further, my inner city and residential treatment experiences have taught me how to interact constructively with kids and parents from various backgrounds. In these arenas I have also had opportunities to advocate for the needs of children with parents, teachers, and community leaders. I have taught and mentored children and teens, and take seriously the responsibility of being a role model and a community leader. My ability to communicate in Spanish allows me to gain the trust and respect of my Hispanic patients, who are sometimes hesitant to seek medical care, and who remain a large underserved medical community. Perhaps most valuable is my ability to empathize with parents. I truly understand the concerns and fears they feel for their children.
My goals in medicine revolve around the determination to provide comprehensive, compassionate pediatric care. I am looking for a categorical pediatrics program that will prepare me for clinic practice as well as acute inpatient care. I expect to continue to contribute to academic medicine through clinical teaching and research. My training should also equip me to play an active role in the greater community through advocacy and educational outreach. I would ultimately like to serve in a healthcare shortage area and lend my skills to organizations that bring their pediatric medical skills to third world communities around the world. Ideally my training would take place in a supportive, family-like environment within a well-respected medical center that serves a culturally diverse community. I am confident that with exceptional residency training I will grow into the kind of physician I would choose to treat my own son.