The Medfools Pathology Sample Residency Personal Statement Library is now open!
These example pathology residency personal statement samples 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.
PATHOLOGY RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT
Diagnosis of disease has always been my passion. It is what attracted me to a career in medicine. For me there has been nothing more exciting than the challenge involved in unraveling the mysteries of the human body. I was introduced to Pathology in the second year of my medical school and had also begun my clinical rotations in Internal Medicine and Surgery. These rotations provided great opportunity to be involved in clinico-pathological correlation. My job as a medical student began as carrying histopathology samples to the Pathology department and bring back reports. The Pathology resident that helped me with this was very enthusiastic and always made it a point to show me the interesting slides. Up until then histopathology slides had been a jumble of pink and blue colors for me. As I saw more and more slides all these colors started making sense. Pieces of a jigsaw puzzle started falling together to reveal the larger picture. During these clinical rotations I realized the tremendous impact these tiny sections on pieces of glass have on the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
After completing medical school I joined a Pathology residency at the Medical College and General Hospital in my hometown. Residency for me was both enlightening and rewarding. We did major rotations in histopathology, hematology, and autopsy and short rotations in blood banking, microbiology and immunology. Each rotation provided plenty of opportunity to be involved in disease diagnosis and was very fulfilling. What our hospital lacked in advanced techniques in Pathology, it made up in patient volume. Being the only tertiary care center in my city, we had patients coming from varied economic and social backgrounds.
Our institute also had a good teaching program and encouraged participation in journal clubs, slide quizzes, and clinicopathological correlation conferences. As a resident I was also involved in teaching pathology to medical school students. During the 3 years of my residency I completed a research project and dissertation. My dissertation topic was to study the pathologies seen at autopsy in AIDS patients in Indian population. During my work on this project and also the rotations during my residency I came to realize that pathology was a field at the cross roads of clinical medicine and medical research, both paths ultimately leading to the holy grail that we physicians strive for; that of improving health by fighting disease. By the time I finished my residency, I had developed an avid interest in research. The options in front of me then were to start practicing as a pathologist or to further my education. I chose to pursue the latter.
I began my Ph.D. training in the United and for the past 3 years I have worked on the study of mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis to the skeleton. My background as a pathologist, both theoretical as well as practical, has helped me immensely while working on this project. During this time, my interactions with many clinicians and Pathologists involved in research has helped me see the field of Pathology in a different light. It has made me realize that a career in Pathology can provide me with many avenues to fulfill my ultimate goal.
The thought of doing residency in Pathology in the United States is very exciting. It will give me an opportunity to learn and practice those skills that were lacking in my country. At the same time I can bring to the program the clinical knowledge and research skills that I have acquired during my residency in India.
There is no doubt in my mind that by choosing a career as a Pathologist I have chosen the right career path. There is no other ambition that I so keenly pursue and no other goal that I so passionately want to come true than being a good Pathologist.