MEDICINE RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT

I commenced medical school with the aim of becoming an internist. I was drawn to the vastness of the field, the diagnostic process, and the continual advancements in treatment that allows one to improve the lives of others. This decision was also shaped by many of my relatives who are internists, as I was able to witness firsthand the joys of their profession. The first two years of medical school fortified this desire, as I enjoyed learning about multiple disease processes. As I progressed through the third year, making the most of each observation and experience on the wards, I found myself enjoying each of my rotations, but particularly enjoyed taking care of patients’ core medical problems. Patient interaction, the art of diagnosis, and being able to witness improvement in patients’ conditions, all came together this year.

During my 4th year, my father unexpectedly had a coronary stent placed which put him in a very anxious and depressed state of mind. After careful deliberation with my father, I thought it would be best if I be close to him during this recovery time; however, there were no medicine positions available in the area. I have been helping my father cope with different issues, as he was quite taken aback by the procedure, given that he never had any symptoms

I have been volunteering with different internists and specialists this year, which has been quite beneficial in maintaining my clinical skills and staying apprised of the latest developments in the literature. My continued experiences with patients have reaffirmed the veracity of my original desire to pursue internal medicine. I am thus set on pursuing my goal of a career in internal medicine.
I understand it takes more than interest and inclination to be successful in medicine. My experiences during the third year of medical school confirmed my joy of working with people and shed new light on the values of hard work, efficiency, and punctuality. I also believe my close attention to detail is essential in maintaining a high level of patient care. I truly enjoy speaking with patients on a one-to-one basis about their problems, and found that this was valuable time spent not only on the humanistic level, but also in terms of arriving at the proper diagnosis more quickly. One of the great joys of my clinical years was being a part of a team of individuals with a common goal of helping fellow human beings.

I hope to further this experience in the role of a resident. I have also always enjoyed teaching other students. As a fourth year student I tutored first and second year medical students in the basic sciences. Likewise, I found it a joy to teach the third year students on my team about various syndromes, which all had the added benefit of reinforcing this information in my mind. I believe my experience as a mentor to students will help me accept the physician’s role as a teacher to his patients , which will improve the quality of patient care I also have many interests outside of medicine, such as playing chess, long-distance running, basketball, and tennis.

As a resident, my goal, simply stated, is to work hard each day to efficiently provide the best of care to my community. I hope to do this in an environment of guided independence that fosters continued intellectual development and stimulation, with diversity of pathology. I believe I have the necessary talents and interests to be a competent, productive resident. My consistent success through medical school demonstrates my self-motivation and drive. Lastly, one of the important tenets that my medical school experience reinforced was to have perspective, which helped me step back and reaffirm my dedication to medicine many times. I consider this an asset, and believe it will help me be a more productive resident. I believe my experiences have confirmed that internal medicine is the field of my choice.