Med-Peds RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT

The responsibility of selecting a residency program has allowed me to think very hard about myself and my career, specifically my qualities, my gifts, my motivations, and my weaknesses. In this assessment, I have discovered three major themes: the first is that I am a people person; I enjoy personal contact with people of all ages, and work best in a team. The second is my moral commitment to make a real contribution to humanity. The third is my passion for science and teaching it to others. I sincerely feel that I can bring these qualities to a medical career in Internal Medicine – Pediatrics.

I have chosen a residency field that will allow me to treat patients of all age groups with a wide variety of problems encountered in all stages of life. It is a healthy mixture of the exotic and the mundane, of glowing health and desperate illness. While working in an Internal Medicine – Pediatrics clinic during my ambulatory care rotation, I was amazed at the variety of patients seen each day; from a 2-month well-baby check to an elderly patient with influenza to a middle aged woman with acute appendicitis. It is this wide variety of patients along with a mixture of common and uncommon disorders and the possibility to make a real difference in the lives of patients and their families that led me to continue my training in Internal Medicine – Pediatrics.

My well-rounded education and family life with a value system of hard work, motivation, dedication and perseverance have given me the sensitivity to see a patient as more than a collection of symptoms. I have always been aware of the feelings of those around me, and I believe that this will allow me to cater to the needs of the patient. I enjoy relating to patients of different backgrounds and eagerly look forward to the opportunity to care for the great variety of patients seen in acute and non-acute settings alike. Furthermore, the constant demand for problem-solving skills and analytical thinking has always been attractive to me, as is the chance to see a patient, gather all of the relevant information and then ferret out the true diagnosis.

In addition to being a diagnostician, one must also be a hard worker to be successful. In everything I do, I put every ounce of my effort into it and a future training would be no different. Not only do I put the effort into the task at hand, the end result has also been successful, whether it be earning clinical honors in my clinical rotations or being an MCAT. An exception to this statement exists with my experience for USMLE Step 1. I took the boards in the midst of working through a multitude of health problems with family members. Since that time these health problems have resolved and I have excelled in my clinical duties. My academic records and extracurricular activities are evidence that I am ready to undertake the rigors of residency training in Internal Medicine – Pediatrics.

In addition to being a humane and caring individual, a physician must also be a scientist. My academic record and research endeavors demonstrate these abilities. I have worked very hard, and feel that my scholastic aptitude for medicine is reflected in this experience. I have had a rigorous medical school career that has prepared me not only for success in the field of Internal Medicine – Pediatrics, but also for success in a personal sense. Whether this residency leads me into a fellowship such as Critical Care or to a life in the primary clinic setting, 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 am excited to enter a specialty that will allow me to help others while working closely with and learning immensely from colleagues. I eagerly await the next phase of my education and welcome the challenges and excitement it will bring.