My older sister was diagnosed with Astrocytoma when I was 8 years old. Suddenly, my world consisted of frequent visits to St. Jude Research Hospital, 500 miles away from home. 8 years old; that is also how old I was when I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I witnessed my first “Code Blue” that same year. The code blue created a small panic in the hospital; the physicians rushed a small, fragile girl past me and my huge curiosity led me to rush right after them. I stood next to the little girl’s mom while she was frantically crying. While we watched the physicians attempt to save her life, I observed the physicians control the situation, and commit into to do everything in their power to save the little girl. It was in that moment, that I knew I wanted to become a physician. …show more content…
Shortly after the experience, I dedicated most of time to help counsel patients and their siblings.
It started small because of my age, but it grew into a great community of support for the patients and patient siblings. The unique aspect of the group was it was full of peers, and we could all relate to each other about the pain and fear. After some time, members of the hospital noticed our group and then they invested into a teen room; a place where the group can counsel each other in a more relaxed environment. In the teen room there was a computer with internet. In between my sister’s doctor’s appointments, MRIs, and radiation treatments, I would start researching about Astrocytoma. I would take down notes while her doctor’s explained her situation, and look up the conditions they would diagnose. For her next appointment, I would ask numerous questions about the biology behind various conditions. My interest in medicine only continued to
grow. Since my time at St. Jude, I have committed a lot of time volunteering: I am a Girl Scout Leader, a basketball coach, a Sunday school teacher, and a Big Sister. I am confident with my passion to of help others, and the reward I receive challenges me to do more and go further. Helping people and serving others has been a concern for me throughout my life. My experience as a leader has shown me how people can make a huge difference in the lives of others. I have built a bond with my basketball players, my little sister, my students, and my girl scouts troop. This bond allows me to further help the younger generation with their trust and confidence in me; extremely similar to a bond and trust a physician must build with a patient. I lead by example as a Girl Scout Leader, basketball coach, Sunday School teacher and Big sister; I teach them the importance of teamwork, innovation, integrity, respect, and service. I believe those strong foundations are necessary set of core values. I began to shadow my mother and her co-workers when I was 10 years old. My mother has a PhD in Biology and was working in Indiana University laboratories. In the lab, they would test blood samples for various types of infections, diseases, and abnormalities. Even at the ripe age of 10, I grew to know how everyone’s blood supply was fascinating and unique. For instances, there are four general blood types, but each type had an Rh factor, which determines whether the individual has a specific protein on their red blood cells. During this time I asked my mother if she could share her job with my class, I wanted to give my classmates the opportunity to be able to experience the excitement I got when I was doing experiments. My mother, my teacher and I decided to set-up a sort of “show-and-tell”; we tested the entire class’s blood type. This was such a big success, that my teacher decided to continue the test with every single one of his classes until his retirement. We all believed that you are never too young to find your dream, and to some people it might be the world of medicine. My established interest for medicine continued to grow at this time. I furthered my path for my medical school career by: shadowing in different medical professions, working as a pharmacy technician, working as a student research assistant, and working as an emergency medical technician. I was able to analyze different views of health care, which broadened my perspective on the various ways I could help people. This helped me refine the area that would lead me to my passion. For example, as an in-patient pharmacy technician in a large hospital, my duties included compounding and delivering medications. Although these are very important aspects in health care, there was minimal patient interaction. This indicated the need for me to explore a different medical area where I have more direct patient contact. Next, I gained a wealth of knowledge as a student research assistant. I worked in the Dermatology Department at Indiana University School of Medicine. I began just doing lab experiments including real-time PCR (qPCR), Elisa plates, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, fluorescence microscopy. Eventually I worked on western blots, DNA and RNA isolation and preparation, and breeding isolation of mice. This experience challenged me in different ways which allowed me to use my problem-solving skills in a different aspect. I learned the importance of repetition and consistency, because getting a result once may not be so accurate. I’ve had a personal interest in medicine since I was 8 years old. I excelled throughout my high school experience, especially in my AP science courses. I was in the top 6% of my graduating class. At the beginning of college, I took my studying habits from high school for granted. I began to fall behind, and I was too afraid to ask for help. The reason I was afraid to ask for help stemmed from the idea that I came from a small high school of about 300 in my graduating class, to about 40,000 students at Purdue. I was one of hundreds, and I got discouraged waiting in line to talk to a professor. Unfortunately, this caused me to struggle throughout my time at Purdue University. Through perseverance, hard-work, patience and the help of one particular professor, Dr. Peter Hollenbeck, I was able to bring my grades up and graduated from Purdue. After graduating from Purdue, I took the time to figure out how to be able to study in college. In the meantime, I received my EMT certificate, and was reassured my passion to become a medical doctor. Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just fond 10,000 ways that won’t work.” I believe great success comes right after a failure because mistakes are messages that give us feedback. Gratefully, I learned many lessons from time at Purdue: 1. Attack my problems as soon as they happen 2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help 3. Studying for one class may not work the same for another class and 4. Never give up. That is what led me to broaden my knowledge in the next stage of my life. No one likes to fail, nor do they set out to fail, but there is more growth opportunity from a failure. Now I know the correct way to study and how to notice any signs of struggle. I wanted to challenge myself when I went back to school to improve my science grades. I began researching many possible roads, and landed on the field of aviation. Though aviation and science seem like two distant relatives, they are actually closely related. The airplane model is designed specially to maintain different environment stresses. Our human body is designed exactly the same miraculous way. For example, as a pilot we act as the brain, the ultimate controller of the body. We make sure that for each stage of flight, the specific instruments are turned on or off, in the right position, etc. Our brain does the exact same thing, firing specific neurons for specific body movements. In the sky, you start seeing things that are not so apparent from the ground. As a physician, you start noticing that symptoms are not so visible to the naked eye. As a pilot, a storm does not scare you, but it pushes you to be one with the airplane and to be the best pilot you can be. As a physician, a set of symptoms does not scare you, but it pushes you to research as thoroughly as possible to reach a diagnosis and be the caring, trustworthy physician you can be. In our aviation classes, you cannot hide behind a desk and get by; you must step up to succeed. My focus through the previous 5 years was solely science, so I had to commit myself into various different subjects including weather, reciprocating air systems, turbine air systems, instrument theory, etc. From day one, I approached my professors, explained my goals and my weaknesses. With a lot of persistence, I established a line of communication with my professors and I was able to be at the top of my class. My weather professor even began to refer other struggling students to seek my help. I was able to adapt to the new environment and handle the situation in a better manner than at Purdue. In the past year, I suffered a great loss: two of my closest family friends passed away. The two deceased pilots, a father and son, decided to risk their lives by traveling across the world to raise money for schools in Pakistan. Regardless of the pros and cons of personally flying a single-engine airplane, the father and son had a dream and had determination to accomplish the mission. After their deaths, I self-reflected my personal life and my conclusion was that I was extremely influenced and reassured of my purpose; to make a difference in the medical field, to become an outstanding physician. I have a strong commitment, determination, and persistence towards my goal. My goal ultimately is to use both of my passions; in serving health care to the underserved communities. No other occupation other than that of a physician will allow me to exert my talents and fulfill my goals. This next year, I will finish my degree in Aviation, as well as my pre-requisites so that I can further help myself prepare for the academic rigor of medical school and I am determined to show that I am a qualified candidate for medical school.
7th grade brought opportunity to discover more about medicine. Mrs. Barrett asked us to research an interesting careers. I picked pediatrics. I chose to tap into a first-hand experience by sitting down with Dr. Wayne. Every patient to him was like solving a Scooby Doo mystery. Sick kids were so young that, they could not always tell what was going on and parents were also at a loss for words. However, often times there were hints as to the illness. Arriving at a
My initial thought about this painting is that it seems to be incorrect. The reflection in the mirror shows that the lady is looking in the direction of the man standing in front of her. If the lady is looking at the man their reflections should not be off to the side. The second observation is the lady is sad or disappointed and is looking past the man standing in front of her. My last observation is there are three sections from left to right; bottles and the audience, the lady, and the reflections of the lady and man. The most interesting concept about this artwork is how the reflections seem to be inaccurate. If the bottles and the reflections of the lady and the man standing in front of her are at an angle, then why are the vertical lines perpendicular to each other?
Many years ago there was a small boy who was woken by a loud scream. Terrified, he ran from his room to find his mother unconscious on the floor. His little sister was screaming as he pulled his mom onto her back in desperation. In reality, he didn’t know what to do to save her and his helplessness was due to his lack of knowledge. She passed away that night. That boy was me. Our past defines us no matter how we protest; it can either pull you down into failure or lift you up towards success. From then on, I was drawn to medical sciences and used that helplessness to motivate my education.
As a student that is currently seeking a career in the medical professions, I have had to routinely contemplate my reasons for pursuing such an extensive education program in a field that is constantly demanding excessive time and effort. I know of students—many friends and acquaintances of mine included—that have the most sure-fire, inspirational stories that align with their desire to become doctors, surgeons, physician assistants, etc. They always seemed to have a story that emphasized their desire to “give back” what they have received from the medical community. Because of that, ever since the beginning of high school, I have been trying to find an extraordinary reason, a purpose for my medical pursuits. Perhaps I could justify my passion for
At thirteen I left my home in sunny Miami, Florida to attend a boarding school in snowy Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During those four years I learned to be independent, and to work effectively with my peers. One year, a group of students and I began to visit patients every
My initial interest in nursing arose from a book, in early high school. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult is about a teenage girl, Kate, suffering a life-long battle of leukemia...
Being a twin sister to more or less an average sister (with all the usual arguing, competing, the typical sibling rivalry stuff), I've learned a lot about the meaning of the term "it takes a village". My sister was born with Pulmonary Atresia (a closed heart valve). Though no one but herself could truly appreciate the endurance and pain of what she had to go through, I too developed a sense of immense appreciation on how many different medical specialists, physical therapists, social workers and other multiple specialists are involved in helping patients like my sister; not just survive but thrive! Volunteering at a Pediatric Medical office over the last three years has made me realize how great things happen when multiple fields come together.
Ever since I was in middle school I dreamed of working in the medical field. I realized nursing was the profession for me when my grandfather became terribly sick with lung cancer during my freshman year of high school. It puzzled me that one of the healthiest and most physically active people I knew could be afflicted by such a damaging disease. After watching my grandfather’s suffering and the pain my entire family felt from his death, I knew I wanted to go into a field to help others that are facing the same challenges. This is when I discovered all of the opportunities that a career in nursing could offer me.
At 37, she decided to go off the beaten path and pursue something that spiritually fulfilled her beyond being a traditional physician ("10 Alternative Careers"). While going into medicine is my lifelong dream, I cannot say that I haven 't had others. Most children love reading, but writing gives us the ability to create worlds beyond our imaginations and weave words into sonnets and sestinas. The medical career is often viewed as two paths - either you go through medical school and residencies, or you don 't become one at all. But with a medical degree, I 'd love to show people that this is not true, that you can have two dreams set on opposing paths and still meet at a checkpoint to continue onwards. While it seems to be only a dream, I 'd love to publish fictional novels and anthologies concerning medicine, whether it be the cases I encounter or finding poetic ways to explain arrhythmias or the skeletal system for the sake of studying. I 've been told many times to pursue medicine instead of writing because I wouldn 't be happy as an author struggling to make money. But my motives for becoming a doctor goes beyond any paycheck or title. My happiness is my own, and I wish to share it through the practice of medicine and the written word. I wish to inspire children and even adults with a
I began my college career unsure of the path ahead of me. I knew I had a passion for medicine, however, I did not know which direction I would take. With the expansive amount of options offered within the fields of science and medicine, it was difficult to narrow down exactly what direction I wanted to take. I gained some clarity the summer of my sophomore year when I stayed at a close friend’s home, whose father, a practicing Medical Physician, became somewhat of a mentor to me. The passionate way in which he discussed the practice of medicine led me to develop an interest in pursuing a career as a physician. He explained that a career in the medical field was about responsibility, the responsibility to work with all members of the healthcare team for the well-being of the patient as well as their family
Seven years ago, when I decided to enter the school of medicine, my dream was to be able to help people, to take responsibility of their health so they can live their lives and achieve their dreams. Having always been fascinated by science, pursuing this interest and practicing medicine became a passion to me.
I boarded a bus in New York City recently as I entered into the bus I saw a vacant seat in the back section of the bus I hastily went and sat in it, while I was sitting there my eyes caught and add that was displaying a bow they window at the back of the bus. The odd red as follows; “homelessness has many faces”, but when I looked at the big terrorists on display beneath the writing I saw that all the individuals in the picture were black in color. Immediately my thoughts opened up to a documentary I saw in my sociology class prior to boarding that bus. I could distinctively recall a section of the documentary that speaks to the inferior way that the so-called white supremacy treats people of color. The hidden color is a documentary, an instrument
Volunteering in the Pediatrics Department at Aga Khan University Hospital in 2003, one of the largest hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan was a defining moment for me. The compassion and tirelessness with which doctors treated cancer children and their incessant pursuit of giving better health treatment to patients amazed me. This was an experience that cemented my resolve to pursue medicine.
My grandpa fought lung cancer for about a year, and when he passed away that opened my eyes to wanting to become an Oncology Nurse. I started my
When my dad was gone I had to help my mom and Ross out with some of Ross’ treatments, like the pressure garments that kept his skin grafts on. I learned a lot about the medical world from an early age which has been fueled by the science that I learned in school and has been nurtured by my love for it. For the rest of my life I hope that I will be able to keep this love going with a career in medicine working as a G.P, or a General Practitioner, so that I can help people stay happy and healthy just as my family got help so long