I Want To Be A Pathologist Essay

As crazy as it sounds I've always known I wanted to be a pathologist. I was the fourth child of seven. Each one of use had our niche that defined us early on. One was going to be the lawyer of the family, another the mechanic, and another the family sports guy. I was the weird one that wanted to be a forensic pathologist. From a young age I loved problems, puzzles. and taking anything I could get my hands on apart. I was also an avid reader. In second grade I read a Scarpetta novel. My parents stated that when I was done I rushed in to let everyone know, "I know what I want to be when I grow up. I want to take dead people apart!" Lucky for me they didn't blink an eye. They congratulated me and didn't send me to therapy. From that point I became the doctor of the family.

In my studies those goals haven't changed much. I tried to diversify my education. I didn't want to lose out on opportunities because of what a 7 year old had decided, but I was continuously drawn to the math and sciences. In college my love for forensics really flourished. I finished with a bachelors of science in forensic anthropology and biology. I worked crimes scenes, learned about testifying in court, and help excavate an old cemetery in town. Meanwhile I got

involved in medicine. I volunteered at the local hospitals and local health fairs. I studied abroad in Europe for a semester on a pre-med trip. It was an extraordinary opportunity. We visited the University of Padua of Italy, the Pasteur Institute in Paris, Guy's Hospital in London and had a private tour of Dr. Gunther von Hagen's personal collection in Guben, Germany among many other medical hotspots across the continent. I also went to night school for my emergency medicine technician license. That allowed me to quit one of my part time jobs and work in the medical field. I took a year off before medical school for many reasons, but used my time to further my education in medicine and particularly autopsy medicine. I visited the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office to sit in on autopsies throughout the summer.

During medical school my dream of being a pathologist has really been reaffirmed. Most people go to medical school for patient care and being bedside. For me I found it frustrating. I always wanted to know why and what was the process going on to account for the patients illness. The human body is complex beyond comprehension and bedside medicine for me while rewarding didn't satisfy my need to understand the whole picture. I feel pathology allows us to further medical knowledge and provide a sector of patient care unlike any other. We have the medical history, the imaging, and even better we have the tissue allowing the pathologist to add an unique aspect to the understanding of that patients healthcare needs. Not only for one patient but the research opportunities that pathology provides can have an impact of thousands of patients. With my recently inspired interest in research this is yet another way the field of pathology appeals to me.
Best of all when I step into a path lab, look under a microscope, or walk into an autopsy suite I get that feeling. You know that feeling where there are butterflies in your stomach and you're giddy from excitement. You can't wipe the huge smile off your face. It's like a kid visiting Willy Wonka's for the first time. When I watch someone gross and I can see, even feel the pathology that is causing the patient's grief and then later see that same tissue under the microscope it sparks my intrigue. I want to know everything about that sample. Either way the analysis goes, the patients will hopefully have some answers, and maybe even a cure. Unlike primary care I feel like pathologists are no longer just managing the problems. They are providing answers to patients and guidance to other physicians. Making that diagnosis is rewarding. I want to do that for the rest of my life. In particular I've found an interest in neuropathology. In my nonclinical years, I hated neurology. Everything about it seemed too difficult. In my clinical rotations I started choosing neurology related specialties to improve understanding. The best way to learn is hands on and being challenged by it every day. I really fell in love with it. I started out working with traumatic brain injury patients at our local neurorehabilitation center. While there we were required to follow one patient over there course. My patient was a 20 year old girl coming off an overnight shift as a EMT that fell asleep at the wheel. When we first met she couldn't speak, eat, and needed maximum help with all her activities of daily living. When I finished my rotation she was feeding herself, could talk and communicate and performing basic tasks. It was nothing short of a miracle. That led me to do neurosurgery, my neurology rotation and apply to neuropathology programs for training. I find neuropathology challenging and it pushes me.

While I've found a love for neurology along the way, my dreams of being a Medical Examiner is still going strong.

I want the whole package when it comes to a residency. I want a rigorous well rounded program with a large number of diverse specimens and cases. I want the potential to specialize in neuropathology and forensic pathology. Research opportunities and support are also important to me. I want to make my impact on the world. I believe my work as a future pathologist will allow me to do just that to the full extent. In my family thus far we've all been successful in attaining our dreams. I plan on continuing to work hard to reach mine. Who knew that at 20 years later I would still be holding strong to my childhood

dream?