Personal Statement
There are likely as many reasons for going into the medical field as there are practitioners, but for me there is one that matters: my memory as a cold, scared, 14-year-old boy. Even at that early age I knew what to expect as I emerged from the anesthesia—coldness. As I awoke, there would be violent shivering, icy hands, and cold monitors. Instead, I experienced a warm blanket to quiet the shivering, soft hands, and a friendly smile. Rather than feeling vulnerable and exposed, I felt safe and cared for. The kindness continued as doctors provided personal care, nurses took time to explain procedures, and my parents were allowed to spend comforting hours at my bedside. It was then that I realized: one day I wanted to be one of these wonderfully compassionate people.
In part, I have done just that. As a nurse, I find patient contact to be the most rewarding aspect of the medical field. A simple heart-felt thanks from a patient readily compensates for the extra effort required to meet not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual needs. Recently, the memory of my own surgery was brought back to me as I performed a pre-operative interview with a scared young lady and her anxious mother. When I had finished the necessary questions, I spread another warm blanket over the young lady and asked her if she would like to know more about what to expect in surgery. She nodded gratefully. Both she and her mother seemed to relax as I explained and answered their questions. Later, to my surprise, I received a glowing commendation in my record—the mother was a vice-president at our hospital. Of course the rewards for compassion are not always this apparent. Making personal contact before surgery lends meaning and purpose to an otherwise sterile surgical environment.
However, I realize that medicine cannot always be warm and caring. From the vantage point of working in the field for six years, I have been able to witness the challenges of a career in medicine: battling insurance companies, persuading health maintenance organizations (HMOs), working long hours, facing ethical dilemmas, helping non-compliant patients, and confronting sickness and death. I have heard many frustrated comments regarding HMOs in particular. Congress, it seems, has heard them as well since the House recently passed a bill giving patients more power in dealing with their HMOs. These challenges are enough to cause some of the most dedicated physicians I know to reconsider their choice of profession and have certainly given me pause.
Although my goal since high school has been to become a physician, I have explored other fields including nursing and biological research. Working with patients in nursing has proven very rewarding. In addition, during my nursing study I learned much about human anatomy, physiology, and disease. However, I found that in nursing diseases were memorized by signs and symptoms, not through knowledge of the etiology. Because I wanted more understanding, I decided to obtain a B.A. in biology. My classes in biology, particularly Dr. Stephen Nyirady's Microbiology class, fostered my interest in research. As a result, I spent a full summer studying Escherichia coli aerotaxis with Dr. Barry Taylor at Loma Linda University in Southern California. This experience demonstrated that while I am proficient in research, my first love is for the interaction of clinical medicine. I need patient contact in order to feel fulfilled. A combination of clinical practice with correlated research would fit my abilities well.
Through exploring nursing and biology, I have found that a career as a physician would best incorporate my interests in scientific research, knowledge of the human being, continual intellectual growth, and intimate human contact. While I agree with much of the recently passed patients' bill of rights, there is another basic right that cannot be dictated through governmental laws. I believe in the idealistic notion that every patient no matter what their age deserves the care and compassion shown to me in that children's hospital. I am resolved to become a physician for the rewards of making medicine a warmer place.
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