Personal statement
I have developed an interest in family medicine as a result of my personal as well as professional experiences in the past few years. I am currently a 4th year medical student at the Medical University of the Americas. I believe that the field of family medicine requires genuine interest, commitment, and the capability to communicate and associate with patients of diverse age groups. These qualities perfectly describe me; I am passionate about becoming a family physician, I have empathy and strong interpersonal and communication skills. Having a very supportive family, I want my patients to feel like extended members of my family as I will be spending much more time with them than with my family.
Interacting with people from different ages and backgrounds gives me a feeling of joy and satisfaction. As a physician, I endeavor to positively impact the lives of patients. For instance, during my internal medicine sub-internship, I encountered a relatively young man with alcoholic cirrhosis who recently received news of his poor prognosis. I had to convey this information to him, his wife and his 16 year old son. He mentioned that if he could turn back the hands of time, he would never have touched alcohol. I was deeply moved by this experience, and I realized how important it is for the public to be made aware of the repercussions of certain decisions that they make. This incident motivated me to move towards the community outreach sector so that I can be in a position to raise awareness and the educate people on the importance of preventive medicine. I showed great support for the patient and his family to the extent that his wife mentioned that I was the only one she felt comfortable speaking to.
Among the physicians who have inspired me, Dr Zaretzky, who I had the honor to work with, emphasized the importance of inspection. He always pointed out the importance of simply looking at a patient before examining him or her either by palpating, percussing, or auscultatiing. It is amazing how much a doctor can learn just by listening to patients, watching them breathe and simply looking at them. I greatly admired Dr Zaretzky’s empathy, care and compassion for his patients. With him as my mentor, and by taking the initiative to solely see as many patients as I could each and every day, I was able to develop great confidence when performing physical exams. He allowed me to perform EKGs on my own and discuss the findings with him, administer testosterone shots, drain abscesses, and removal skin tags and sutures.
Family medicine encompasses my favorite aspects of each of my core rotations. I purposely did family rotation at the end of my cores and realized it encompasses everything and made me sure of my decision to practice family medicine. I am inspired by the capability to impede or prevent disease manifestations. My desire is to focus my future practice in preventive medicine. I am interested in treating patients as a whole because I believe a holistic approach is crucial in building strong relations with patients.
In order to realize these goals I have high hopes for joining my residency program. I can only develop the medical skills necessary to become an outstanding family physician if I train at an institute that is not only committed to academic excellence but also to superior patient care. Along with my desire to excel, an excellent academic setting will shape me into an outstanding physician. Many of my life and professional experiences have motivated me to choose the field of family medicine as my specialty. I look forward to the future with optimism and enthusiasm as I join the field of family medicine.
