Example Medical Personal Statement
‘Medicine can only cure curable disease, and then not always.’ This statement comes from a well-known Chinese proverb and encapsulates the challenging draw that a career in medicine holds for me. Technological advancements and scientific breakthroughs are constantly evolving at a staggering rate in the developing world. However, the only certainty we can ever be sure of in life is death. To study medicine is not just to study the vast intricacies of the human body – it is also to understand the human mind. Medicine presents a unique challenge which has always fascinated me; how to combine empirical, scientific learning and apply it to human beings who can be, more often than not, indeterminate and mysterious.
Personal experience with the medical profession has also made me resolute to study the subject. I have always enjoyed and excelled at Science-based subjects and was attracted to the medical profession from a very young age for the basic reason that it combined all my strengths and passions. However, there is nothing more devastating and stressful than a loved-one becoming ill and my Mother was unfortunate to have experienced a serious illness quite recently. To see, first-hand, the expert care she received – both physically and emotionally – was humbling. My resolve to study medicine was cemented.
I have gained a range of practical work experience working in the medical field. My first experience was the Bethlem Hospital, part of Kings College Hospital. The trust manages the UK’s only Specialist Biomedical Research Centre in partnership with the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. The team at the centre are working towards ‘personalised medicine’, which is of particular interest to me as treatment is tailored specifically to the individual which vastly increases their chances of getting better more quickly. At Kings College Hospital, I was able to shadow doctors in a range of different departments including oncology and neurosurgery which fascinated me the most. I was able to witness the immense team spirit and camaraderie from all staff at the hospital and I realised the importance of being able to work in a team and rely on one’s colleagues for help and support in such a pressurised environment. I appreciated and understood the diligence and commitment required in this profession and how a hospital department acts like a ‘community’.
I gained further insight whilst working in the Department of Neurology in my gap year and undertook volunteering work in a hospital in the Seychelles. This provided a fascinating insight into the way hospitals are run in the developing world. Finally, my work as a volunteer at St Christopher’s Hospice provided me with an invaluable experience in having to deal with relatives of patients who are nearing the end of their life.
My experiences living and volunteering abroad have fostered my independence and provoked a mature and inquisitive outlook on life. The commitment and discipline needed in volunteering has taught me valuable life skills which will translate well the demanding profession of medicine.
Outside of my interest in studying medicine, I have been involved with a range of extracurricular activities including founding a Film Club for Year 7 pupils at school, taking part in a Maths tutoring scheme and taking part in ‘Fun Fizzical’; a weekly organised session working with disabled children.My interests outside of academia include cricket, dancing, pole fitness and travelling. I have also been a senior ‘cyber-mentor’ for “Beat Bullying”, an anti-bullying charity for the past year which I find immensely rewarding.
There is no denying the extreme demands of a career in Medicine – it can only cure ‘curable’ diseases but the advancements in science mean that Medicine is always evolving which is hugely exciting. We may be a long way off but, perhaps, in the future I can be a part of medicine that can cure currently ‘incurable’ diseases too.
This example Medical personal statement should be used as a good point of reference when writing your own personal statement that makes you stand out from the crowd.