Medicine Personal Statement
I have always been fascinated by science. However, this fascination is not based simply around an academic curiosity. Rather, what inspires me most about the scientific world is the efforts that have been made down the ages by countless men and women to put their scientific knowledge and acumen to use to heal and prevent suffering. I do not simply want to be one of the countless people who express an ill-defined interest in ‘helping people’; I want to follow a career path in which, through applying my scientific expertise, every drop of my efforts is directed at offering assistance to people who are suffering. Through becoming a doctor, I intend to make a profound difference to the wellbeing of others, whether here in the United Kingdom or in the developing world.
I have taken part in placements in a variety of hospital departments; the experience of each one has strengthened my understanding of the demands of the medical profession and cemented in my mind that becoming a doctor is my calling. Through shadowing a doctor in a Breast Outpatients Department I learnt a great deal about the procedures and routines of a busy hospital department. In the same hospital I observed two different operations. Watching a surgical procedure first-hand gave me a true appreciation of the level of teamwork that is required to successfully perform an operation. The more challenging aspects of life as a doctor were emphasized to me through my experience of shadowing a triage nurse in an Accident and Emergency Department. My time here gave me an appreciation of how doctors sometimes have to provide treatment to patients who are not wholly cooperative or appreciative of the help they are receiving.
In addition to the experience of shadowing doctors and nurses in hospitals, I have also participated in several workshops, such as Medlink and Medwales. I found these invaluable because, in addition to being highly informative about a whole range of aspects of life as a doctor, they allowed a hands-on experience of medical procedures that it would obviously be impossible to obtain on a hospital work shadowing placement. As a trained first-aider myself, I found it particularly interesting to practice medical procedures on these placements.
Because I wish to put helping people at the heart of everything that I do, I have been involved in several different types of voluntary work. I spent six weeks working at a care home for the elderly. The growing trust the residents felt towards me as I got to know them made it easier for me to carry out the tasks of the role, something which demonstrated to me that it is essential for doctors to develop a rapport with their patients to be able to treat them. I have always particularly enjoyed caring for children. I volunteered for two terms as a classroom assistant in a class of children with special needs. Being able to dedicate time to help the children was an incredibly rewarding experience, and also helped to improve my listening skills and my patience. Most recently I worked as a nanny in California during the summer. Caring for up to eight children at a time at the same time as adapting to life on a different continent was a challenge with a steep learning curve, but the experience immeasurably improved my ability to work under my own initiative and be prepared to face new and unexpected challenges.
My time in California built on the personal development that I gained through my participation while I was at school in a range of activities, including the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, a position on the Management Council of my school sixth form, a work placement in Mexico City when I was fifteen, and a part-time job as a waitress in a local hotel. My voluntary and extracurricular activities, along with my work experience in hospitals and studies have collectively helped me to develop the strength of character, the compassion and the critical skills that are necessary to succeed as a doctor.
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