FAMILY PRACTICE PERSONAL STATEMENT

          My path to family medicine was not a straight one. Drawn to improve community health care upon graduating from medical school, I joined ObGyn training. It broughta rewarding and immense satisfaction to have primary contact to patient care. I learned to manage common medical problems and emergency situations in ObGyn. However, I realized I could serve my community better if I could utilize my knowledge and clinical experience to help patients in all age groups  and a wider variety of medical issues. This thought lead me to family medicine.

My interest in family medicine grew exponentially during my observerships. I found that preventive medicine which encourages patients to become health conscious through education and life-style modification was very attractive. I also enjoyed working with the elderly and learned of their neglect of routine medical care as well as fears to seek medical attention. I was inspired by family physicians. They combined their medical expertise with a personal commitment to understand their patients’ problems, recognize and respect different health belief systems, and empower patients to participate in health care decisions. This is the doctor I want to be: a person who acts not only as a physician but also as a patients’ family member, who treats the person holistically. The observerships confirmed that family medicine is the speciality for me.

Postgraduate training in ObGyn helped me develop qualities that are essential for the family physician. It gave me tremendous mental and physical stamina and taught me to think quickly and remain focused under stressful conditions. I enjoyed applying medical knowledge to  clinical situations and using my hand skills to help patients.  I was

satisfied with the close interaction with my patients and learned a great deal from each patient. Whether it was an oncology patient in her final days of life, an infertile couple trying to conceive a child, or an obstetrical patient who miscarried a pregnancy, I always empathized with their situation and made a difference in their lives. Having helped improve patients’ emotional and physical well being was gratifying to me.

Recent clinical observerships offered me the incredible opportunity of familiarizing myself with the US health care system and learning medical ethics.  I realized the importance of confidentiality in medical practice as well as the uniqueness of different cultures and personalities, and to understand the importance of social and personal issues to a patient’s overall health. Through educating patients and coordinating patient care with other specialists and social service groups my interpersonal skills have improved greatly. All these experiences have further prepared me for my residency training in family medicine.

Outside of the wards, I have strived to build a solid foundation of medical knowledge through my pathology/pathophysiology training and clinical research in order to accommodate a broad spectrum of various diseases. With my hard work and problem solving ability, I have accomplished several research papers in peer reviewed journals. Growing up in a large loving family helped me learn the invaluable attributes of being a team player and an excellent listener. My cultural background will make me unique to minority patients and to provide valuable access and service to those patients.

I believe with my enthusiasm, hard work and my past clinical experience I will be able to make an immediate impact to my family medicine program. I look forward to the satisfaction of undertaking specialized training and education, which combined with my personal abilities, will allow me to contribute to the prolongation of life and to the alleviation of suffering in others. My career goal is to be a well-trained physician who is dedicated to making a difference for every patient in a community.