SURGERY PERSONAL STATEMENT

         “Have you been bleeding like this all night?” I kept my voice calm and gathered as much information as possible. Ms. Smith was post-operative day one and, I was the first to round on her in the morning. When I entered the room, she was pale and groggy and her dressings and linens were soaked in blood. I rushed to get my resident involved. Within an hour she was back in the OR. Later on that afternoon she smiled in her post-anesthesia haze, took my hand and said “thank you.” To see the problem, the efficient team approach to solving it and the successful resolution all within the span of hours exhilarated me – any uncertainty about what field I should pursue dissolved.

My desire to enter general surgery has been a gradual realization. My curiosity was first peaked when I began learning human anatomy as an undergraduate. My fascination with the structure and function of the body ultimately allowed me to further my interest by becoming a teaching assistant in the Department of Anatomy of University. While the subject fascinated me, my love for the intricacies of physiology, my undergraduate major, was not far behind. I have come to learn that although the framework of surgery is anatomy, the essence is physiology. During my general surgery rotation, I learned that medical management, both preoperatively and postoperatively is crucial to a successful outcome for the surgical patient. I developed a new understanding and appreciation of the link between the two. My passion for surgery only grew from there. No matter what job I held in the OR, I was always left with a sense of satisfaction.  The intricacies of technique, the immediate impact of intervention, the team work in the OR all fueled my decision to pursue surgery as a career.

Challenges and new experiences are the fires that drive my ambition. I am fortunate to thrive in situations that require me to call on many of my strengths at once. Be it the analytical skills necessary when forming diagnoses or assessing post operative complications, communication skills when conferring with a patient, and even the surgical team, or technical skills, my strengths will have the opportunity to shine as a general surgery resident. I have been afforded the opportunity to build many of these strengths through core rotations and electives but also through my personal experiences. My research experiences in both basic and clinical sciences have helped develop my analytical skills. Working as a teaching assistant in low-income public schools, as well as growing up amidst Welsh, Egyptian and North American cultures demanded much from my communication and adaptive skills. I know that surgery will afford me the opportunity to further develop these and other new strengths.

The wide variety of roles that the surgeon plays, including healer, advisor, advocate and educator further draws me to the field. I look forward to a career caring for a variety of

patients in a busy hospital as part of a committed and close-knit team handling surgical illnesses with sensitivity and efficiency. I also look forward to teaching, both during my residency, and also in the community with an active role encouraging health awareness and illness prevention. I have demonstrated my commitment to community awareness and leadership as a founding member of the Health Project at the College of Medicine, as the organizer of charity and health awareness events, and even as a lead actress in theater productions. My success grew out of a respect for the team I worked with and a strong desire to lead. I look forward to continuing leadership and teamwork as a resident.

Currently I have aspirations for further training in Trauma Surgery/Critical Care a senior elective that further strengthened my desire to study surgery. On the other hand I also have an interest in Endocrine Surgery, where I can combine my training and dedication to surgery with my love of basic human physiology.

The lessons of that first day are the very things that interest and excite me about general surgery. The importance of deliberate yet prompt action both pre, intra and post op is a challenge I look forward to. In fact I am eager to advance through new and difficult challenges with the teaching of skilled and compassionate surgeon mentors. I seek a program that will advance my intellectual growth and provide me with experiences to develop into a competent and innovative surgeon.