Admissions Essay for Medical School

 When I was a child, there was an incident that was instrumental in guiding me towards a career in medicine. I was witness to a man who incurred severe injury after an accident and did not survive the trip to the hospital because of the slow response that witnesses could provide. In addition, it was possible that the treatment that healthcare professionals provided at the time was sub-standard. Or course, simply witnessing this event had a strong impact on me and I remember thinking shortly afterwards and even later in life “if only I knew adequate first aid treatment to provide to the man rather than watching him languish till healthcare professionals arrived”.  Another monumental impact on my pursuit of practicing medicine was the illness my mother endured years ago. I was, in a positive way, extremely affected by the care she received from physicians and nurses. As I held my mother’s hand, and was there to witness her treatment, I saw these healthcare professionals work tirelessly to give her the care she needed. I believe it may be very likely that those who work in healthcare become jaded, unintentionally, by thoughts that illness should be expected during the course of life and it’s natural that people will die. However, these physicians caring for my mother encouraged me and served as an inspiration. They were passionate about giving my mother the best treatment. This has prodded me to become a healthcare professional with the desire to give back to other families in the way that these doctors gave support, peace, and happiness to my family.

To prepare for a career in medicine, I am looking at how I can incorporate my Bachelor of Business Administration to correspond with the leadership a physician will have to employ when working with other healthcare professionals. I believe, while my undergraduate wasn’t geared towards prerequisite classes for medical school, that a Bachelor of Business Administration will be valuable as it relates to the perspective of business that is steeped in medicine. Another aspect preparing me for medical school is that I was fortunate to have the opportunity to shadow my uncle, who is a cardiologist, while he worked within a tribal community in India. That experience strongly influenced my passion to pursue medicine. Through my own initiative, I have studied outside of my academic institution and sought to gain more substantive knowledge on issues related to health. For example, I am extremely interested in how strong the evidence is that exists on how smoking affects one’s health. To that end, I have read and watched documentaries, and other videos, that explain the intricacies of what is going on inside the body when an individual smokes. I also expect to be professionally involved in a social aspect of humanitarian work which will allow me to influence the lives of those who may be underprivileged. As a physician, I believe I could continue to work for many years while giving back to society. Other professions, especially those immersed in manual labor, often have a time-frame placed on how long they can practice and manage their career. In medicine, I believe I will have the opportunity to not only practice medicine until my body has reached its physical limitations with respect to the long hours required, but beyond that I can continue to give back through the profession by educating others. I think that I am fully aware that my ambitions of pursuing a career in the practice of medicine will be a strenuous and arduous road and that there will be moments throughout my continuance of advanced education that may seem discouraging. Still, I have always been one to envision that long-term outlook, which helps propel me to exceed in achieving my ambitions.