How to teach - Duke - Free example medical personal statement
Free example medical personal statement
Olivia’s eyes darted as I dragged her favorite goldfish through the water.
“Now, take a breath!” I reminded her, wiggling the toy onward, guiding her freestyle strokes.
Every Friday, at the Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP), I coached children with neurological conditions; but it was rarely as simple as asking them to follow my demonstrations. Some children dove straight into the water and aimed to become advanced swimmers while others with little motor or verbal skills joined to stimulate sensory and muscle development. Each child’s case was unique, with no panacea. I constantly strove to tailor the right approach to each swimmer. During sessions, I carefully noted the activities or objects that would bring smiles to my swimmers’ faces; outside of sessions, I analyzed the swimming poses that came naturally to me and planned on the use of a child’s preferred toys to guide him/her through each movement. I treated each session not simply as a
standardized checklist to complete, but as a unique chance for a child to discover what his/her body was capable of.
Though far from taking the role of a professional, my experience at SNAP paralleled the doctor-patient interactions I observed at the clinic and reaffirmed the type of physician I hope to be. When shadowing Dr. Huang, a primary care physician, I witnessed how he tuned into each patient’s needs and conditions. In each case, Dr. Huang studied every individual’s information meticulously and took it into account when guiding patients through recovery: he worked with low-income patients to identify more affordable treatments; he recommended exercises matching patients’ distinct lifestyles; he adjusted appointment times to assure family members could accompany elder patients. By adapting to each patient and personalizing every interaction, Dr. Huang invited his patients to be part of their own medical teams, working with them to develop the most suitable treatment plans. In the future, I hope to serve my patients similarly by empathizing with them and treating them, not merely as collections of symptoms, but as individuals.
Each time I observed how Dr. Huang adjusted his approaches to build rapport with different patients, I was reminded of the similar experience that marked the beginning of my journey to medicine. As the only fluent English speaker at home, I interpreted for my mom at her first medical appointment in the U.S. To my surprise, instead of just letting me translate the ideas he discussed, the physician, Dr. Bitar, sat next to my mom and sketched out the steps of her operation with a marker. During the process, he constantly referred to the anatomy model and spoke to my mother in simple English words, even inserting jokes in between. Soon, a smile grew on my mom’s face, clearly indicating that her worry toward the surgery had diminished due to the physician’s efforts. Meanwhile, at later appointments, my interest in science that stemmed from school courses motivated me to ask Dr. Bitar more questions about my mom’s conditions, often turning an appointment into a mini science lecture.
Intrigued by this career where education and care intersect, I began volunteering at the local hospital while participating in activities that aimed to teach and guide others.
While working as a tutor at the Student Learning Center, I found myself employing a similar set of skills to resolve the confusion of a diverse group of students. At one session, after providing an explanation for visualizing molecular Newman Projections, I noted satisfied nods from several students while receiving blank stares from others. As an alternative solution, I picked up a pencil and post-it notes and constructed a bond-atom model out of them. As I manipulated the model around to show it from various angles, I saw my students’ facial expressions brightening up and knew something clicked for them. In each session, I aimed to not only impart knowledge, but also to connect to students by demonstrating how they could innovatively use everyday objects to break down complex concepts.
Just as how my mom’s surgeon ensured our comprehension of the care provided, I intended to fully immerse my students in the learning processes so they could not only understand the material, but also the approaches to do so. To me, the elegance of medicine lies in here: in no other profession could I study cutting-edge science while expanding upon a basic set of educating skills to offer others reassurance at their most vulnerable times; by adapting my ways of communication, I hope to incorporate patients into a partnership that would positively impact their lives.
It is through this journey as both a student and a teacher that I choose to devote myself to medicine. In my mind, there is not a more humbling and inspiring field that I aspire to be in to learn while improving others’ lives. With the knowledge and skills I acquire in upcoming years, I await the days on which I break through barriers and educate different patients through innovative means. While I am a physician, I will seek to understand my patients, so that I can be their advocate, not a source of authority. As their educator and partner, I wish to accompany and guide them through each step on the path to better health.