Walking a mile - Duke - Example medical school admissions essay
Example medical school admissions essay
In first grade, a raging fever kept me home from school for days; my mother sat by my side and comforted me as best as she could. She never called a doctor. In fourth grade, I sprained a toe while playing soccer. I wrapped it tightly to a broken Popsicle stick to keep it immobile. That was the start and end of my medical treatment. As low-income immigrants, my family could not afford health insurance and was not eligible for government-subsidized coverage. As a result, I grew up without having gone to a doctor, save for receiving vaccinations at a clinic. My parents and I constantly debated the risks of my participation in athletics. Football came with risk of significant injury, but it was among my greatest passions. Although I understood our economic reality, the thought of being unable to play devastated me.
Despite the risks, I decided to play; and I was relatively fortunate. The worst that happened to me on the field was a pinched nerve. But still, that injury hurt. And hurt. For weeks after the initial insult, shooting pain disrupted me during practices and games, but I kept playing—I refused to let my team down. My sleep was interrupted every few hours, and dull, lasting pain overwhelmed me throughout the day. But I never sought medical care. Having a primary care physician, let alone a specialist, was unfathomable. My parents, teachers and coaches told me to pursue what I love. But in this case, doing so meant potential financial ruin for my family. If I had needed hospitalization—not to mention surgery—my parents would still be in medical debt to this day. As a result, my steps on the football field mirrored my approach to life in general, filled with fear and trepidation.
Three years ago, my life took a drastic turn when I was admitted to XXX University. To me, XXX did not just provide a great education; it provided health insurance. For the first time in my life, I could afford treatment, and I routinely met with my physical therapist, Malia. Slowly rehabilitating untreated shoulder mobility issues and neck pains from high school removed the obstacles in my pursuit of Crossfit and Olympic weightlifting. With increased mobility and strength, I was able to lift more weight, more securely, and I inched closer and closer to my dream of competing on the national stage. More importantly, Malia modeled for me the compassionate clinician that I once lacked. By helping me overcome the roadblocks that limited my athletic pursuits, she empowered me with confidence and chipped away at the alienation, worry, and fear of my childhood.
This meaningful encounter with the healthcare system opened my eyes to the difference healthcare can make on someone’s life, with the foundation of my desire to pursue medicine still stemming from knowing how devastating it is to not have access to care. The contrast of my life before and after I received health insurance and access to clinicians is what really drives me to medicine. I can truly empathize with the fear and distrust people have of a healthcare system that at one point left me on the margins, as well as the feeling of invisibility that accompanies this alienation. I understand the pain of being limited in my outlook and personal pursuits because of factors I could not control, how healthcare’s impact on other dimensions of life are real and significant. I want to help others like me overcome barriers created by health constraints.
To pursue this goal, I began volunteering at YYY Hospital. Patients stayed for an extended period of time here, which allowed for continued interactions and an opportunity to develop deeper relationships.
My responsibility is to spend time with patients who want company. By speaking with patients, I try to break up the monotony of their day and relieve them of boredom and loneliness. I am learning how to personally invest myself in their well being through conversation, and I find the perspective shaped by my background experience to be instrumental in doing so. A common thread among the stories of every patient I meet is that health problems limit them from doing what they love. An enlarged and failing heart prevented one patient from teaching. Post-operative complications left another patient unable to move and spend time with his grandchildren. I know from experience that a feeling of helplessness and a diminished sense of self-confidence often accompany such limitations. My experience with clinicians at YYY has taught me that compassionate care can play a crucial role in helping patients overcome such debilitations, and that is the purpose that drives every conversation I have with patients.
Through medicine, I hope to enhance the range and depth of my impact on patients by complimenting the emotional care that I have learned to provide at YYY with the clinical care patients need. I hope to reach those on the margins of society by breaking down barriers to healthcare access, that I know from personal experience to be insurmountable from the other side. By joining the ranks of physicians, I hope to empower patients to realize their true potentials, as I did, once I received access to medical care.