I'm prewriting secondaries, as I wait in verifying purgatory, and have a question about this specific question (35o words):
Please share a meaningful experience you have had working or volunteering in the health profession. What did you learn from this as it relates to becoming a physician?
The problem, maybe unusual, but I have a handful of experiences I could write about. Two of which that I am stuck between are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The first one was a paraplegic man who was in the hospital for months with a wound. Each volunteer shift I would make my rounds, talk with other patients, then stop at his room and talk for another hour or two - I would usually stay ~1 hour past my shift. As you can tell, this developed into a friendship. The night before his discharge, he invited me back to the hospital for dinner. Which I came back for. I still keep in touch with him and am planning on visiting him later this fall to see how he has been.
The second one was another wound patient. He was in and out for nearly a year. I would talk to him for at least an hour a day, anything from football (boomer sooner fan in NE....
) to his life on a farm as I have experience with livestock and the such. Unfortunately, he did not make it. I had not been in for a couple weeks due to other commitments and was entirely shocked when I saw the obituary.
Clearly, these both show different spectrum of medicine, from the sunshine to the storms. In my PS/Work/Activities I also listed stories - one of a long but successful recovery and another of a patient I talked to one day who asked me to "unplug him" so he could be with his family. All of these patient stories have played a huge impact on my life and turned medicine from a want to a passion. I am very thankful for the depth of my patient interaction.
That said, should I write about both concisely? Or pick one? If so, which would be the best to present to the adcom? I'm distraught as they are both meaningful.
Thank you.
Please share a meaningful experience you have had working or volunteering in the health profession. What did you learn from this as it relates to becoming a physician?
The problem, maybe unusual, but I have a handful of experiences I could write about. Two of which that I am stuck between are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The first one was a paraplegic man who was in the hospital for months with a wound. Each volunteer shift I would make my rounds, talk with other patients, then stop at his room and talk for another hour or two - I would usually stay ~1 hour past my shift. As you can tell, this developed into a friendship. The night before his discharge, he invited me back to the hospital for dinner. Which I came back for. I still keep in touch with him and am planning on visiting him later this fall to see how he has been.
The second one was another wound patient. He was in and out for nearly a year. I would talk to him for at least an hour a day, anything from football (boomer sooner fan in NE....
) to his life on a farm as I have experience with livestock and the such. Unfortunately, he did not make it. I had not been in for a couple weeks due to other commitments and was entirely shocked when I saw the obituary. Clearly, these both show different spectrum of medicine, from the sunshine to the storms. In my PS/Work/Activities I also listed stories - one of a long but successful recovery and another of a patient I talked to one day who asked me to "unplug him" so he could be with his family. All of these patient stories have played a huge impact on my life and turned medicine from a want to a passion. I am very thankful for the depth of my patient interaction.
That said, should I write about both concisely? Or pick one? If so, which would be the best to present to the adcom? I'm distraught as they are both meaningful.
Thank you.
