GI for the right reason?

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FrancisvsGoljan

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Hi Everyone,

So I'm a medical student just finishing up a year of doing GI research. I'm taking my boards (Step 1) coming up. Before coming into medical school I didn't really have a direction of what I wanted to do with my career but since after college (I took a year off) I decided I wanted to do Academic GI.
I was diagnosed with IBD and it took a big turn on my life. I lost 35lbs and I took a year off before coming to school. I went through scopes and treatment and I definitely feel better. When I talk to patients about their troubles, I really feel that I know the troubles that the patient is going through and I can't tell you how much I enjoy it- especially talking to young adults about their condition. I know I will see things that I might fall in love with but I definitely feel like I have a calling. Just didn't know your thoughts. If you know of other people that might have a similar story and how they ended up?

Thanks for the input.

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Hi Everyone,

So I'm a medical student just finishing up a year of doing GI research. I'm taking my boards (Step 1) coming up. Before coming into medical school I didn't really have a direction of what I wanted to do with my career but since after college (I took a year off) I decided I wanted to do Academic GI.
I was diagnosed with IBD and it took a big turn on my life. I lost 35lbs and I took a year off before coming to school. I went through scopes and treatment and I definitely feel better. When I talk to patients about their troubles, I really feel that I know the troubles that the patient is going through and I can't tell you how much I enjoy it- especially talking to young adults about their condition. I know I will see things that I might fall in love with but I definitely feel like I have a calling. Just didn't know your thoughts. If you know of other people that might have a similar story and how they ended up?

Thanks for the input.
I thought I'd take the liberty of responding here, since you invited me from the other thread. You sound like you have a very compelling story for your interest in GI. However, I don't quite understand what you are looking for in soliciting our thoughts.

In any event, there are tons of anecdotes of people whose personal experiences deeply affect their professional interests and trajectories. A personal favorite of mine is when I heard Doug Melton (now Professor at Harvard Medical School and investigator with HHMI) speak about his career. He had been a prominent developmental biologist until his son developed type I diabetes mellitus. From that moment on, he boldly shifted his entire research focus to studying diabetes, and subsequently developed his research interests into stem cell biology (as a potential treatment for diabetes among other diseases). Doug Melton is now the famous co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

You don't need anyone else's reassurance to validate the potency of your experience with an illness in the evolution of your career interests. Run with it! Just keep an eye on the extraintestinal manifestations of IBD and be sure to stay compliant with your medical regimen in what is certain to be a very rigorous and long journey. Good luck!
 
That's great that you feel compelled to dedicate your career to something that has affected you personally and not just for the paycheck. Unfortunately, however, that probably won't help you earn a spot. Best of luck!
 
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