Any schools that favor experience as a patient?

[Spinach Dip]

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Long story short: I've been having some health problems recently which necessitated a ton of scans, bloodwork, hospital stays, procedural sedation, and 2 surgeries under general anesthesia.

I have learned a lot being on the 'other side' of the knife.

While this has been incredibly valuable to me, I wonder if there are any school which would value this experience more than others? Are there any med schools which love to have students with these kinds of experiences?



PS. Yes, I am healthy enough to go through med school. That's not part of the discussion.

 

[gyngyn]

This type of experience can well be incorporated thoughtfully into an application for any school. It does not, without reflection, however, improve one's candidacy.

 

[QofQuimica]

This type of experience can well be incorporated thoughtfully into an application for any school. It does not, without reflection, however, improve one's candidacy.

Agree.

OP, from what you've said, you may have had more experiences with being sick yourself than many of your peers have. However, we are all consumers of health care, both for ourselves and our families, and being a consumer of health care does not automatically make you a good candidate for medical school. That being said, if you present this experience thoughtfully in your PS in a way that suggests it helped you become more empathetic and sensitive toward patient needs, that can be a positive.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Agree, it could provide you with inisght enough to write some great essays, but it doesnt count as clinical eExperience. Columbia has a narrative medicine program, but i think its a stretch to say they prefer past patients as a rule.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Long story short: I've been having some health problems recently which necessitated a ton of scans, bloodwork, hospital stays, procedural sedation, and 2 surgeries under general anesthesia.

I have learned a lot being on the 'other side' of the knife.

While this has been incredibly valuable to me, I wonder if there are any school which would value this experience more than others? Are there any med schools which love to have students with these kinds of experiences?



PS. Yes, I am healthy enough to go through med school. That's not part of the discussion.

I'm definitely gonna use my clinical experiences as a patient in my PS and interviews. These experiences have inspired me to pursue a career in academic medicine and to learn more about epidemiology.
Sorry to hear that you had gone under the knife, btw. Hope everything turns out as well as possible.

 

[Pacna]

on topic discussion blah blah

Just as an aside, is your avatar a mostly bald guy with white hair and tentacle teeth? I feel like it can't be, but I can't un-see it.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Yes, guys. My PS is primarily about how these experiences have shaped me as a person and how they've altered my views towards medicine.

I was wondering if there are any schools which particularly like this sort of thing?

Just as an aside, is your avatar a mostly bald guy with white hair and tentacle teeth? I feel like it can't be, but I can't un-see it.

Wut???

It's supposed to be an anesthesia mask, from the view of the patient.

 

[DermViser]

Just as an aside, is your avatar a mostly bald guy with white hair and tentacle teeth? I feel like it can't be, but I can't un-see it.

Huh? It looks like a mask put on a patient's face for giving anesthesia with the viewpt. from the surgical bed looking up.

 

[Pacna]

Wut???

It's supposed to be an anesthesia mask, from the view of the patient.

Omg I see it now. I can still see the old man, though! 😵

 

[infinitessimal]

Wut???

It's supposed to be an anesthesia mask, from the view of the patient.

I always thought it looked like a Georgia O'Keeffe painting... If you know what I mean 😉

 

[Donald Kimball]

PS. Yes, I am healthy enough to go through med school. That's not part of the discussion.

If this is true, and you choose to write about your experience as a patient, I highly recommend you drop implicit clues, hell, even explicit clues, that you are 100% recovered/100% back in shape. You might think you're 100%, and you probably are, but unless you show it, how can the reader really know?

I think disclosing your medical history is a calculated risk. You're gambling that a majority of the adcom will view your injury/disease favorably as insight into the career and perspective as a patient. Depending on the condition, they might equally view it as a barrier to your continued success as a medical student and future physician. No one will admit this, because it's illegal to discriminate based on medical history, but you are still taking a risk.

 

[Plecopotamus]

Yes, guys. My PS is primarily about how these experiences have shaped me as a person and how they've altered my views towards medicine.

I was wondering if there are any schools which particularly like this sort of thing?




Wut???

It's supposed to be an anesthesia mask, from the view of the patient.

my one word of caution is that you don't want to sound like this relatively recent & brief course of illness gives you great insights into those who have struggled lifelong with a disease. Be real about what it showed you & stay respectful of the fact that there is a lot you still cannot identify with. Not saying you'd do anything less, but it's something I've seen people shoot themselves in the foot with.