Appropriate to talk about in PS?

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Neuronette

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I wouldnt say that my clinical experience has been especially outstanding (so as opposed to writing about a patient or some event in a clinical setting) I was thinking about devoting a portion of my PS to a personal health experience, series of events that led to detection and removal of an ovarian cyst and removal of ovary.
Is that okay to write about? I am comfortable talkig about it but it isnt exactly a broken bone or something like that so Im not sure if this would be questionable in terms of oversharing.

Thanks

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Meh, I don't know. Certainly not downplaying your experience but ovarian cysts and removals are fairly common.

If you were to write about it, rhetorically speaking, how would that experience connect you to a deeper sense of wanting to help other people?
 
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Personal statements need to address two things: "why medicine?" and "why you?". Talking about your personal health problems only touches a portion of that first question, as being on the receiving end of care isn't the same experience as providing care.

If it's genuinely related to your initial interest in medicine, definitely feel free to include it--but not more than a sentence or three. That alone is weak reasoning for pursuing medicine.
 
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Personal statements need to address two things: "why medicine?" and "why you?". Talking about your personal health problems only touches a portion of that first question, as being on the receiving end of care isn't the same experience as providing care.

If it's genuinely related to your initial interest in medicine, definitely feel free to include it--but not more than a sentence or three. That alone is weak reasoning for pursuing medicine.

I dont plan on saying that it was my only reason for going into medicine but that my experience helped solidify my interest in medicine which I had developed prior to it. Also, I see that the procedure/condition isn't that rare or anything but I would say that the circumstances under which it was detected and etc were different. I don't want to spend too much time talking about it but I do want to use it as a way of speaking about how it shed light on doctors' roles. Idk.. is this too cliche?
 
You want your personal health experience to cover for your lack of clinical experience? I'm
not sure that would or should replace shadowing or interacting/helping patients. How do you really know what you are getting yourself into and how do you know you want to spend the next 30-40 years dealing with sick/injured people? You could maybe briefly talk about your doctors tenacity in figuring out what was wrong with you or how kind and compassionate he was but other than that IMO you need clinical hours.


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I dont plan on saying that it was my only reason for going into medicine but that my experience helped solidify my interest in medicine which I had developed prior to it. Also, I see that the procedure/condition isn't that rare or anything but I would say that the circumstances under which it was detected and etc were different. I don't want to spend too much time talking about it but I do want to use it as a way of speaking about how it shed light on doctors' roles. Idk.. is this too cliche?

Honestly, it's hard for us to give you sound advice without knowing the circumstance. Obviously, you really don't have to go into detail as it's personal but recognize that our advice can only be but so applicable. Do you have premed advisors that you trust or maybe someone that is connected to the app process that you could consult?
 
You want your personal health experience to cover for your lack of clinical experience? I'm
not sure that would or should replace shadowing or interacting/helping patients. How do you really know what you are getting yourself into and how do you know you want to spend the next 30-40 years dealing with sick/injured people? You could maybe briefly talk about your doctors tenacity in figuring out what was wrong with you or how kind and compassionate he was but other than that IMO you need clinical hours.


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Ah, okay. To clarify, I do have a couple of hundred clinical hours and shadowing etc etc but I don't intend on writing about a patient interaction experience etc.
 
I dont plan on saying that it was my only reason for going into medicine but that my experience helped solidify my interest in medicine which I had developed prior to it. Also, I see that the procedure/condition isn't that rare or anything but I would say that the circumstances under which it was detected and etc were different. I don't want to spend too much time talking about it but I do want to use it as a way of speaking about how it shed light on doctors' roles. Idk.. is this too cliche?

Is it cliche? Definitely. Does that make it wrong to write about? No. If it genuinely contributed to your career choice, then include it.

I'm curious what you plan on talking about if you're not going to bring up your clinical experiences, though.
 
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Why do you want to take care of strangers who come to you for medical help ? This isn't about you; it's about them and why you care enough about them and their problems to want to make their care your life's work. Now tell me how you've tested your interest in providing medical care to patients as your career.
 
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Ah, okay. To clarify, I do have a couple of hundred clinical hours and shadowing etc etc but I don't intend on writing about a patient interaction experience etc.
I would think that not mentioning a patient care experience would be a glaring omission in your personal statement. It's an opportunity to showcase your empathy, humanism, and maturity, and to convince schools of your dedication to service. Without examples of your helping others, how can readers be convinced that you would make a great physician--someone who they may be entrusting their care to in the future?

Even if your clinical experience hasn't been "outstanding", I would still bite the bullet and write about a memorable moment. Sometimes the simplest things make for the most meaningful interactions.
 
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