- Joined
- Aug 2, 2014
- Messages
- 155
- Reaction score
- 55
A big part of my interest in medicine comes from growing up in an underserved community, where there aren't many doctors, the hospital is severely lacking in terms of critical care, and many of friends and family have travelled far to receive the care they need in really perilious situations. These sort of experiences have made me extremely proactive with doctors, create opportunities for those in my community and others (I've translated for several doctors and brought a lot of added perspective to practices I volunteered at) and I do a lot of research on my own.
Last week my mom had a heart attack, and it was a very scary situation because the hospital in our town really couldn't do anything and she had to be transported several hours away. I've been through many traumatic medical situations, but it's different and even harder when it's your own family, especially when you have to work with limitations such as 911 refusing to help you notify the hospital, when that is what could really make a difference in her life. What really made the difference for her during this critical time, was the fact that I've done extensive research on heart conditions due to my dad having a artheroschorsis, and I suggested the doctor prescribe, so we had nitroglycerin available when this happened. Because she was able to receive nitroglycerin during the critical period her heart is only stunted instead of significantly damaged and the doctors at cath lab several hours away were able to give her a stent. This is a very powerful experience for me because it's so close to home, draws me to pursuing further research in cardiology in medical school, and as someone who is interested in providing care to the underserved, when care and technology aren't available for them I'm a person, who will do everything in my power to make them available and find solutions for each patient. It also further illustrated to me the significance of preventative medicine, as one test could have made the difference in recognizing this may happen by identifying the plaque buildup in her heart. Needlessly to say, I really want to emphasize and bridge the gap in preventative medical knowledge in underserved communities.
Questions:
1) Is it appropriate to bring this up in out of state interviews? I'm worried that they're going to think "this student is a bad investment because he has close family in CA that have serious conditions and if anything happens he won't be able to handle it. He also probably won't go to our school if we accept him because he'd want to be some place closer to his family". Would it be viewed this way? Even with a family that faces health issues, I still am determined to seek out and pursue the best medical school education I can find, regardless of its location. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be there for my family too, but I'm not going to turn down acceptances for that reason.
2) I'm not trying to bring this up to sound like a hero or a hotshot bragging premed who touts medical knowledge, but really knows nothing. It's a very powerful experience that influences me and motivates me. It also shows some of my character and determinaton, as when resources aren't available I'll do anything in my power to work with what's given and work with the limitations we face. Can I bring it up without it being seen as another hotshot premed?
Last week my mom had a heart attack, and it was a very scary situation because the hospital in our town really couldn't do anything and she had to be transported several hours away. I've been through many traumatic medical situations, but it's different and even harder when it's your own family, especially when you have to work with limitations such as 911 refusing to help you notify the hospital, when that is what could really make a difference in her life. What really made the difference for her during this critical time, was the fact that I've done extensive research on heart conditions due to my dad having a artheroschorsis, and I suggested the doctor prescribe, so we had nitroglycerin available when this happened. Because she was able to receive nitroglycerin during the critical period her heart is only stunted instead of significantly damaged and the doctors at cath lab several hours away were able to give her a stent. This is a very powerful experience for me because it's so close to home, draws me to pursuing further research in cardiology in medical school, and as someone who is interested in providing care to the underserved, when care and technology aren't available for them I'm a person, who will do everything in my power to make them available and find solutions for each patient. It also further illustrated to me the significance of preventative medicine, as one test could have made the difference in recognizing this may happen by identifying the plaque buildup in her heart. Needlessly to say, I really want to emphasize and bridge the gap in preventative medical knowledge in underserved communities.
Questions:
1) Is it appropriate to bring this up in out of state interviews? I'm worried that they're going to think "this student is a bad investment because he has close family in CA that have serious conditions and if anything happens he won't be able to handle it. He also probably won't go to our school if we accept him because he'd want to be some place closer to his family". Would it be viewed this way? Even with a family that faces health issues, I still am determined to seek out and pursue the best medical school education I can find, regardless of its location. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be there for my family too, but I'm not going to turn down acceptances for that reason.
2) I'm not trying to bring this up to sound like a hero or a hotshot bragging premed who touts medical knowledge, but really knows nothing. It's a very powerful experience that influences me and motivates me. It also shows some of my character and determinaton, as when resources aren't available I'll do anything in my power to work with what's given and work with the limitations we face. Can I bring it up without it being seen as another hotshot premed?