Getting Sick

[sundown]

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i'm curious, has anyone had a major sickness that turned them onto medicine... if so, how did the effects of it all play out during the admission process?

 

[doctorivy]

Yeah - when I was 7 I broke my neck, and that is when I decided to be a doctor (I'm not paralyzed or anything). When I was 11 I was hospitalized for several weeks with an undiagnosed viral infection. I had some great doctors in both cases that I distinctly remember. I used a large portion of my AMCAS essay to talk about these doctors and the inspiration they gave me to be a doc. However, I don't remember being asked much about it during interviews. So I'm not sure what Adcoms thought about it. It must not have been too bad, because I got multiple acceptances. If it played a major role in your decision to be a doctor you should share it because it shows genuine interest and experience. Good luck!!

 

[Zoobaby]

I agree with the above post.

I'm a childhood cancer survivor, and much (if not most) of my motivation comes out of that experience. I wrote about it in my PS.

Milk it for all it's worth, I say. 😉

 

[jot]

i was severely pissed with the med field earlier this year - 2 seperate docs told me i had late stage multiple hodgkinson's lymphoma - before doing any blood tests or biopsy (chest xray and symptomology and bumpythings i guess). i had to wait almost 1 month to get the the biopsy done (while thinking i had cancer) and another week to get the results. hah - i was thinking i wouldn't have to study for the mcat, but perhaps the first time anybody has said so - i'm glad i was able to and all was good. the end. or the beginning. whichever.

 

[Zoobaby]

They told you THAT before a biopsy????

I'd get some new doctors.

Everything is ok?

 

[jot]

zoobaby-
yeah imagine that - my mother was a wreck (father wasn't too pleased as well). completely irresponsible, i dunno how they pulled that off (hah - though according to webmd i had myself marginally convinced as well) - but i have new docs. in the end they said that i had "reactive hyperplasia's" which is doctorspeak for its-one-of-30-possible-thing-but- i-dunno-but-at-least-its-not-cancer, which was good enough for me. still annoying though - but again, all is well.

 

[Zoobaby]

Well I'm glad to hear it.

I had Hodgkin's, but I felt like somebody's prized science project by the time they gave me the final word. I can't even remember all the tests I was privleged to be a part of.

Ahh the memories. 🙂

Seriously, what kind of medical school doesn't say to the new kids on day 1 "Ok guys, good rule of thumb: Don't tell someone they have cancer until you're pretty sure about it."

Amazing.

 

[Cydney Foote]

Jot, I'm really glad to hear that everything turned out okay. What a lot of unneeded stress!

Writing about personal medical experiences is a very common theme for essays. It can be effective, but it needs to be very personal and reveal something more about your personality. Dig a little deeper and try to figure out exactly what interested you -- what parts of your own personality identified with the medical personnel you saw, for instance. Otherwise it's going to be like so many other essays with the same theme.

I have to say that I've never seen anyone write about a horrible medical experience (like Jot's, for instance), but if done right I bet it could really stand out! Maybe how a malpractice suit inspired your career ambitions?😱

 

[jot]

I have to say that I've never seen anyone write about a horrible medical experience (like Jot's, for instance), but if done right I bet it could really stand out! Maybe how a malpractice suit inspired your career ambitions?

i'm sure that will be a winner.

"i want to be a doctor to dilute out the stupid ones ..."

nah i'll stick with the "i want to be a doctor to help people." probably be better off.


-jot