Nah, don't write it in your PS that much, maybe focus on the part where you really enjoy the patient interaction.
i come from a TCM family background and worked a lot at my family clinic. Schools are very interested in the patient interaction and curious about TCM, but i chose not to write it as part of my PS because it wasn't a significant factor that drove my motivation, but mostly like an academic interest.
I was just like you a year and a half ago, where TCM played a much more important role, but as I worked more extensively in a clinical care setting, the general concept of healing became much more prominent in my mind and thus my narrative. as a result, by the time I submitted my AMCAS, TCM had become a strong interest, but definitely do not drive my narrative.
i was afraid that my background in TCM is.. so biazzaro or something that people would react negatively to it, but so far at interviews, people have been really interested, curious and open. we discuss some of the possibilities for future investigation, some of the cultural implications for the chinese immigrant communities, possibility to complete a OMD degree in China during and after med school. in fact, at cornell, they thought studying chinese medicine in china is such a fantastic idea they even said "we probably have money for you to do it".
additionally, i don't know how much you really know about alternative medicine or is it more of a new interest. there are studies published in nature and jama that demonstrate the efficacy of tcm in coronary heart disease and cancer. find these things, read up on them. do you know how acupuncture works? have you seen the clinical outcomes of patients after acupuncture? if you are going to stick to it, you better know something about it so you can show people your knowledge and conviction on the topic.
so, alternative medicine is no longer a nono taboo or anything, just try to situate it within a large context of healing and medicine. You want your narrative to be cohesive and understandable for others, making alternative medicine the main thing seems.. after all, it is only a modality or method. you want to talk about your motivation for healing, curiosity for people, regardless of the method.. you learn the methods in med school and later, but your motivation is something you need to show postbac programs now. does that make sense?
why not holistic medicine?
you need to answer this question for yourself.
a lot of people will tell you oh it's detrimental to your application, blah blah.. everyone will think you are a quake... it's just not true. I know people with extensive TCM background before going to med school at baylor, harvord, yale, ucla, ucsf and going on to the excellent residencies. our background obviously didn't make us into some kind of med school admissions pariah in the end.
i also applied to postbacs awhile back, bm, scripps, and goucher, they were very receptive to the alternative medicine aspect even when it was more prominent in my narrative vs now, where my later experience occupies a larger proportion of my life.
sorry this is kind of long and rambling but it covers about most aspects in terms of admissions.
best of luck.
Hello,
As I'm writing my personal statement for post bacc programs, I want to write about series of alternative medicine (Chinese fire cupping and acupuncture) that partially contributed to my decision to study medicine. Eventually, I want to be a doctor with the ability to suggest alternative medicine (not really focused on it). Should I state that in my personal statement since some alternative medicine (e.g., acupuncture) is still controversial and has not fully been accepted here in the US?
Also, what kind of doctor is able to suggest alternative medicine? I haven't encountered one here yet. Does that mean they are limited or doesn't exist?
Thank you for your insights.
