Is addressing why a physician vs. nursing, PA, etc part of the personal statement?

[danielcraig20]

When it comes to the PS, I've learned there must be continuous reflection to answer "Why Medicine," paired with specific patient interactions/a couple impactful clinical experiences of yours.

I also realize things like "helping others" applies to 99999 fields, but I worry a lot of my specific experiences and reasons in terms of providing direct care, treating illness, etc aren't delving into the "then why not a nurse/PA" aspect. My reasons for those show more in my other activities where I had greater roles in analysis or leadership that I discuss in my activities section, but I also feel I shouldn't use up space in my PS to delve into activities outside of the patient experiences as a pretty traditional applicant w/ a very different major.

Is it acceptable not to go into the why not nursing/other patient care fields aspect? Is that more of an interview question?

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[GreenDuck12]

Your personal statement should emphasize why you want to become a doctor, not explain why other healthcare professions aren’t for you. Use the space to highlight your skills and attributes that lend themselves to medicine and specifically how you will endeavor to help others.

 

[danielcraig20]

Your personal statement should emphasize why you want to become a doctor, not explain why other healthcare professions aren’t for you. Use the space to highlight your skills and attributes that lend themselves to medicine and specifically how you will endeavor to help others.

Great. Exactly what I asking, thanks.

 

[getdown]

The only time you should talk about it is if you're switching from another allied health field into MD or if you have experience in another field that lends to you wanting to go MD. Any other reason would be a waste of time and space and doesn't help you.

 

[sw99]

When it comes to the PS, I've learned there must be continuous reflection to answer "Why Medicine," paired with specific patient interactions/a couple impactful clinical experiences of yours.

I also realize things like "helping others" applies to 99999 fields, but I worry a lot of my specific experiences and reasons in terms of providing direct care, treating illness, etc aren't delving into the "then why not a nurse/PA" aspect. My reasons for those show more in my other activities where I had greater roles in analysis or leadership that I discuss in my activities section, but I also feel I shouldn't use up space in my PS to delve into activities outside of the patient experiences as a pretty traditional applicant w/ a very different major.

Is it acceptable not to go into the why not nursing/other patient care fields aspect? Is that more of an interview question?

Short answer: YES