Is it bad to write my personal statement about surgery?

[deleted612812]

I am sure I want to go into surgery. All my experiences have led me to this (experiencing sickness myself and in the family, extensive shadowing of surgeons, emergency docs, family physicians, pathologists, research projects, etc etc)

However I don't want the admissions committee to exclude me because I am too specific. Does anyone think this will be a problem?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TMC07]

Just don't spend the whole time talking about how you want to be just like Dr. McSurgeon and you'll be fine. Focus on how your experiences have shaped you and made you want to pursue surgery without getting off topic. I help edit medical school personal statements at my university, and you'd be surprised how many people write 5,000 characters about the orthopedist that repaired their knee. It never works. As long as you keep the focus on you and your journey, I don't see why writing about your passion for surgery would be a problem.

 

[LizzyM]

You can talk about being interested in surgery without narrowing yourself to general surgery... there are numerous specialties outside of surgery that do surgical procedures: neurosurgery, ENT, ortho, plastics, GYN, urology, even derm and there are others that are very procedure heavy (GI). You can talk about what attracts you to the high tech world of surgery without saying "surgery or bust".

 

[Donald Juan]

It's definitely worth talking about your love for surgery. I agree with above that you shouldn't limit to a particular field. Although, if you have experience in one you can mention it, just don't act like you're dead set on a single specialty. When you're framing your PS, remember that most surgeons spend the majority of their time outside of the OR in clinic, rounding, and doing paperwork. You aren't a technician...you don't just come to work and operate. You still work the patients up, decide the best course of management, discuss the options with the patient, and manage perioperative care. So, remember that if you want to be a surgeon, you must also want to be a physician.