Personal statement about a bad patient experience?

[Geekchick921]

What are everyone's thoughts on making a negative experience as a patient the main topic of your personal statement? I feel that it was a very defining experience for me, made me do some serious soul searching for a year about whether I still wanted to pursue medicine as a career (or an alternative, similar profession), and it ultimately strengthened my resolve to practice medicine, and practice it well, but I have some concerns. I'm worried it will come off as having a chip on my shoulder, being on a soapbox, or that it will be too negative of a topic to begin with, though I expect to go through copious amounts of editting to keep that from happening.

Hmm?

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[WholeLottaGame7]

What are everyone's thoughts on making a negative experience as a patient the main topic of your personal statement? I feel that it was a very defining experience for me, made me do some serious soul searching for a year about whether I still wanted to pursue medicine as a career (or an alternative, similar profession), and it ultimately strengthened my resolve to practice medicine, and practice it well, but I have some concerns. I'm worried it will come off as having a chip on my shoulder, being on a soapbox, or that it will be too negative of a topic to begin with, though I expect to go through copious amounts of editting to keep that from happening.

Hmm?

I would say if you can think of another topic that you can write as effectively about, I'd go for that. Sometimes in medicine you are going to have a bad patient experience regardless, and people understand that. And it's good that you've seemed to learn and grow from the experience. But there are just certain types of people that have more "bad patient experiences" than others, and you don't want to run the risk that someone will think that about you.

I would say that if it's your best topic and you can make it appropriately positive, go for it. But if there are any alternatives that seem feasible, you might want to consider those.

 

[armybound]

depends completely on how you put it.

my school's admissions director always tells applicants NOT to use a "I had a bad doctor, so I want to be a better doctor" story in your application or interview. being critical of physicians or any healthcare workers won't get you far.

 

[Geekchick921]

depends completely on how you put it.

my school's admissions director always tells applicants NOT to use a "I had a bad doctor, so I want to be a better doctor" story in your application or interview. being critical of physicians or any healthcare workers won't get you far.

Therein lies the challenge, to not make it sound that way even if that isn't your intention. Truthfully, I loved my doctors and still do, and most of the nurses that cared for me were also great. I think my care should have been handled differently, but they were acting with the best intentions based on bad information (I was misdiagnosed by someone else) and hospital policies. It is more about the fact that the experience really made me reconsider my goals, and do some serious soul searching for the following year, exploring alternative but similar career choices and ultimately coming back to medicine and feeling even more strongly about it than before. I know my experience will make me a better physician in the end, but more because I can better relate to patients that have had similar experiences, not specifically because I won't do what Dr. Whatever did.

 

[NickNaylor]

I wouldn't do it. There's too much opportunity to come across as a prick. Maybe include it as a small anecdote, but I definitely wouldn't use it as the primary theme/point.

 

[Catalystik]

Why not talk about the positive qualities in doctors you've known that you would like to emulate. Maybe each doctor only had one or two admirable traits, but put all together, the composite of those characteristics is who you'd like to be. I agree that you shouldn't discuss who you don't want to be.

 

[DirtyJustice]

Why not talk about the positive qualities in doctors you've known that you would like to emulate. Maybe each doctor only had one or two admirable traits, but put all together, the composite of those characteristics is who you'd like to be. I agree that you shouldn't discuss who you don't want to be.

I miss the Christmas kitty hat.

 

[Catalystik]

It'll be back in a year.

 

[dokein]

If you're a REALLY REALLY REALLY good writer you might be able to pull it off but it is really tricky.

 

[TTigers70]

I agree that you should not base your entire essay on possible malpractice. I'm not sure what the specifics are, nor do I think its my business but maybe reflect on what exactly happened, why it happened, what could've been done, etc. Maybe then pull something truly meaningful out without casting blame or sounding cliche. I have been riding with a local volunteer ambulance squad for about two years now and I can think of experiences that have definitely shaped me as a person and applicant, but not exactly things I want to focus my entire essay on. One example, I responded to a call where an older male was found unresponsive in his hot tub. We started CPR and tried to use an AED but he was probably asystole upon arrival, at any rate that's not my call to make I had to do anything I could within my scope of practice. When ALS arrived the medic almost essentially refused to push epi or carry out normal procedure for cardiac arrest patients because something to the effect of "he's a goner". I was infuriated by this and luckily my crew chief said some very stern things to the medic before I had a chance to and I'll leave it at that. To make a long story short, that medic was suspended for a certain amount of time but I believe still has a license which scares me. At any rate, that was one of the many defining moments I've had that particularly deals with negative patient experiences but don't think its appropriate to focus an entire personal statement on.