eh... personal statement is only important if there are questions about a particular application.
for example, if you are trying to go to a program that seems far below what they'd "normally" get in an their "standard" applicant (i.e., harvard grad applying for joe-blow community program in podunk, egypt) and/or you went to med school in florida and now are applying to a program in, let's say, montana (i know there are no programs in montana... follow the point and stay with me people). past the track record of your particular school and your own academic pedigree, the pd's mostly want to know if you are serious about looking at their program, because they don't want to waste your (or, more importantly to them, their) time.
people who you're sending your apps to, with limited exception, have done this at least a few to perhaps dozens of times before. they basically know what type of resident they are going to get into their program (i.e., who's going to apply from which schools, who's serious or not, what type of board scores it takes, which schools prep their students the best, etc.) at the end of the match. this isn't something, unlike you guys, they're forced to figure out year after year like it's their first time. believe it or not, most programs have this down to a rough science.
so, look at your personal statement in that vein. don't be flippant or cutesy. don't worry if it isn't a literary masterpiece. it is only an opportunity to explain deficiencies in your app, simply why you want to be in the field, why you want to be in that particular geographical region (if that's important), why your hair is naturally purple so they aren't shocked when they see you for the first time, etc., etc. small typos will be forgiven. as far as definite do nots, strongly resist the urge to attempt to explain what you perceive it means to be an anesthesiologist (ie. "you get to use physiology everday" and "it is a brief but intense patient interaction which fits my personality" or "so i can put people at ease before their surgery" etc.) because a) it may be perceived as naive and/or arrogant and b) they've read this a million times in a million other applications and they don't need to read it the million and first time. they know about anesthesiology as a medical discipline. this is your one opportunity before you meet them to tell them about yourself.
barring all of that, what's really most important is how you act when you show-up for the interview. a lot of great candidates blow it during that period. and, just know that if your PS is longer than my post, it probably - at best - will only get a glance through. think about the hundreds and hundreds of these things that PDs have to go through every year. unless you are truly clever (don't read that "witty", which isn't always appreciated), then maybe your PS will make a difference in whether or not you get looked at in person. otherwise, this is definitely lower on the list of what's important in your application.
don't worry dude, i'm sure they skimmed yours.
