Personal Story

[Falconclaw]

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I had chronic pancreatitis for about three years, from the ages of 16 to 19, about. I'm 21 now and haven't had any symptoms, so even though part of my pancreatic tail is still atrophied I live a normal college life style and think I'm in the clear. I obviously had a lot of exposure to the medical world throughout this rather difficult three year experience, and I would like to use this experience to talk about why I want to be a doctor on personal statements and interviews.
My parents tell me that medical schools won't want to take someone who has a history of illness, and that I should instead pretend that this happened to a family member or something, but I'm not a terrific actor and this will probably come off as not particularly genuine.
What do you guys think?

 

[Reckoner]

As long as you can use the experience to help write a clear narrative of your journey to medicine, I think it could definitely add to your personal statement.

Here's an example of a Stanford Med student who wrote about her experience with Celiac disease in her personal statement: http://stanfordmedstudent.blogspot.com/2009/12/personal-statement-for-medical-school.html

 

[Mad Jack]

Premedical committees like people that have come through hard times and learned from them. Saying it was a relative often comes off as kind of tryhard in my book, like you're trying to be Captain Empathy or something. There are legit stories out there: relatives with cancer, disabled family members, etc. But unless you can really establish both your closeness with said relative and the link between their experience and medical school, it just doesn't feel legit to me. It is hard to do both of these things in a short essay.
Now when it is you that is sick, no explanation is needed as to why it affected you personally. This frees up a lot of space for why it turned you on to medicine. I think committees will like your perseverance, your knowledge of what being a patient feels like (for what better way of making you considerate of your own patients is there) and your willingness to open up to them.

Tell the story you earned by having lived it.

 

[Life Sucks]

Not trying to be mean, but how did it shape you to want to do medicine?

 

[Life Sucks]

Not trying to be mean, but how did it shape you to want to do medicine?

Sorry, basically put your story in with the this lead me to be a doctor way.

 

[kairos18]

I wrote my PS centered around my own illness and it worked pretty well for me! PM me if you want!

 

[Ismet]

1. Don't lie.
2. It's completely fine to talk about your history of illness if you are comfortable with it or if it's integral to why you want to be a doctor. I've seen applicants who were cancer survivors, applicants who were treated for depression, etc. A quadriplegic woman graduated from my school last year. This is medicine, not the army or something. You're not required to be in perfect health.

 

[pietachok]

If you are healthy now and do not expect it to affect your ability to succeed in medical school, and that is clear in your application, then there is no problem writing about it as long as it isn't a "woe is me" story-- there will always be someone sicker or with a more heroic/terrible story.

That said, make sure it is plausible and reasonable as your reason for wanting to go into medicine. There are a lot of sick people who don't want to become a doctor, so in and of itself without more personal insights, a history of chronic pancreatitis and successful treatment is not a sufficient explanation for "why medicine" in many cases.

 

[Mad Jack]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...tance-into-medical-school-please-help.529637/

This poster got interviews to some great programs as a quadriplegic. If they can do it, a little case of chronic pancreatitis ain't nothin. You've got this.

 

[lobo.solo]

This is medicine, not the army or something.

I love this! GL OP

 

[Goro]

NOT true! I've had students who have had organ transplants, mental illness, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, asthma, morbid obesity, and type I diabetes. As long as your illness won't prevent you from physcially doing the stuff of Medicine, or interfere severely with your learning, you'll be fine.


My parents tell me that medical schools won't want to take someone who has a history of illness, and that I should instead pretend that this happened to a family member or something, but I'm not a terrific actor and this will probably come off as not particularly genuine.
What do you guys think?[/quote]