Potential red flags in personal statement, am I explaining too deeply?

[gatorgrad8]

Hello everyone,
I am in the process of writing my personal statement and I have taken a couple of years after graduating undergrad to apply. In that time, I worked as an EMT for 6 months. I loved working on an ambulance and wish I still could, but the job was too much to handle. It was a private ambulance service and we did both interfacility transport and local 911 calls. The company was full of burned out paramedics who hated working on a truck, never wanted to teach, hated working with new and excited EMT's, and took every opportunity to put you down for mistakes rather than use it as a teaching moment. One particular paramedic was terrible to me, very disrespectful in general, and just an overall bad person. My excitement faded very quickly and turned to dread. Put this on top of a 45 minute commute to work at 4 am, constantly leaving late after a 12 hour shift (getting 3-4+ hr transports right before clocking out), and having a boss that didn't know my name, treated me like I was dumb, and wouldn't assign me with a new paramedic, and I was ready to GO.

I hated this because I love being an EMT and I knew it was my only option to work in the field, but it became a detriment to my mental health. I would really like to explain this briefly in my personal statement, and ultimately say that leaving was to preserve my mental health (not because of patient-care related burnout, because of work environment).

Is this a red flag? How would you explain this briefly? I feel it is very necessary, considering I chose to leave the only job I had in the healthcare field at the time after just 6 months.

Thanks!

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[Current-big-pharma-shill]

I would really like to explain this briefly in my personal statement, and ultimately say that leaving was to preserve my mental health (not because of patient-care related burnout, because of work environment).

In what way does talking about leaving this organization contribute towards your answer to why you want to be a physician?

I see no reason to explain any of this or even talk about leaving them. It would only present as a red flag in that it doesn’t have anything to do with what you are supposed to be writing about.

 

[xffan624]

Hello everyone,
I am in the process of writing my personal statement and I have taken a couple of years after graduating undergrad to apply. In that time, I worked as an EMT for 6 months. I loved working on an ambulance and wish I still could, but the job was too much to handle. It was a private ambulance service and we did both interfacility transport and local 911 calls. The company was full of burned out paramedics who hated working on a truck, never wanted to teach, hated working with new and excited EMT's, and took every opportunity to put you down for mistakes rather than use it as a teaching moment. One particular paramedic was terrible to me, very disrespectful in general, and just an overall bad person. My excitement faded very quickly and turned to dread. Put this on top of a 45 minute commute to work at 4 am, constantly leaving late after a 12 hour shift (getting 3-4+ hr transports right before clocking out), and having a boss that didn't know my name, treated me like I was dumb, and wouldn't assign me with a new paramedic, and I was ready to GO.

I hated this because I love being an EMT and I knew it was my only option to work in the field, but it became a detriment to my mental health. I would really like to explain this briefly in my personal statement, and ultimately say that leaving was to preserve my mental health (not because of patient-care related burnout, because of work environment).

Is this a red flag? How would you explain this briefly? I feel it is very necessary, considering I chose to leave the only job I had in the healthcare field at the time after just 6 months.

Thanks!

I don't know what explaining in detail how much your EMT job sucked will help further you in a personal statement. The personal statement is supposed to answer "Why do you want to be a physician?" not be a tell all. If you're going to address this job, talk about aspects of it that solidified your continued interest in healthcare and desire to be a physician.

 

[Redpancreas]

Hello everyone,
I am in the process of writing my personal statement and I have taken a couple of years after graduating undergrad to apply. In that time, I worked as an EMT for 6 months. I loved working on an ambulance and wish I still could, but the job was too much to handle. It was a private ambulance service and we did both interfacility transport and local 911 calls. The company was full of burned out paramedics who hated working on a truck, never wanted to teach, hated working with new and excited EMT's, and took every opportunity to put you down for mistakes rather than use it as a teaching moment. One particular paramedic was terrible to me, very disrespectful in general, and just an overall bad person. My excitement faded very quickly and turned to dread. Put this on top of a 45 minute commute to work at 4 am, constantly leaving late after a 12 hour shift (getting 3-4+ hr transports right before clocking out), and having a boss that didn't know my name, treated me like I was dumb, and wouldn't assign me with a new paramedic, and I was ready to GO.

I hated this because I love being an EMT and I knew it was my only option to work in the field, but it became a detriment to my mental health. I would really like to explain this briefly in my personal statement, and ultimately say that leaving was to preserve my mental health (not because of patient-care related burnout, because of work environment).

Is this a red flag? How would you explain this briefly? I feel it is very necessary, considering I chose to leave the only job I had in the healthcare field at the time after just 6 months.

Thanks!

Don't see how any of this has to do with applying to medical school.

 

[Proudfather94]

Hello everyone,
I am in the process of writing my personal statement and I have taken a couple of years after graduating undergrad to apply. In that time, I worked as an EMT for 6 months. I loved working on an ambulance and wish I still could, but the job was too much to handle. It was a private ambulance service and we did both interfacility transport and local 911 calls. The company was full of burned out paramedics who hated working on a truck, never wanted to teach, hated working with new and excited EMT's, and took every opportunity to put you down for mistakes rather than use it as a teaching moment. One particular paramedic was terrible to me, very disrespectful in general, and just an overall bad person. My excitement faded very quickly and turned to dread. Put this on top of a 45 minute commute to work at 4 am, constantly leaving late after a 12 hour shift (getting 3-4+ hr transports right before clocking out), and having a boss that didn't know my name, treated me like I was dumb, and wouldn't assign me with a new paramedic, and I was ready to GO.

I hated this because I love being an EMT and I knew it was my only option to work in the field, but it became a detriment to my mental health. I would really like to explain this briefly in my personal statement, and ultimately say that leaving was to preserve my mental health (not because of patient-care related burnout, because of work environment).

Is this a red flag? How would you explain this briefly? I feel it is very necessary, considering I chose to leave the only job I had in the healthcare field at the time after just 6 months.

Thanks!

From the advice I've gotten from people that got accepted I wouldn't mention anything negative, even if you're right with your view it doesn't reflect on you well. I would focus on some of the patients that you remember from the experience instead.

 

[gatorgrad8]

In what way does talking about leaving this organization contribute towards your answer to why you want to be a physician?

I see no reason to explain any of this or even talk about leaving them. It would only present as a red flag in that it doesn’t have anything to do with what you are supposed to be writing about.

I don't know what explaining in detail how much your EMT job sucked will help further you in a personal statement. The personal statement is supposed to answer "Why do you want to be a physician?" not be a tell all. If you're going to address this job, talk about aspects of it that solidified your continued interest in healthcare and desire to be a physician.

Don't see how any of this has to do with applying to medical school.

You are all right, I see your points. I suppose my goal was to use a small part of my personal statement as an explanation, over worry that leaving a healthcare job so early would be a red flag itself. Thank you for your feedback

 

[gatorgrad8]

From the advice I've gotten from people that got accepted I wouldn't mention anything negative, even if you're right with your view it doesn't reflect on you well. I would focus on some of the patients that you remember from the experience instead.

That seems to be sound advice, thanks!

 

[Redpancreas]

You are all right, I see your points. I suppose my goal was to use a small part of my personal statement as an explanation, over worry that leaving a healthcare job so early would be a red flag itself. Thank you for your feedback

Absolutely do not even mention it in your PS. Like someone else said, focus on the positive aspects.

 

[Current-big-pharma-shill]

You are all right, I see your points. I suppose my goal was to use a small part of my personal statement as an explanation, over worry that leaving a healthcare job so early would be a red flag itself. Thank you for your feedback

Don’t try to explain anything on the application. Only explain if asked in an interview, otherwise you are selling yourself.

if you are trading in your car and you know it has a blown suspension but there is no smell and the check engine light isn’t on, do you tell the dealership about the suspension or do you take your money and run?

Plausible deniability is your friend. This application cycle is a game, so play it well.

 

[Moko]

I'm sorry to hear that you had this terrible experience. I agree with what others have said thus far. You are not required to explain why you stopped this or any other activity. It's simply irrelevant. In the unlikely event that you are asked about this in an interview, you can truthfully respond that you wanted to pursue other experiences/opportunities for personal & professional growth, or that logistical reasons/other obligations prevented you from continuing with this company. No one will think twice about your quitting due to a 2 hour daily commute. All applicants should be honest in their application, but being honest does not mean shooting yourself in the foot.

When writing about this clinical experience, I recommend addressing these topics instead:
i) your role beyond "just" interfacility transport, i.e. your responding to local 911 calls,
ii) the patient population(s) you were serving (if they belonged to disadvantaged and/or underserved communities),
iii) memorable experiences that excited you, or demonstrate and highlight positive qualities, such as your passion for caring for others, etc., and
iv) positive insights and lessons that you gained from this activity.

In general, you should always remain positive in your presentation. Even when asked about failures and conflicts, there are many ways to talk about these negative experiences in a thoughtful and positive manner. Just my thoughts and best of luck.

 

[gatorgrad8]

I'm sorry to hear that you had this terrible experience. I agree with what others have said thus far. You are not required to explain why you stopped this or any other activity. It's simply irrelevant. In the unlikely event that you are asked about this in an interview, you can truthfully respond that you wanted to pursue other experiences/opportunities for personal & professional growth, or that logistical reasons/other obligations prevented you from continuing with this company. No one will think twice about your quitting due to a 2 hour daily commute. All applicants should be honest in their application, but being honest does not mean shooting yourself in the foot.

When writing about this clinical experience, I recommend addressing these topics instead:
i) your role beyond "just" interfacility transport, i.e. your responding to local 911 calls,
ii) the patient population(s) you were serving (if they belonged to disadvantaged and/or underserved communities),
iii) memorable experiences that excited you, or demonstrate and highlight positive qualities, such as your passion for caring for others, etc., and
iv) positive insights and lessons that you gained from this activity.

In general, you should always remain positive in your presentation. Even when asked about failures and conflicts, there are many ways to talk about these negative experiences in a positive light. Just my thoughts and best of luck.

This is very helpful advice and you've made great points. I will build off your suggestions to have a more positive outlook. Thank you Moko!