Like @gyngyn has already pointed out, Why would you focus on this? Touch briefly on how AIDS patients have been historically underserved (not much utility in pointing fingers) and then spend the statement talking about your past advocacy/work and how it ties into your career aspirations in medicine. You are applying to be a doctor, not a social sciences/history professor.
It’s more of a motivation as to why I’d like to be a doctor, and how being a doctor is beyond just practicing science. It’s contrasted to a positive shadowing experience I had which proves my point. It is not mentioned out of the blue as the AIDS epidemic is a recurring theme in my statement.
I understand what you were going for. I just disagree with the strategy. I don’t see any amount of dwelling on how doctors were morally in the wrong benefitting your chances of admission.
Understandable- I may shift the language a bit. Thank you.
I don't think this analogy will achieve the desired effect.
For those of us who were already doctors at the height of the AIDS epidemics, and took care of the many patients dying of AIDS (yes, in the beginning, all my AIDS patients died), I would interpret your PS as ignorant and depending on your tone, probably arrogant also. As it turns out for you, I will not be reviewing application files this year so my feathers won't be ruffled if you applied to the school I'm at.
Thank you for the advice. I want to be clear that I do not mean to imply all doctors were apathetic. I do appreciate your words and grateful to hear a perspective from someone that was there.
I appreciate your candor and perspective, especially as someone who was there.
Ditto for me, but I WILL be seeing applications….and I WOULD be very offended. We cared more than you can ever imagine, but there was so little we could do that it brings tears to my eyes even now.
My fear was that my essay implied that docs were too apathetic, and I still believe that some were early on. In no way did I mean to say all docs were like that. I apologize for the wording as it wasn’t really even a good synopsis of my actual essay, which was more about societal apathy. I am grateful for all doctors of that time who treated their patients with empathy during an impossible time, you included.
I did not include full context to my statement in my question. My PS includes much of this if you’d like to read it.
I am sure that there is more nuance than here in a forum post! if you do have extensive involvement/connection to those spaces and people, or a specific positive inspiration from that time, then I think it is reasonable to recognize the context in which they were living/working while focusing on how the positive characteristics you would like to embody. But I think the point everyone is making is that "all older AIDS doctors bad, recent shadowing experience good" as you initially described is not a great frame and will make it clear to physicians who lived through it (including lots of current med school deans, etc) that your understanding of that time is somewhat one dimensional
I see your point. It is definitely a more nuanced take on it. Thank you for your thoughts.
It's never a good idea to throw doctors under the bus.
I was definitely conflating general institutional attitudes and policies with individual physicians, which is probably very foolish. Is a critique of these systems around that time warranted? Would it bring about similar feelings?
How is it relevant to your PS?
No. As I mentioned, this is for an application to medical school, not a term paper for a History of Medicine in America class.
I think you should examine whether your belief that some docs were apathetic is really true. What the media (or some of it) reported may not reflect actual physician conduct, versus the conduct and policies of hospital and clinical administration and insurance companies, who, as we know, have an outsized influence on health care options and decision making.
