So here's my story briefly: I'm applying for the match in psychiatry. I'm a "non-traditional" with a public health background and currently going in the direction of pediatric psychosomatic medicine. Psychiatry was the rotation (and later electives) that made me feel like I can be a good doctor. There are also some very personal reasons which drew me into the field, all of which I have no trouble discussing in an interview if it came up. However I am concerned about sounding like a walking Lifetime movie or worse, someone who would use patients to deal with my own issues (not the case, I'm doing that on my own).
I grew up with addicted parents and exposed to domestic violence. I was able to get a scholarship into private school which probably saved my life but was sometimes confusing and traumatic trying to balance living in two very different situations.
I did pretty well in undergrad and grad school, not stellar. My first year of med school, however, was particularly tough and I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and was put on medications which I continue to take and have been pretty stable.
Also during med school, my nephew was hospitalized at a psychiatric facility at age 7. I think he may have been diagnosed bipolar based on the meds he was put on but his mother would not (or could not) discuss and just didn't seem to understand what was going on with her son.
OK, so this is not so brief. I don't plan to write all this on my PS, but I do feel the need to allude how my personal experience has influenced my directions, otherwise it wouldn't really be a PS. Not to mention the fact I also have to explain my multiple Step 1 attempts. If I can express that I want to use these experiences to better understand the families with whom I want to work, is there still the possibility that some programs may see me more as a risk?
Thanks for having the patience to read this.
