Secondaries without personal examples?

[Hzreio]

Do all secondaries have personal examples in them? Are there ever any successful secondaries that don't incorporate personal stories, such as the more theoretical prompts?

 

[gonnif]

Do all secondaries have personal examples in them? Are there ever any successful secondaries that don't incorporate personal stories, such as the more theoretical prompts?

Not really. The point of these secondaries is what things have happened in your life, whether in a broad or narrow context, and see what actions you have taken say about your personal characteristics / attributes and and your fitness for being a medical student or physician. Theoretical prompts, with the common exception of "where do you see yourself in 10 years?", dont show any evidence of these traits, just your say so. And if you say "well I dont really have any personal stories" that itself tells me you dont have sufficient introspection needed. BTW, the "where do you see yourself" question is often so poorly answered students many who now claim to want to be a primary care physician yet has no activities to show any evidence of that

 

[Hzreio]

What about something like “what do you consider the role of a physician”?


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[deleted688779]

What about something like “what do you consider the role of a physician”?


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Theoretical, yes, but you must also back it up with things you have done and connect it with your hypothetical future roles.

 

[HouseJC]

Don't force a personal example into a secondary answer if it doesn't fit.

 

[Monkeymojo]

With the exception of a researched focused essay prompt. I really think that it is hard to not have a personal example that satisfies secondaries if you have made an effort to expose yourself and empathize with the community and the people around you. No one has a perfect life, you can come from privilege but still had to deal with the struggles of living up to unrealistic expectations, bullying, stress, anxiety, etc.

 

[Rachapkis]

When answering a question such as “what do you consider the role of the physician?”, at the outset, you may want to state your views on the issue. For example, you might say something like “the principal role of a physician is to care for patients, and this involves several competencies, including medical expertise, communicator, collaborator . . .” Thereafter, you can leverage these competencies to show why you would be a good fit for the school and what you have done to prepare. For example, I learned the importance of X competency when I . . . I have been developing X competency l through . . .

 

[Hzreio]

When answering a question such as “what do you consider the role of the physician?”, at the outset, you may want to state your views on the issue. For example, you might say something like “the principal role of a physician is to care for patients, and this involves several competencies, including medical expertise, communicator, collaborator . . .” Thereafter, you can leverage these competencies to show why you would be a good fit for the school and what you have done to prepare. For example, I learned the importance of X competency when I . . . I have been developing X competency l through . . .

So really the prompt is “what is the role of a physician and what would make you a good doctor”?

 

[Monkeymojo]

So really the prompt is “what is the role of a physician and what would make you a good doctor”?

The role of a physician is dynamic. They are leaders in their community, they are scientists, they are patient advocates, they help shape policy, and of course, they are the guiding force behind the patient care team. If any of these roles speak to you go with that. As for what makes a good doctor, it will always come back to empathy/humanity. That should be your bedrock. Afterward, you can go into the technical and academic competencies that must accompany it in order to succeed.

 

[Rachapkis]

So really the prompt is “what is the role of a physician and what would make you a good doctor”
You want to show that i) you understand what it takes to be a good doctor, ii) have what it takes to be a good doctor, and iii) have prepared to become a good doctor.

 

[LunaOri]

The way to answer that prompt is not just to say "what is the role of a physician" but to explain how you came to your conclusions. Use your personal examples to show that journey. Personal examples don't have to be about things you did; they can be about events you witnessed, stories you heard from family members, events that affected you indirectly (by having an impact on your family or community).