To what extent should a PS answer "why doctor" over "why medicine"?

[stunzeed]

I've written a draft of my PS that I feel conveys my "why medicine" using specific stories and reflection from some of my experiences, especially my interactions with patients as an EMT. However, I've gotten some feedback along the lines of "well why don't you just become an EMT then?".

To what extent / how should one show that they are set on MD/DO over other careers in healthcare in a PS? I feel pressured to throw in a shadowing anecdote and reflect on the physicians I have seen, but to be honest my shadowing was not very meaningful for me.

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[LunaOri]

Yes, we do want to know why you want to become a physician.

 

[Latteandaprayer]

I'm only an admitted student, not an adcom or remotely involved in the admissions process, but I think it's best to write about why physician instead of why medicine in general. Your EMT experiences are great jumping off points: why not stay an EMT? Why not become a paramedic? What about it is unsatisfying to you? Reflect on that, and write about how you want to expand your knowledge and scope of care based on your answers to these questions, and how medical school is the best way to do that. Then, include other experiences that make you certain this is what you want.

In my humble opinion, including a shadowing anecdote can actually help if you do it right. My interviewers really liked my shadowing story in my PS. Maybe you shadowed a PCP and realized that while responding to a heart attack is rewarding and necessary work, you want to be more involved in preventing the heart attack through longitudinal care and patient education.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yes, ideally your PS will address both. If you aren’t sure why physician, you need to do some soul searching.

 

[theendisnigh]

You want to be able to answer this in a personal statement as well as in person. It's a great and easy question for interviewers to ask, "why medicine? Why be a physician? Why not be a PA/stay an EMT/etc.?" The worst possible answer would be to stare at them like a deer in headlights or give a half-thought out answer. These are important questions during a time where going to school for 2.5 years and making a great, independent income as a PA can beat out the grind of 7-9 years of med school and residency.

 

[MD-PhD-NonTrad]

I feel like “Why medicine” and “why physician” are the same thing, right?

Remember, physicians are the only profession that practice medicine.

We don’t practice healthcare ‘round these parts.

 

[BeMoConsulting]

Hi there,

This is a good question. My first suggestion would be to think about what differs for you from being a physician and an EMT. What do you want to do as a doctor that you cannot do as an EMT? There are many things to keep in mind. Most EMTs will never know how those patients ended up. This can be frustrating and is a reason that many people go further into health care. A statement like that can be a great transition from an EMT narrative to a narrative about shadowing. Maybe your shadowing experience was not as impactful to you because you had seen a lot in your EMT work. But what was it that still inspired you further toward medicine? Was there a certain patient, or even the way the doctors interacted, or got to see their patients repeatedly?

Ideally you will want to have 2-3 different experiences which showcase not only "why medicine" but also "what makes you a good fit for medicine?" and "what makes you unique?". If you can answer all three of these questions you will be well suited.

Best of luck!