Underserved area vs disadvantaged?

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rose403

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So here's the situation... my sibling was diagnosed with autism, mental ******ation, encephalopathy etc etc.
point is - twas a lot for my family. Although my town was a decent size (think ~50,000), we didn't have the specialists needed for her diagnosis and treatment and spent a large part of my childhood commuting to the nearest city (usually 3 hours) to get the treatment she needed. It's a large part of why I want to become a doctor and be able to work in underserved/disadvantaged populations.

Now, I don't plan on marking the "disadvantaged" box because I would say I've had it pretty good. I'm a URM with 2 immigrant parents (Mexican), went to an underperforming high school, however economically my parents did fine, above average I would say, so being able to afford extra opportunities (going to Duke TIP summer classes, buying AP exam study books, etc) was no problem and because of the fact we were middle class/my parents held college degrees (an associate and a bachelor's), I just don't see us as being disadvantaged.


SO, does it make sense that I marked my town as medically underserved (due to my experiences getting proper treatment/specialists for my sister) and NOT marking the disadvantaged question? Sorry if this is confusing, I'm p confused myself.

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I think that’s fine.

Your childhood would be a great adversity essay.
 
I believe when I did the AMCAS and filled in my address it had a U next to it or something indicating that the area was underserved. So then I checked the underserved area box because of that. I think it was by county. So where I live in the county and with my health insurance I was all good and had tons of specialist options etc but overall the county is underserved. Since I still had to write my family’s income on the app and my parents’ jobs I didn’t feel like checking the box equaled saying that I was disadvantaged.

I’d say go on AMCAS and see if the U for underserved pops up. I think you should think about the area around your home more holistically than just your experience with your sister. Not having experts in various issues isn’t necessarily the same as being underserved. I think if your parents have degrees and income wise y’all are fine then don’t check the disadvantaged box but do include in your app your URM status and your family’s immigrant background
 
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Not having experts in various issues isn’t necessarily the same as being underserved.

It is almost exactly the same. The "U" is based on the number of primary care docs but it is not unlikely that an area described by the OP is a small city in a rural area and rural areas (as well as densely populated urban areas such as Manhattan) get the "U".

That first paragraph of your original post @rose403 should be used in your personal statement because it gets to "why medicine". That said, do think about whether there is a large enough population in your immediate area to support subspecialists such as those your sister visited. You could be a pediatric neurologist (or some other subspecialty) but if the number of children within 2 hours drive who need a neurologist is very small, you will be underemployed. Rural areas often need broadly trained clinicians; subspecialists usually need to practice in densely populated areas and have patients travel to see them.
 
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That said, do think about whether there is a large enough population in your immediate area to support subspecialists such as those your sister visited. You could be a pediatric neurologist (or some other subspecialty) but if the number of children within 2 hours drive who need a neurologist is very small, you will be underemployed. Rural areas often need broadly trained clinicians; subspecialists usually need to practice in densely populated areas and have patients travel to see them.
To support LizzyM's observation, I once practiced in a rural (U) area that was lucky enough to have an excellent local pediatric neurosurgeon. He chose to branch out into neurology, developmental pediatrics, and young adults to help make ends meet (maybe old people, too?). But he was still very happy to stay in town for the duration of his career. He was a treasure to have as a resource. You could be, too.
 
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It is almost exactly the same. The "U" is based on the number of primary care docs but it is not unlikely that an area described by the OP is a small city in a rural area and rural areas (as well as densely populated urban areas such as Manhattan) get the "U".

That first paragraph of your original post @rose403 should be used in your personal statement because it gets to "why medicine". That said, do think about whether there is a large enough population in your immediate area to support subspecialists such as those your sister visited. You could be a pediatric neurologist (or some other subspecialty) but if the number of children within 2 hours drive who need a neurologist is very small, you will be underemployed. Rural areas often need broadly trained clinicians; subspecialists usually need to practice in densely populated areas and have patients travel to see them.

You hit the nail right on the head. I live in an area of Texas that is mostly rural, with the city I live in being a small city - the only "city" feeling town for a 2-3 hours radius in all directions from us.


Using the suggested website my area has an underserved population (low-income) and is medically underserved for my address in mental health. Using this, I think I'm going to say my area was not underserved and just expand on my specific situation in my personal statement.

Thanks for all the help everyone!
 
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