Using a patient's story in PS

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[PingPongPro]

Are you writing a personal statement for the patient or for you? Write your personal statement to revolve around you as an applicant. Using patient interactions as anecdotes are fine, but it seems like your whole story revolves around the patient, and not yourself.

 

[dsoz]

How does HER story answer the question "Why do YOU want to be a doctor?"

If a person that reads your PS walks away and can't state why YOU want to be a doctor, then all the flowery prose, or cool stories are wasted.

Oh, and using someone else's story is a little unethical. Why should her story benefit you?

You can explain how your interaction with that patient changed how you viewed medicine, and made it moe personable, etc. but it should be YOUR story, from YOUR perspective.

Good luck. I went through five major revisions of my first PS, only to scrap it entirely and start from scratch two weeks before submitting. The second version only had minor edits before sending it off.

dsoz

 

[Jabjab]

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[Sabate]

The PS should be about your story and interest in medicine. If your interactions with her helped shape your interest in medicine and learning about her story solidified your interest in service through medicine there should be any qualms about including it.

 

[dsoz]

I would be more afraid that writing about a single patient, and how it changed to SO MUCH, would be too cliche.

Imagine you are an adcom, and you are reading the twenty-first PS for the night, after a twelve hour shift. And you read something like "and the patient moved me so much with her story that now I know I want to be a physician. I want to be able to help people like her..."

Read these classic instructions
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandab...sonal-statement-for-medical-school-admission/

Read this to get an idea of what I mean by cliche
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/2006/05/26/my-personal-statement/

Here are some of Uncle Panda's best ideas that he wants to share
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/2007/02/10/how-to-write-your-amcas-personal-statement/

My point is that too many pre-meds have a little clinical experience and they want to exaggerate the importance of it. It may sound trite and cliche to those that have a career worth of clinical experience.

dsoz

 

[Sophocles]

I would be more afraid that writing about a single patient, and how it changed to SO MUCH, would be too cliche.

Imagine you are an adcom, and you are reading the twenty-first PS for the night, after a twelve hour shift. And you read something like "and the patient moved me so much with her story that now I know I want to be a physician. I want to be able to help people like her..."

Read these classic instructions
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandab...sonal-statement-for-medical-school-admission/

Read this to get an idea of what I mean by cliche
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/2006/05/26/my-personal-statement/

Here are some of Uncle Panda's best ideas that he wants to share
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/2007/02/10/how-to-write-your-amcas-personal-statement/

My point is that too many pre-mess have a little clinical experience and they want to exaggerate the importance of it. It may sound trite and cliche to those that have a career worth of clinical experience.

dsoz

Wow, great point..

 

[music2doc]

If I want to interview your patient more than I want to interview you, that is probably a bad sign. 😉

 

[Ost3oclast]

I would be more afraid that writing about a single patient, and how it changed to SO MUCH, would be too cliche.

Imagine you are an adcom, and you are reading the twenty-first PS for the night, after a twelve hour shift. And you read something like "and the patient moved me so much with her story that now I know I want to be a physician. I want to be able to help people like her..."

Read these classic instructions
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandab...sonal-statement-for-medical-school-admission/

Read this to get an idea of what I mean by cliche
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/2006/05/26/my-personal-statement/

Here are some of Uncle Panda's best ideas that he wants to share
http://www.studentdoctor.net/pandabearmd/2007/02/10/how-to-write-your-amcas-personal-statement/

My point is that too many pre-meds have a little clinical experience and they want to exaggerate the importance of it. It may sound trite and cliche to those that have a career worth of clinical experience.

dsoz

Good post.

OP, if your experience was truly significant to your journey to medicine then I dont think its the WORST idea, but the impact you had on the patient and visa-versa needs to be important otherwise its just gonna look corny..

 

[BuddyTheElf]

OP, if your experience was truly significant to your journey to medicine then I dont think its the worst idea, but the impact you had on the patient and visa-versa needs to be important otherwise its just gonna look corny..

+1
My PS included a short story about my interaction with a patient and her passing away. I think it's perfectly fine to add in a short anecdote... as long as you keep it brief. It shouldn't take up the entire PS (or even be the focus of the PS, for that matter). The focus of the PS is YOU!
Good luck