Using someone else's name in personal statement?

[wormboge]

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Is there anything wrong with using another person's name in your personal statement without permission? For example, if I were first author of a research article about the effects of weightlessness on the circulatory system as a junior in college, and then "got an internship working along side, John Doe, lead astronaut from NASA who just came back from Mars, and other fascinating people. I learned the value of networking and the value of collaborating with others." Would it be illegal or seriously wrong to list his name in that context, assuming that was a real person? I ask because I naively did this with someone's name, but what's done is done. I did show my essay to many tutors, but no one caught this or suggested leaving the name out. Looking back, I should have just said, "the lead astronaut," but hindsight is 20/20, I did my due diligence, but still made that mistake.

 

[Goro]

It's Ok in this context.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Is there anything wrong with using another person's name in your personal statement without permission? For example, if I were first author of a research article about the effects of weightlessness on the circulatory system as a junior in college, and then "got an internship working along side, John Doe, lead astronaut from NASA who just came back from Mars, and other fascinating people. I learned the value of networking and the value of collaborating with others." Would it be illegal or seriously wrong to list his name in that context, assuming that was a real person? I ask because I naively did this with someone's name, but what's done is done. I did show my essay to many tutors, but no one caught this or suggested leaving the name out. Looking back, I should have just said, "the lead astronaut," but hindsight is 20/20, I did my due diligence, but still made that mistake.

The reason there's a general rule against it is because many people talk about their patients in personal statements. If you weren't a care provider, I think you're fine.

 

[Zharp]

The reason there's a general rule against it is because many people talk about their patients in personal statements. If you weren't a care provider, I think you're fine.

I wondered about this... For example, let's say you had a patient named Adam Smith who had condition x, in our PS can we say we worked with Adam who had x condition and I learned y from this experience... or should we just rename Adam to John (Doe) for anonymity?

 

[Cawolf]

I wondered about this... For example, let's say you had a patient named Adam Smith who had condition x, in our PS can we say we worked with Adam who had x condition and I learned y from this experience... or should we just rename Adam to John (Doe) for anonymity?

Or less awkwardly, "worked with a patient who had x condition". IMO using John Doe in a personal statement is strange.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

I wondered about this... For example, let's say you had a patient named Adam Smith who had condition x, in our PS can we say we worked with Adam who had x condition and I learned y from this experience... or should we just rename Adam to John (Doe) for anonymity?

Your two choices are to change the name completely and parenthetically state that it is not the patient's real name or use initials.

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Or less awkwardly, "worked with a patient who had x condition". IMO using John Doe in a personal statement is strange.

When it is detailing an interaction with a specific patient (I've seen conversations with a palliative care patient, peds cancer patient, addict at a SW office) it helps to have a name. Just can't be the real one.

 

[oldman]

i would not name a patient name. that violates HIPPA laws and in the medical field we are very aware of those rules.