What Made You Want to go into Medicine? Share your story!

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subtlewonder

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I wanted to prove that becoming a doctor really isn't that difficult. Well, there's a lot more to it than that, but as I approach the end of the beginning of the journey, I can honestly say that it really isn't that difficult. Irritating at times, yes, but not difficult.
 
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When I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, often associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease, called Hemangioblastoma. The initial surgeon I saw transferred me to another because of the complexity of the case: the tumor was near an artery.

During my stay in the Intensive Care Unit, there was a boy, about my age, diagnosed with a similar condition. Fortunately, my surgery was successful, but his left him brain dead. I will never forget that experience, and it was then that I became interested in a career in the health field.

Although I am still deciding on dentistry or medicine, if I do pursue medicine, it will be because I want to help those, through rehab-medicine, who are not as fortunate I was.

Take care, and keep your head up.

bus.
 
My motivation for going into medicine was certainly cumalative in nature. When I was 12 my dad told me of his diagnosis of progressive multiple sclerosis...which first got me researching his disease and really just diseases in general. From those years on, I knew I wanted to go into some variety of healthcare...as I became a bit of a medical nerd in the minds of my family/friends and found many of my interests in that field. It wasn't until I was in college as a nursing/PA major working in the hospital...seeing these roles in action...that I realized that I was better suited to serve people in the role of physician.
So, several things have affected my decision...my dad's disease, friends/family, work experiences, and hours of reflection! Ultimately, I think it was my personal curiosity of science that sealed the deal.
 
Actually, it was kind of a cumulative decision. As a kid, I was fascinated with how the various systems of the body worked. I remember giving a talk for a required speech in English in 6th grade on how the eye functioned.

After being laid off from software engineering, I started looking around at what I really wanted to do and took an aptitude test at a local community college. It came back with 'community service' which validated what I had already felt. I truly enjoy helping people. My best and most interesting jobs were in customer service, which explains why I was miserable in engineering as I was stuck behind a desk or in a lab all day. I liked the logical thought and ability to solve problems that were de riguer for engineering, but there was very little customer service type of interaction.

Having lived overseas, I have seen what a lack of medical care can do to a population and I have a dream of being a small town doctor serving a community as a general practitioner.

So it boils down to this: I truly enjoy helping people and solving problems.
 
I have always been interested in medicine. Biology, anatomy are my fav. subj. They always interest me since I can remember.
I was an unusual kid i guess...I would ask my parents to buy me anatomy and medical related book. Once I got my first job I would buy them myself. I have dreamed to be a doctor someday but I opted to go into int'l bus. when I started college...we I now I have decided to go into medicine no matter how long it takes me to complete it. I have to get my prereq. and unfort. or fort. :) don't know which one! i have a 8-5 m-f job which retricts me from taking several classes at a time. Right now Im a comp. programmer. +pissed+ I enjoy it but I can't wait to get into med school!!! I have a friend who is an md and I have ask to borrow his med. school books! Like I said it just facinates me to read them look through them and learn things here and there.

Thats basically my little story...boring nothing exciting but oh well.
 
Here is my unique, boring, and titilating story about my drive to become an osteopathic physician:

When I was 8 years old, I had my first major surgery on my upper right humerus. This was one of 6 operations I would have before I was 17 years old. I have always been in and out of the medical field and scared as hell about it. Picture an 8-year old boy going into surgery with no idea of what is going on and what could happen. I started researching medicine before I was 10 and have wanted to be a doctor since then. I became great friends with my anesthesiologist and he stalled out every fear I had. He was kind of like my mentor and, as I grew older and more doubtful about my qualities in becoming a doctor, he crushed those doubts and gave me the confidence that I too could be a great physician. I worked my butt off in high school and college, doing everything I could do to increase my chances at getting into med school.

All of my friends in college, that I had known most of my life, gave me tons of encouragement through the years. They hardly knew anything about becoming a doctor and all it takes, as they are mostly business majors. All of the nights they were out having fun, getting drunk, I was in the house studying my ass off or traveling somewhere in the state to shadow a doctor or do some type of volunteer work. They knew that one of their friends would one day be doing something that they never thought of doing and would be great at it. This "pressure" from my friends, and all of my family members, to succeed helped me to get where I am today.

During my sophomore year in college here at the University of Wyoming, I became great friends with my next door neighbor in the dorms the previous year. He was a premed student as well. The following year he was accepted into the WWAMI program, a program put on by the University of Washington's med school that allows WY residents to attend their first year of med school here in Wyoming. He has always helped me out with anything med school related that I needed to know, and informed me of osteopathic medicine and all it has to offer. I had never even considered OM before that, and he told me he wished he had gone into it. I did about everything one could do to learn about osteopathic medicine and it completely facinated me. Everything I want to do in my life, I could do through OM. We started researching DO schools together and found a few that seemed great. I applied fall 2003, interviewed winter 2004, and got my acceptance in March of 2004.

LECOM - Bradenton Class of 2008 baby!
 
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