"Why do you want to be an osteopathic doctor" is the main question. I'd add as sub-topics: What experience(s) convinced you that you'd make a great DO (and will convince the reader of the same conclus
Personal Statement
Painting considered one of the most sacred, yet mythological method of storing history was used in many countries to cherish important events such as birth, marriage and the overwhelming beauty of the human body. I recalled the mystical beauty of the human body as I bristled my brush into shades of magenta, sapphire and ivory white to engrave the most extravagant/spectacular petals on the arms of the 8 years old girl, I noticed something out of ordinary. It was an abnormally flustered mass, somewhere described in between a skin sore and a growing ulcer.
The winds of Grana de Oro which is a small village mostly populated by indigenous Cabecars in Costa Rica, were charming but the sun wasn’t any less intense. The medical missionaries set up a medical, dental and vision clinic, providing services annually for the villagers that live in the upper mountains where Edison’s light bulb itself was a luxury. I dedicated my breaks, following the rounds with the physicians on our team, to engaging with the patients and the villagers of the town by face painting or trying to learn their language. I barely knew any Spanish; however, I took this as an opportunity to learn and what better way learn than from the children itself. Although I had no patients of my own and my sole purpose for this medical mission trip was to reinsure my passion for medicine, there was more to my experience than just shadowing the physicians. The patients that came to clinic, travelled for hours through the dense forest on horses, motorbikes and sometimes even on foot just so that they can get some sort of medical service for which they would have to travel to cities if needed. Even though I was there to enhance my medical experience, their sacrifices made me truly appreciative of the mission trip and all the privileges I lived with because medicine is where human compassion, empathy, hope and sacrifices intermingle.
When the 8years old presented her skin sore to me, it arose a curiousness in me, an eagerness to know what that was? After freaking away the child, I confessed to her that her boiled skin needed medical attention because it resembled something of Leishmaniasis which was a parasitic infection the doctor repeatedly disclosed to me while shadowing him. She trusted me amongst the big crowd and wouldn’t let my hand go until she was taken away from me by the nurses. This moment made me realize the huge impact a physician can have on a person which is the pillar that medicine rests upon; the fragility of life and the trust with which person place his/her lives into someone else’s hands. Mastering medicine, doesn’t necessarily have to be about excellence, it is about perseverance to try, to learn and grow from the mistakes.
Following the medical mission trip, I heaped with gratitude and curiosity to serve and learn, respectively. This made me pick up several volunteering positions at several hospitals most notably CHI St. Luke’s Hospital Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Sugarland Hospital and Medical City Dallas. I kept volunteering in order to give back to the community and each hospital gave me a different perspective at life through their patients. For instance, at CHI St. Luke’s Medical Center, I was monitoring at fall risks patients in the rehab unit; however, during my observing hours, I got to know many of their stories which made me realize- medicine is also about human feelings, struggles and concerns.
After graduating from my university, I continued my venture from volunteering to working as a medical professional at Houston Spine and Joint Pain Consultants. Under Dr. Tariq’s guidance, I assisted him in several pain procedures on patients, most notably the Radiofrequency Ablation, where I learned that sending an electric current to burn a small area of the nerve will prevent it from sending pain signals, thus relieving the patient from pain. Little did I know when learning college physics that medicine is the magic of incorporating the different sciences. Medicine is science and the two can’t be separated; a combination of science and humanity into practice- that is the magic of healing wounds and curing illness. Lastly, succeeding my months of involvement in his practice, initially as a volunteer, impressed Dr. Tariq and eventually led to job offer at his practice.
All these experienced have shaped the way I view medicine presently, I have no alternatives to this profession that I am earnestly trying to become. I understand that humans are not machines and they are different in their needs. They deserve someone who would understand that and care for them incorporating their uniqueness. I want to be that physician. Until that day comes, I will be taking vitals, listening to patient stories and drooling over the needles, hoping that one day that would be me.
