sg2424
Nov 16, 2011
Graduate / 'The smell of hospitals' - Fall 2012 PA School Personal Statement [2]
Let me know where it can be better.
Thanks for any advice.
The smell of hospitals repulses some people. For me, the smell of hospitals acted as a starting point for my love of science and medicine. My father has worked in an administrative hospital setting for as long as I can remember. When I was a small child, I used to accompany my father to work when I had days off from school. From the moment I entered, I would be graced with that admired hospital smell. Most people associate this smell with the death of family members and sickness. I have never felt the pain of this smell as others have, but all I have ever associated with this smell is intrigue. The smell of sanitary equipment, latex, and occasionally vomit arose such curiosity in me. I was well aware of the purpose of a hospital but was totally unaware of what happened behind the doors that said "Emergency Room". I had an undying urge to crash through the doors to explore and "play doctor." As I have grown older, I now understand more about hospitals than I did when I was that young child, but I still have that undying urge to crash through the doors and explore.
Throughout college, I have tried to crash through each of my classroom doors. I have always had a craving for new understanding of a subject. A fulfilling day for me comes in the form of ending my day with knowledge that I had not had the day before. I have never been one to worry about grades, but I worry more about the understanding of a subject. In my first year at Stony Brook University, everything clicked. I finished both semesters on the Dean's List. Somewhere in my sophomore year, I got cocky. I was counting my outstanding G.P.A. chickens before they hatched. My sophomore year turned out to be my worst year G.P.A.-wise throughout my college career. I knew that I needed to change something if I were to be accepted into any type of medical professional school. I used my sophomore year as a spring board and made sure that I would never have a year like that again. And I did not. In my junior year, I registered for classes in my secondary love: Business. Business should be mandated for all health care professionals. Having the ability to run and operate a business is crucial to being a medical professional, especially in the private setting. In my junior year, more than any other time in my life, I enjoyed being in a classroom. I then took classes in Health Sciences en route to a career in medicine. In that school year I not only learned about interesting topics in health care but, I learned skills that will help me to be a better practitioner. This will be beneficial to me in my future career.
After graduating from Stony Brook with my degree in Health Science, I pursued licensure to become an Emergency Medical Technician. After studying different aspects of emergency medicine including trauma, and cardiac and medical emergencies, I became more enamored than ever with the idea of helping people. Being an EMT for the past year has given me insight into the medical world that I could never receive in a classroom. Between volunteering for BRAVO ambulance and working for an ambulance transport company, I am able to see such a wide array of medical situations. The experience that I gain from that is better than any textbook has the ability to give.
Medical professionals constantly use the skill of problem solving. A practitioner puts all of the pieces together and most of the time solves the puzzle. If they are wrong, they go back to the drawing board and try to rework their thoughts. In this sense they are constantly problem solving. They are always trying something different to manage a patient and that is an aspect of the profession that I am fascinated by. I deal with similar situations on my job as an EMT, as I am the first professional which establishes patient contact. One of the biggest parts of my job is to assess the situation presented to me and try to "lay out the pieces of the puzzle" such that the more advanced practitioner may have the best understanding of what the next step should be.
There is no handbook that one can read to become any type of medical professional. We go to school for years to hone our craft; but our knowledge does not solely come from a textbook. Practitioners require an intense desire and a need to help. From when I was a child in my father's hospital, I had a strong desire and my desire has grown throughout the years. I feel that in an admissions process an interview should precede an application. A committee will be able to see this desire in an applicant's face, and this desire may be the most important aspect of a candidate. I have that desire. I want to live my dream and spend day after day smelling the repulsive smell of hospitals that I love.
Let me know where it can be better.
Thanks for any advice.
The smell of hospitals repulses some people. For me, the smell of hospitals acted as a starting point for my love of science and medicine. My father has worked in an administrative hospital setting for as long as I can remember. When I was a small child, I used to accompany my father to work when I had days off from school. From the moment I entered, I would be graced with that admired hospital smell. Most people associate this smell with the death of family members and sickness. I have never felt the pain of this smell as others have, but all I have ever associated with this smell is intrigue. The smell of sanitary equipment, latex, and occasionally vomit arose such curiosity in me. I was well aware of the purpose of a hospital but was totally unaware of what happened behind the doors that said "Emergency Room". I had an undying urge to crash through the doors to explore and "play doctor." As I have grown older, I now understand more about hospitals than I did when I was that young child, but I still have that undying urge to crash through the doors and explore.
Throughout college, I have tried to crash through each of my classroom doors. I have always had a craving for new understanding of a subject. A fulfilling day for me comes in the form of ending my day with knowledge that I had not had the day before. I have never been one to worry about grades, but I worry more about the understanding of a subject. In my first year at Stony Brook University, everything clicked. I finished both semesters on the Dean's List. Somewhere in my sophomore year, I got cocky. I was counting my outstanding G.P.A. chickens before they hatched. My sophomore year turned out to be my worst year G.P.A.-wise throughout my college career. I knew that I needed to change something if I were to be accepted into any type of medical professional school. I used my sophomore year as a spring board and made sure that I would never have a year like that again. And I did not. In my junior year, I registered for classes in my secondary love: Business. Business should be mandated for all health care professionals. Having the ability to run and operate a business is crucial to being a medical professional, especially in the private setting. In my junior year, more than any other time in my life, I enjoyed being in a classroom. I then took classes in Health Sciences en route to a career in medicine. In that school year I not only learned about interesting topics in health care but, I learned skills that will help me to be a better practitioner. This will be beneficial to me in my future career.
After graduating from Stony Brook with my degree in Health Science, I pursued licensure to become an Emergency Medical Technician. After studying different aspects of emergency medicine including trauma, and cardiac and medical emergencies, I became more enamored than ever with the idea of helping people. Being an EMT for the past year has given me insight into the medical world that I could never receive in a classroom. Between volunteering for BRAVO ambulance and working for an ambulance transport company, I am able to see such a wide array of medical situations. The experience that I gain from that is better than any textbook has the ability to give.
Medical professionals constantly use the skill of problem solving. A practitioner puts all of the pieces together and most of the time solves the puzzle. If they are wrong, they go back to the drawing board and try to rework their thoughts. In this sense they are constantly problem solving. They are always trying something different to manage a patient and that is an aspect of the profession that I am fascinated by. I deal with similar situations on my job as an EMT, as I am the first professional which establishes patient contact. One of the biggest parts of my job is to assess the situation presented to me and try to "lay out the pieces of the puzzle" such that the more advanced practitioner may have the best understanding of what the next step should be.
There is no handbook that one can read to become any type of medical professional. We go to school for years to hone our craft; but our knowledge does not solely come from a textbook. Practitioners require an intense desire and a need to help. From when I was a child in my father's hospital, I had a strong desire and my desire has grown throughout the years. I feel that in an admissions process an interview should precede an application. A committee will be able to see this desire in an applicant's face, and this desire may be the most important aspect of a candidate. I have that desire. I want to live my dream and spend day after day smelling the repulsive smell of hospitals that I love.