From childhood, curiosity with the human body and its functions has engulfed me. Having been surrounded by health care professionals all my life, my family and endocrinologist have motivated me to prepare for a medical career. Over the years I have asked many questions concerning medicine because I have a desire to gain more knowledge and excel in the medical field. My experience as a caregiver for a patient with Lou Gehrig’s disease has also influenced me to pursue a career in medicine.
Like many of my family members, I want to help people. My mother is a registered nurse and my father practices as an urgent care physician. I have seen them treat many patients in the local clinic and the nursing home. My sister, Farrah, with whom I have shadowed, provides compassionate care as an obstetrician-gynecologist. My sister, Stacey, works as a school nurse and gives tender care to students throughout the day. My brother, Tyson, is a certified personal trainer; his love of fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle has greatly influenced me. My brother, Trevor, is a physical therapy assistant for nursing home residents, accident recovery victims, and patients who have had surgery. My family members are my health profession mentors. Seeing their dedication and respect for the sick, injured, and dying, I am determined to continue the family tradition of entering the health field. As a person with rural roots and significant Native American heritage, I have a strong interest in practicing medicine in an underserved or Native American population. Growing up in a small town of eight hundred and nineteen people in southeast Missouri, I know what it is like to have little access to quality health care. I want to give back to a community similar to my hometown because it would be beneficial to the residents and also rewarding on my part. My father once served as the only doctor in our medically underserved county for twenty-eight years. I gained priceless firsthand knowledge as a child and teen, attending various board meetings as a guest, shadowing him while he completed nursing home rounds on residents, and going to his medical clinic almost every day after school to visit with him and his staff. Another factor in determining my interest in the medical field is that I have had Type 1 Diabetes since age eleven. …show more content…
As a diabetic patient, I had to learn how to take five insulin shots daily, check my blood sugar often, eat healthy foods, count carbohydrates, manage my sickness, and continue an exercise regimen. Having been in the patient’s shoes will help me to understand and empathize with their healthcare needs. Good diabetic control takes hard work and a fighter attitude; having diabetes has taught me to be determined and strong. My endocrinologist, Dr. Arbelaez, encourages me to reach for my dreams and to become a doctor. She helps me not only with my diabetes, but she also teaches me that a doctor can be a supportive mentor and friend. Additionally, I worked as a caregiver and home health aide for a woman with Lou Gehrig’s disease near the university campus. She is paralyzed from the neck down and cannot chew, swallow, or speak. My duties included suctioning her tracheostomy and mouth, administering food into her feeding tube, assisting with a bedpan, monitoring her ventilator, setting up her speech-generating device, and making her comfortable. I have learned how to cope with taking care of a
Like many of my family members, I want to help people. My mother is a registered nurse and my father practices as an urgent care physician. I have seen them treat many patients in the local clinic and the nursing home. My sister, Farrah, with whom I have shadowed, provides compassionate care as an obstetrician-gynecologist. My sister, Stacey, works as a school nurse and gives tender care to students throughout the day. My brother, Tyson, is a certified personal trainer; his love of fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle has greatly influenced me. My brother, Trevor, is a physical therapy assistant for nursing home residents, accident recovery victims, and patients who have had surgery. My family members are my health profession mentors. Seeing their dedication and respect for the sick, injured, and dying, I am determined to continue the family tradition of entering the health field. As a person with rural roots and significant Native American heritage, I have a strong interest in practicing medicine in an underserved or Native American population. Growing up in a small town of eight hundred and nineteen people in southeast Missouri, I know what it is like to have little access to quality health care. I want to give back to a community similar to my hometown because it would be beneficial to the residents and also rewarding on my part. My father once served as the only doctor in our medically underserved county for twenty-eight years. I gained priceless firsthand knowledge as a child and teen, attending various board meetings as a guest, shadowing him while he completed nursing home rounds on residents, and going to his medical clinic almost every day after school to visit with him and his staff. Another factor in determining my interest in the medical field is that I have had Type 1 Diabetes since age eleven. …show more content…
As a diabetic patient, I had to learn how to take five insulin shots daily, check my blood sugar often, eat healthy foods, count carbohydrates, manage my sickness, and continue an exercise regimen. Having been in the patient’s shoes will help me to understand and empathize with their healthcare needs. Good diabetic control takes hard work and a fighter attitude; having diabetes has taught me to be determined and strong. My endocrinologist, Dr. Arbelaez, encourages me to reach for my dreams and to become a doctor. She helps me not only with my diabetes, but she also teaches me that a doctor can be a supportive mentor and friend. Additionally, I worked as a caregiver and home health aide for a woman with Lou Gehrig’s disease near the university campus. She is paralyzed from the neck down and cannot chew, swallow, or speak. My duties included suctioning her tracheostomy and mouth, administering food into her feeding tube, assisting with a bedpan, monitoring her ventilator, setting up her speech-generating device, and making her comfortable. I have learned how to cope with taking care of a