Personal Narrative: A Career In Medicine

For as long as I can remember, I have had an inquisitive nature about the world around me, asking questions about anything and everything. Many of these I asked my grandfather, who began his career as a general surgeon in the late 1940s. As a child, he intrigued me with exciting stories about attending medical school during World War II and the advancing field of medicine. By highlighting an unusual ailment, the complex steps he took to cure it, and the gratification he felt afterwards, he breathed life into his stories to both captivate and enchant me. He portrayed medicine as an exciting, heroic profession in which one always finds a cure, leaving me fantasizing about someday following in his footsteps.
At about this same time, I discovered …show more content…
I realized, however, that I was unaware of many of the complexities and variables that go into the day-to-day life of a physician. For the longest time, this view of the profession suited me well; it stoked my excitement about pursuing a career in medicine and comforted me with the belief that my doctor could always help me. My grandfather, mindful of my age, knew the day would come when I would develop my own views on the complexities of life, death, and the role of medicine. That moment arrived when I was sixteen years …show more content…
My cousin’s oncologist is a perfect example. He coordinated fundraisers and bone marrow drives, and always exemplified a mood of optimism and hope. He also consoled the grieving family members after Jason passed, assuring them that the suffering was over. This ability to effectively understand and comfort others is a valuable attribute for a physician, but it is not taught in a textbook or laboratory. As I came to comprehend, a doctor is not always in control of the cure, but he can be instrumental in instilling in his struggling patients the will to live and the courage to