The air conditioning did not function, you could feel the sweat running down your clothes and you could see the one inch mattresses laying on what it was supposed to be a bed. These are hospitals, Venezuelan hospitals, which are supposed to be places where people are treated and not incarcerated. I am from Venezuela and when I was 10 years old, I started volunteering with my mother at the Pediatric Hospital of Maracaibo. After witnessing not only the hospital’s condition, but the patients’, I wanted to find a way in which I could help them. As watching doctors work with patients, I felt something inside me that desired to be like them, a desire to assist and cure people like they did.
As I started to take science classes I realized how fascinating …show more content…
One thing I noticed was how everyone was key to the process. Attendings were in charge of the overall study and were the ones directing and providing background information, administrative staff helped to with the paperwork, statisticians assisted to design and make sure data collection was appropriate, residents helped collect the data and even a pre-medicine student, me, helped to write the IRB approval. Doing research taught me to learn about diligence and to appreciate the importance of working as a team. On the other hand, I think you never know how a doctor’s day goes until you get to spend one with them. For that reason, I started to shadow different physicians who were key in my development process. I learned how the hospital system worked with attendings, residents and medical students. I learned how a quick ER physical exam is done by observation, I also learned the carefulness and ethics in the art of treating patients. Alternatively, as I mentioned in the beginning, I have always loved to volunteer. It has always helped me to keep me down to reality and make me appreciate what is really important, helping those who you are capable to help. I became Volunteer coordinator and Vice-President of Allied Health Professions Society. By doing so, I had the opportunity to not only develop my leadership but also organize different community service events …show more content…
At first, it was peculiar for me to do all this pre-medicine part and build up my application at the same time, but I also realized how important it was. I believe medicine is a career that you have to deeply love in order to succeed. All this transition to a new country, doing my pre-medicine requirements, shadowing, volunteering, research, being both Vice-President and Volunteer Coordinator, tutoring for science courses, and many others, have assured me that this is what I want to do and this is who I want to be. Many people told me “but you are going to take more time to graduate” or “but you will have to sacrifice so much”; yes I will, but I will also learn along the way. Medicine is not a race, it does take these many years for a reason, the human body is beautiful in its complexity, and those of us who are fascinated by it, will not look at the amount of years but the amount of knowledge we will be able to receive and apply in our professional lives which hopefully, one day will allow us to help and cure. I am happy I chose to become a physician and that I am able to do what I enjoy. I cannot wait to get my future
As I started to take science classes I realized how fascinating …show more content…
One thing I noticed was how everyone was key to the process. Attendings were in charge of the overall study and were the ones directing and providing background information, administrative staff helped to with the paperwork, statisticians assisted to design and make sure data collection was appropriate, residents helped collect the data and even a pre-medicine student, me, helped to write the IRB approval. Doing research taught me to learn about diligence and to appreciate the importance of working as a team. On the other hand, I think you never know how a doctor’s day goes until you get to spend one with them. For that reason, I started to shadow different physicians who were key in my development process. I learned how the hospital system worked with attendings, residents and medical students. I learned how a quick ER physical exam is done by observation, I also learned the carefulness and ethics in the art of treating patients. Alternatively, as I mentioned in the beginning, I have always loved to volunteer. It has always helped me to keep me down to reality and make me appreciate what is really important, helping those who you are capable to help. I became Volunteer coordinator and Vice-President of Allied Health Professions Society. By doing so, I had the opportunity to not only develop my leadership but also organize different community service events …show more content…
At first, it was peculiar for me to do all this pre-medicine part and build up my application at the same time, but I also realized how important it was. I believe medicine is a career that you have to deeply love in order to succeed. All this transition to a new country, doing my pre-medicine requirements, shadowing, volunteering, research, being both Vice-President and Volunteer Coordinator, tutoring for science courses, and many others, have assured me that this is what I want to do and this is who I want to be. Many people told me “but you are going to take more time to graduate” or “but you will have to sacrifice so much”; yes I will, but I will also learn along the way. Medicine is not a race, it does take these many years for a reason, the human body is beautiful in its complexity, and those of us who are fascinated by it, will not look at the amount of years but the amount of knowledge we will be able to receive and apply in our professional lives which hopefully, one day will allow us to help and cure. I am happy I chose to become a physician and that I am able to do what I enjoy. I cannot wait to get my future