Personal Narrative Medicine: A Personal Statement

After suffering a very painful injury in high school from competitive swimming due to overtraining and improper body mechanics, my need to return to the sport gave me a life altering exposure to the impact of healthcare and wellness. To regain my strength and ability to swim I went through several months of physical therapy. My time working with the physical therapist made me realize that if I had only known more about my body and how it works than I most likely could have prevent the majority of the pain and suffering I had overcame. This experience also got me thinking there are probably more people like myself that have gone through injuries or illnesses that could have been preventable. As I started to consider college and future careers, …show more content…
Being at Morningside College gave me the opportunity to work on several research projects involving the importance of healthy living such as testing how microbial infested U.S. paper money is and discovering that most colleges and universities healthcare clinics in the area did not know exactly what HPV was nor how often women should have PAP smear exams. I also had a chance to collect respiratory data on multiple groups on campus with a group of peers. These experiences allowed me to develop important skills such as working with others, prioritizing tasks, and learning how to interpret data. While in college I sought opportunities to help others and combine my interest in science and wellness by working for a local hospital in the rehabilitation department as a technician. I quickly discovered that there are a great number of people that are not knowledgeable of how the human body works. As I graduated from college and went on to in the social services side of healthcare the trend of lack of health education started to become increasingly …show more content…
We are facing a crossroads in healthcare and government, which increase the need for public health education. Policy and societal changes need to take place to prevent chronic illnesses that can be avoided by life choices that currently are nearly impossible. If health education does not increase to help prevent public health concerns such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity are going to continue onto take even more of a toll on society than they currently do. I surely cogitate the United States can become stronger and healthier through the proper use of health education and the promotion of