I could have been a professional actor or musician, as many expected, but I chose to be a surgeon. Always seeking to express my creativity, I journeyed through poetry, art, songwriting, singing, and drama. Yet, nothing compares to the feeling I get when I have a scalpel in my hand. My fascination with surgery began with human anatomy. Blade in hand, I fell in love with the human dissection, spent extra hours tracing arteries and nerves, and engraving the images of the human body in my mind. I enjoyed it so much that I became a pro bono human anatomy and embryology tutor at the University of Nigeria for four years.
After medical school, I volunteered for national service in an area in Northern Nigeria that was prone to Boko Haram terrorist attacks. It had over 48,000 people, three government hospitals, but no physician. I witnessed extreme levels of preventable human suffering due to inaccessible health care. So I created free medical outreach programs to access remote areas. Recognizing the value of my activities, the Ministry of Health selected me to design and implement the government-funded, Kogi State Rural Medical Outreach program. I was charged with creating a statewide mobile primary health team that focused on essential surgery and endemic diseases in underserved communities. In two months, we performed over 500 …show more content…
Amidst numerous alternatives, I choose to be a surgeon. That my life may be spent in service to my community; I choose to be a surgeon. That I may be true to my dream, conscience, and passion: I choose to be a surgeon. That I may find meaning in the premature death of my father and prevent others from a similar fate: I choose to be a surgeon. A residency position in surgery is a critical step towards achieving my dreams and aspirations. So like Archimedes I humbly say, “give me a place to stand, and I will move the
After medical school, I volunteered for national service in an area in Northern Nigeria that was prone to Boko Haram terrorist attacks. It had over 48,000 people, three government hospitals, but no physician. I witnessed extreme levels of preventable human suffering due to inaccessible health care. So I created free medical outreach programs to access remote areas. Recognizing the value of my activities, the Ministry of Health selected me to design and implement the government-funded, Kogi State Rural Medical Outreach program. I was charged with creating a statewide mobile primary health team that focused on essential surgery and endemic diseases in underserved communities. In two months, we performed over 500 …show more content…
Amidst numerous alternatives, I choose to be a surgeon. That my life may be spent in service to my community; I choose to be a surgeon. That I may be true to my dream, conscience, and passion: I choose to be a surgeon. That I may find meaning in the premature death of my father and prevent others from a similar fate: I choose to be a surgeon. A residency position in surgery is a critical step towards achieving my dreams and aspirations. So like Archimedes I humbly say, “give me a place to stand, and I will move the