My Cross-Cultural Experience: My Experiences In The Medical Field

I was raised in Syria among communities that were economically disadvantaged and had difficulties accessing health care due to the high costs of treatment and the absence of any Medicare system. The majority of people often consulted their local pharmacist when they were ill and took medications based off the pharmacist’s recommendations or their friends and family’s advice. Only a minority of people were able to afford visit to the doctor. People often died when put in a situation where their illness was treatable but too expensive for him or her to treat. The absence of any affordable health care was exacerbated during the war that broke out in 2011. The war placed the majority of the population under poverty, which made it even more difficult …show more content…
I believe that health care should be accessible to everyone regardless of his or her place of residence. I plan to devote my time and experience to serve disadvantaged communities in rural and suburban areas. I believe that my cross-cultural experience and interactions with people from all around the world through various volunteering, tutoring, and shadowing experiences makes it easier to relate to others’ struggles and health concerns. In addition, working and studying in San Diego gave me a firsthand exposure to minorities and underserved communities since the city is a center to many cultural and ethnic minorities. This affirmed my passion for dedicating my efforts and medical knowledge after residency to serve minorities and disadvantaged communities that struggle to access health care whether because of cultural or economic …show more content…
We first resided in New Jersey for a couple of months before we had to move to California because my dad could not find a job. I was enrolled in couple of college courses in New Jersey, which I had to withdraw from when my family and I moved to California. I received a letter grade for one course that I was allowed to take its final ahead of time, and “Ws” for courses that had restrictions on the timing to take their finals. This is reflected on my transcripts under the courses that I took at the Passaic County Community College in New Jersey.

I am planning to volunteer at a cardiovascular research lab at UCSD school of medicine starting Fall, 2016. I am hoping to gain a better understanding of the research side of medicine and the molecular basis of disease. The main goal of the lab is to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and the developmental pathways that help create the cardiovascular