When I was young, my grandfather enchanted me with stories of his bridge building days. An accomplished civil engineer in the 70’s, Latheef Abdul Salam was the brains behind many of Chennai’s earliest buildings and bridges. Scattered over the walls were photographs, news clippings, and thank you notes highlighting his accomplishments, which left me in admiration and awe. With his work ethic in mind, I applied myself to my education with every fiber of my being. A few summers later, I told him of my new attitude towards school, and the source of motivation behind my education. After an intrigued look and a slight pause, he told me that the most meaningful thing that I could bring him was not a good work ethic, but a passionate mindset to my
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However, the question, “What is my passion?” simmered in the back of my mind as I entered college. I picked biology as a major because I enjoyed learning about it, but was I passionate about it? I soon brought these concerns to my peer mentor, Shipra. She encouraged me to not sit idly, but to begin looking for what I was passionate about. I soon began exploring new options and carving new niches – joining an evolutionary biology lab questioning the phenotypic plasticity of vertebrates, serving as a student manager of a residence hall, and tutoring children at my local mosque at home. While I made treasured lifelong connections, I still hadn’t found ‘the mindset’. Two years of college had passed, and I was no closer to discovering any future endeavors. There was a glass ceiling holding my passion back, and I wasn’t sure how to break …show more content…
My first and foremost impression of medicine was realizing the vocation was not always idealistic as previous experiences had lead me to believe. Patients debated with doctors regarding treatment options and waiting times, and not all regained full health. One patient, Magda was part of the latter group. After being diagnosed with arthritis in her right knee, she began receiving cortisone shots. But a few months passed, and the shots did nothing to soothe her aching knee. The doctor recommended SYNVISC, but her insurance did not clear her treatment so soon after receiving her first cortisone shot. I watched as the doctor calmly explained to her the issue at hand, and her options moving forward – a doctor-patient interaction that showed a physician’s job going beyond the science. Afterwards, I asked the doctor why the original injection provided no relief for Magda, and he explained that the treatment only offered symptomatic relief – it didn’t treat the pathology. It was necessary for Magda, and countless others to learn how to manage the pain throughout their daily lives – a facet of their lives the doctor could only hope to ameliorate. This incident occurred after I read “The Cost Conundrum”, Dr. Atul Gawande’s opinion editorial about the rising costs of insurance, and the state of health care in America – an bleak situation I did not expect
However, the question, “What is my passion?” simmered in the back of my mind as I entered college. I picked biology as a major because I enjoyed learning about it, but was I passionate about it? I soon brought these concerns to my peer mentor, Shipra. She encouraged me to not sit idly, but to begin looking for what I was passionate about. I soon began exploring new options and carving new niches – joining an evolutionary biology lab questioning the phenotypic plasticity of vertebrates, serving as a student manager of a residence hall, and tutoring children at my local mosque at home. While I made treasured lifelong connections, I still hadn’t found ‘the mindset’. Two years of college had passed, and I was no closer to discovering any future endeavors. There was a glass ceiling holding my passion back, and I wasn’t sure how to break …show more content…
My first and foremost impression of medicine was realizing the vocation was not always idealistic as previous experiences had lead me to believe. Patients debated with doctors regarding treatment options and waiting times, and not all regained full health. One patient, Magda was part of the latter group. After being diagnosed with arthritis in her right knee, she began receiving cortisone shots. But a few months passed, and the shots did nothing to soothe her aching knee. The doctor recommended SYNVISC, but her insurance did not clear her treatment so soon after receiving her first cortisone shot. I watched as the doctor calmly explained to her the issue at hand, and her options moving forward – a doctor-patient interaction that showed a physician’s job going beyond the science. Afterwards, I asked the doctor why the original injection provided no relief for Magda, and he explained that the treatment only offered symptomatic relief – it didn’t treat the pathology. It was necessary for Magda, and countless others to learn how to manage the pain throughout their daily lives – a facet of their lives the doctor could only hope to ameliorate. This incident occurred after I read “The Cost Conundrum”, Dr. Atul Gawande’s opinion editorial about the rising costs of insurance, and the state of health care in America – an bleak situation I did not expect