Sample Personal Statements Page 2
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20Emergency and Internal Medicine Personal Statement
I was ripped from sleep on a bright Easter morning by the sounds of shouting and
crying. My family was frantically trying to arouse my unresponsive father. Later, I
learned my father was clinically dead on arrival to the hospital. Despite the ominous
forecast, an emergency department physician saved my father's life. This was the
moment I considered becoming an emergency medicine physician, where I could care for
people in their darkest hour.
In college, my interest in emergency medicine was renewed when I volunteered for an
ambulance squad in my hometown. I was sent to the EMS Training Academy where I
earned the Richard Freeman Award for highest GPA and later accepted a teaching
position at the academy. Teaching became the most rewarding experience in my life,
especially since I was constantly learning from instructors who appreciated my
teachability. However, my interest in the care of ED patients grew.
Immediately after EMT school, I was hired as an emergency department clinical
technician. My transition to working on the other side of the ambulance bay doors had
begun. I learned new skills and honed my clinical instincts as I worked with physicians.
As a result, my skills as an EMT improved and my promotion from cadet to crew chief
occurred in less than a year. I was given new duties as a lieutenant and training
coordinator responsible for training. My leadership abilities were recognized and I was
elected to the executive board where I worked diligently to successfully merge our
organization with a second ambulance squad. Yet, the bustle of working in the ED is
what truly stimulated me. I was enthusiastic about the variety of cases and how well the
emergency team worked together. The best part of my day was when the ED attendings
would take the time to teach me about cases. I longed for a job which allowed me more
one-on-one contact with the ED physicians.
I accepted a position as a Clinical Information Manager responsible for maintaining all
clinical information relevant to patient care. After observing and recording the
attendings’ physical exam findings, I constructed a history and physical within an
electronic records system. My history and physical writing skills and quality improved
quickly due to sheer volume. Multi-tasking skills were required as I juggled lab results,
diagnostic imaging studies and other pertinent patient information for every patient
assigned to the ED attending. My experience laid the foundation for my future career in
medicine.
During my internal medicine rotation, I was in the ED admitting a frail,
undernourished octogenarian. I heard the raspy, guttural quality of his breathing prior to
walking in the exam room. He coughed feebly with gobs of green mucous clinging to his
beard. While he battled the pneumonia, I was completely involved with his care, from
choosing antibiotic therapy, to diagnosing and treating his diabetes, to rounding on him
several times a day. I successfully convinced him to attend rehab for physical therapy,
despite similar failed attempts made by social workers and nursing staff. The day before
he left, I found him clean-shaven, appearing healthy and looking ten years younger. My
first image of him flashed in my mind and I was in awe of the change. I took excellent
care of him, and that was my reward. He thanked me for spending time with him and
explaining his course of care, after asking my chief resident if I could be his internist
from then on. The bonds I formed with patients on the medicine wards were meaningful,
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