Looking Down the Road

In light of receiving my first residency interview, I thought I would update my blog for the first time in forever! I started this blog so that I could record my thoughts as I went through rotations, and maybe help make my decision about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  As I soon found out, that was not needed...within two days of my first OB-GYN rotation, I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing.  So here's a draft of my personal statement that I've used for my applications. I

There are a few moments in life when you may get the awe-inspiring feeling that your life is headed in the right direction; a sense of purpose urging you to take a certain path.  Most recently, that feeling happened as I was walking down the aisle toward my smiling groom, surrounded by my family and friends.  Before that, one of these remarkable moments was my first solo delivery. It was 2 weeks into my OB/GYN core clerkship and no deliveries had worked out quite well enough to allow me to deliver on my own.  I had finished checking on a patient when I ran into another attending on our service.  We started talking and he asked if I felt ready to deliver unassisted.  I jumped at the chance since I had been waiting for weeks for this opportunity.  I had witnessed many births by this point, but to be scrubbed in with the doctor observing behind me was a gratifying experience that I will never forget.  As excited as I was, it was amazing to be involved in such a joyous moment in the proud parents’ lives.

During my 3^rd year, I had the opportunity to pick many of my first rotations. I had completed my Master’s in Anatomy before medical school, and with my knowledge of the human body, I knew that whatever I would love doing would involve surgery or procedures, something very hands-on.  I rotated through Interventional Radiology, Neurosurgery, Cardiovascular Surgery, and Orthopedic Surgery, each one giving me a new set of abilities. With each rotation, my surgical skills improved and I felt more at home in the operating room. I enjoyed the immediate effect we could provide a patient with an operation, and it was amazing to see the transformation in their health.  The one thing I did not receive with these rotations was an exposure to primary care.  The interactions with patients, while rewarding, felt short and often had no reason for long-term follow up.  I decided I wanted a stronger, long-term relationship with my patients and still play an integral role in several aspects of their health.

During my first OB/GYN rotation, I found something that I had not in any rotation before: I enjoyed clinic as much as I did being in the hospital rounding on patients or in surgery. Being the only student on the service with three physicians, I was able to see many of the practice’s patients, which offered a huge range of pathology and treatment styles.  The versatility of this field astounds me, as you can be involved in a patient’s preventative health and health maintenance or treatment and recovery of illness.  Another thing that has drawn me toward OB/GYN is the opportunity to educate patients.  I have a strong background in teaching, and I’ve been told by many patients on rotations that I explain things very well.  My experiences in OB/GYN have been some of the most interesting and challenging moments of my clinical time and I look forward to being in such an exciting field.

At this moment, my goal is to practice general Obstetrics and Gynecology, although I am eager to have an in-depth exposure to many of the subspecialties.  I have a very supportive spouse, family, and group of friends, and medical school has provided me with the ability to balance my personal and professional lives well.  In addition to my surgical and communication skills, I have a friendly demeanor, strong leadership ability, dedicated work ethic, and the motivation and desire to learn.  I look forward to entering a residency program that is academically challenging, committed to teamwork and support, and driven on keeping up with the advances in patient care in the field of OB/GYN.