personal statement for medical school

Hospital dramas and shows have engrossed many viewers and made notable personalities such as Dr. McDreamy of Grey’s Anatomy and Dr. House of House, M.D. a household name. Audiences are entertained and educated with various medical conditions, diagnoses, and treatments that are  featured in the captivating scenes of these medical shows. Despite the entertainment they provide, some viewers may be left in the dark when it comes to the hierarchy of the characters or hospital staff, say in ER or in Scrubs. Here’s a quick rundown of the titles carried by medical practitioners::

Chief attending

Dr. Richard Webber of Grey’s Anatomy carries the title of big honcho. As chief attending, he is responsible for keeping the entire hospital department running smoothly. The chief attending is considered the boss who makes big decisions or confers with the other big bosses (such as the private owners) for running the hospital.

Attending physicians

Attending physicians are doctors who have gained some experience in their field of specialization. This title may be assigned after finishing a certain period of training for the said specialization. Attending physicians may also head or hold officership positions in their sub-departments. They are responsible for heading a team of residents and interns as well. Attending physicians may conduct courses to interns in teaching hospitals.

Medical residents

Newly-proclaimed doctors, fresh from board and internship exams, are proclaimed medical residents in a hospital. They are doctors who can practice medicine under the watch of their supervisors, the attending physicians, and can now legally attend to patients. Medical residents do their fare share of teaching through medical interns.

Medical interns

After graduating from med school, you can start working in a hospital under the title of medical intern. Medical interns, though, are not yet licensed to practice medicine but are only allowed to observe and participate or “scrub in” for medical and surgical procedures.

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So what makes a doctor good? Is it the brains? Is it the people skills? Or, is it because one came  from a reputable medical academic institution such as Harvard Medical School? Read on for a list of some of the qualities that help doctors become successful in the field despite the erratic schedules and the heavy caseloads.

Doctors must be people persons

Aside from being a medical maverick and genius, good doctors also need to have people skills, especially when interacting with a lot of patients, who may be confused or emotionally befuddled about their conditions.  Breaking the bad news is also never easy for most doctors. Though this part of the job is also described as one of the hardest tasks doctors do, learning how to tell family members the right way takes time and experience.

Doctors must pay attention to detail

Dr. House is deemed the medical Sherlock Holmes due to his keen observations skills. In the TV series, House makes use of psychology and take hints his patients’ lives. Real-life doctors, on the other hand, should possess the same dogged interest even in the little things such as lumps that could turn into cancer or a twitch that may actually be a symptom of a life-threatening disease. Attention to detail makes the job of doctors easier, allowing them to diagnose and treat patients more effectively.

Doctors must value time and use it wisely

You don’t outgrow your schedules when you graduate from med school. In fact, doctors are known to lead such scheduled lives to make sense of all the things happening around them. Time management skills could be honed while still studying in med school. Consider making a time table of the things that you need to do such as studying for pharmacology from 8pm to 10pm. Be sure to accomplish your tasks up to 10pm, so you could go to that late dinner, have a night cap with friends, or hit the sack right after. Setting a deadline also encourages doctors to think faster and come up with solutions even in a short time.

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Being a medical student and a dutiful wife at the same time can prove to be a very challenging act. Both roles need your utmost commitment as each demands your dedication. With a new addition to the family, your attention is further divided. So how do you juggle these important roles?

Juggling spousal responsibilities and medical school work

As a wife, you are expected to provide a home for your husband. Though you two have pledged to take care of each other, a woman does so by setting up and maintaining a household for her husband. As a medical student, an extra load is added to your usual set of household chores. To be able to study for med school, you may look for domestic help if you can afford to. Having someone help out with the chores can free up more time for you to study without being too harassed.

Balancing marriage, medical school work, and parenting

It is always a struggle when a woman tries to do things for herself even though she has a family to take care of. Sadly, more women let go of their dreams because of the difficulty of this situation. Still, there are ways for you to compromise when facing a similar situation. Organize your activities by making a schedule. Plot your study sessions in convenient times like when your child is asleep or at school. Just don’t forget to spend quality time with your spouse and child every chance you get. Though it is important for you to study hard for medical school, it is also important that you be there for your child when he or she needs you the most.

If you are yet to start expanding your family of two, it would be wise to wait a few more years until you graduate or settle into your practice before having a baby. Though a baby will not spoil your prospects of becoming a doctor, the role of a parent would demand more from you. Having a baby after finishing medical school not only ensures that your studies have your undivided attention, but lets you savor the time as a parent without having to worry about your finals. Being married while in med school need not be as taxing as it seems to be, with someone to go home to after every day.

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Most of the students who get into med school took up science or pre-med courses in their undergrad years. In college, biology, organic chemistry, and other science subjects have prepared them for the rigors of medical school. But how about people with non-science courses who also find a calling for medical practice? The truth is, the medical title is not entirely exclusive to those with science majors. But before setting high hopes for a career shift, there are medical school prerequisites that still have to fulfilled with non-science majors.

Science courses required in medical school

It’s not really a requirement to have a be science major just to get into med school. Despite this claim, certain science courses should have been taken by the applicant to be eligible for enrollment. Units in biology, chemistry, physics, and math are required. Most medical schools also have grade requirements for these subjects. Basic psychology courses can be helpful for students aspiring to specialize in psychiatry. Other non-science courses such as English, history, and humanities are also required.

Admission essay tips for non-science majors

Truth be told, science majors have the upper hand over non-science majors when it comes to experience and knowledge. Due to their exposure to the scientific studies, which include laboratory and field work, they may perform well in the application exams. Still, you may secure a coveted spot in med school admission through your winning admission essay. Most medical schools require the submission of  personal statements to evaluate applicants on a more personal level. Use this opportunity to state your intentions and convince the admissions panel why they should take consider  non-science major like you. Though science majors are preferred undergrad courses  for medical school, your non-science major can still help you out even in med school.

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Before getting into med school, many students have set their minds on the specializations they wish to take in their residency. In fact, they may even include their field of interest in their personal statement for medical school. Stating the field of specialization in your personal statement for medical school may show how career-oriented you are. Choosing your specialization, however, can be an arduous task with numerous areas to choose from and different factors to consider.  To aid you in making the right choice, here a few of the most competitive areas of specializations that are popular with medical students at the moment.

Dermatology

Doctors practicing dermatology are raking in profits, as people today are becoming more aware of their skin health and overall appearance. Though dermatologists provide medical advice on skin care and the preservation or enhancement of physical beauty, most skin specialists also make assessments and prescribe treatments that go beyond skin deep. Serious skin conditions such as psoriasis, impetigo, dermatitis, eczema, melanoma, and even the full-blown kind of acne are treated by dermatologists. Many doctors decide to specialize in dermatology for the promise of higher salaries, with patients who are willing to pay large amounts for vanity’s sake and treatment of skin problems.

Neurosurgery

Another complex organ of the body that requires proper care and attention is the brain. Neurosurgery is the new rocket science that many brave medical students are gearing up for. It would be best to think of neurosurgery as the most delicate specialization, as this involves not only the study of the brain, but also performing delicate operations on it. A doctor who aims to specialize in neurosurgery should be well-versed with the symptoms, sicknesses, and treatments that affect the brain. They also need to have good locomotor skills in able to operate on patients. Handling the most powerful yet most delicate organ of the human body entails precision and well-calculated movements, as a slip can already have dire consequences.

Those who wish to specialize in neurosurgery would normally talk passionately about the challenge of this practice in their personal statement for medical school. Medical professionals who are brave enough to face the risks of performing operations may specialize in this field of medicine.

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You thought the worst was over once you got into a residency at a hospital. Still, choosing an area of expertise is another tough decision for doctors to make. There are a variety of specializations to choose from. Here are some of the more popular choices of expertise:

* Pediatrics

Kids are cute and fragile. Because their immune systems are not yet as strong as adults’, most of them tend to get sick or acquire some illness or another. Pediatrics is a popular choice for doctors to specialize in it, probably because of the natural urge to care for children. Pediatrics, however, means more than just listening to heartbeats and breathing patterns. Pediatricians must master the art of reaching out to their young patients, who usually dread trips to the doctor’s office. Aside from diagnosing the illness and prescribing  medicines for it, pediatricians also educate parents on the proper care of their children’s well-being. Pediatrics is also a lucrative specialization, as there can never be a shortage of children in most areas or of parents who pay large amounts for the well-being of their kids.

* Plastic surgery

Though vanity is oft-quoted as the root of all evil, many medical practitioners see man’s (or woman’s) quest for beauty as a very profitable specialization to venture into. Plastic surgery is one of the most popular specializations these days and also one of the hardest subjects to master and excel in. Aside from enhancing what one already has, plastic surgery also has a functional aspect by reconstructing body parts that have been deformed congenitally or through accidents. To some, plastic surgery is like an art form that uses the body as a canvas. Still, it’s more than just molding and reshaping body parts. Plastic surgery usually involves a major medical operation; with any operation, risks are involved. That’s why plastic surgeons have to take into account the patient’s condition, not only on the external appearance, but also based on the patient’s inner well-being.

* Obstetrics and gynecology

Female doctors also like to specialize in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, as most of them easily gain familiarity in this practice. The care and maintenance of female body parts contribute to the well-being of a woman and of her unborn child as well. This is also a lucrative specialization as doctors can be assured of a steadfast clientèle, with expectant mothers and non-pregnant women becoming more aware of the need to observe good reproductive health.

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Though movies often take viewers on journeys to the unfamiliar, some are modeled around real places and events. Films about medical school have engrossed viewers with sensationalized takes on the lives of medical interns and students. Here are top five movies revolving around the sleep-deprived and  adrenaline-charged arenas of medical study:

Of Human Bondage (1934)
Leslie Howards stars as struggling artist-turned- medical student Philip Carey in this movie of unreciprocated love. Bette Davis stars as the object of Carey’s affection, Mildred, a manipulative illiterate tearoom waitress, who haunts Carey’s daydreams in med school. This movie showcased Davis’ acting prowess as the overbearing Mildred whom Howards’ character is obsessively shackled to while completing med school.

Bad Medicine (1985)
After being rejected by every American medical school, Jeffrey Marx is sent off by his father to a medical school of questionable rank somewhere in Central America. Marx falls head over heels with a classmate but answers a noble calling by providing illegal medical assistance to the  poor villagers.

Gross Anatomy (1989)
Joe Slovak starts his first year in med school with a bang, his wayward manners earning him laughs from classmates and rebuke from his strict professor. See how Slovak deals with the rigors of med school, prove his worth to an overbearing teacher and win over a career-driven classmate’s heart while staying true to himself.

Vital Signs (1990)
While vying for internship in a hospital, a group of medical students realize that getting into hospitals isn’t as peachy as it seems. Two third year medical students from opposite sides of the spectrum try to garner the illustrious position, while nursing their own grievances. LA Central Medical school not only teaches them about easing other’s sufferings, but also their own.

Anatomy (2000)
Franka Potente stars in this German film about stellar student Paula Henning’s internship at the University of Heidelberg Medical School. When a second meeting with a man she rode on the train with happens on her dissecting table, Paula questions where and how the school procures its specimens. As a number of her classmates mysteriously drop dead along the length of the course, she discovers a secret group of students performing autopsies on live people.

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Getting an MD doesn’t solely rely on memorizing all the medical theories by going over the medical books. In fact, the medical profession is one of the most dynamic industries. That’s why professionals are required to always be updated with the latest treatments for illnesses. To answer the need for development, teaching hospitals have been put up to provide venues for practice for interns and medical students. Here are some of the finest teaching hospitals in the US :

Johns Hopkins Hospital

John Hopkins Hospital sets the bar after 18 years of continuous excellence by being recognized as the best teaching hospital in the country. Success and breakthroughs in the fields of endocrinology, neurosurgery, pediatrics, and urology have brought many doctors and patients relief and hope for various sicknesses. John Hopkins has produced notable medical professionals who are being nurtured with excellent training and enough resources to continue their research and studies.

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

A low mortality data sets Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center apart from others. This teaching hospital provides medical care to patients through its extensive medical services and programs. The advanced medical facilities and brilliant medical practitioners housed in this institution also make it a notable teaching hospital in the US. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center not only provides excellent clinical education and training for interns but also to its residents.

Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital not only prides itself by being one of the oldest medical institutions of the US, but also because of the number of great medical practitioners it has produced. With its partnership with Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital strives to find new and improved ways of providing excellent medical services to patients. Having an annual budget of over US$400 million definitely allows this hospital to provide quality education to interns and other medical professionals as well.

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When applying for medical school, you should consider the student-teacher ratio in an institution. Though a certain med school may boast of a large number of students that enroll in their classes every year, a skeletal faculty might not be enough to properly handle the student body. As a result, learning is compromised; the quality of education may not be at par anymore. Luckily, there are notable medical schools that pay attention to campus population.  Most medical schools with low student-teacher ratios fare well in the national rankings. Not only are classes made convenient, but the learning and experience students get from attentive mentors hone them to be th best medical practitioners as well. Here are some medical schools with low student-teacher ratio:

Washington University School of Medicine

St. Louis, Missouri is one those renowned med school with a low student-teacher ratio. Washington University of Medicine limits the number of students that are admitted per term to preserve the quality of education. Faculty are not as harried and stressed, while students are given equal access to facilities, education, and opportunities to develop their craft in medicine.

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School, on the other hand, has up to 10,000 faculty members to handle its student body. The administration and faculty of Harvard ensure the quality and excellence of education by making sure that each student’s academic needs are met. With a faculty that’s able to supervise and educate students more attentively, these medical students go on to become the best medical practitioners the country has ever seen. Harvard Medical School also holds the top spot for being the best medical school in the US.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

John Hopkins University School of Medicine prides itself with the implementation of the “Hopkins Model” of teaching. This method of teaching consolidates conventional classroom education and hands-on intensive clinical experience. A low student-teacher ratio ensures that students are getting the best education and experience in medical training.

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The field of medicine also has venues for publishing articles, scientific papers, and other resource material that can be used to advance knowledge on medical conditions and treatments. To regulate and standardize formats, the American Medical Association has developed a set of guidelines for the proper citation of references that are used in the text of research papers. These research papers can be about the latest developments in the fields of medicine, science, and even health care. The AMA style is used by medical practitioners, journalists, professors, and even students in the medical field when citing references in their papers.

General guidelines in AMA style

When writing scientific papers to be published in medical journals and reviews, proper citation should be used. All of the sources are listed at the end of the article according to their order of use or appearance in the paper. Making use of numbers instead of bullets, each source must be listed at the end of the text. The elements such as book title, author’s name, date it was published, among others, should be separated by periods.

Book citations
Include page numbers if the specific pages are quoted in the article. Use the <last name>,<first name>, <middle initial> format when citing the author of the book. Below is the order or chronology of the items when citing from book sources.

Chronology for book citations:
* author’s name
* chapter title
* editor’s name/translator’s name
* book title
* volume number
* book edition
* place of publication
* book publisher
* copyright year
* page numbers

Journal citations

If book citations require you to mention the full first name of the writer, journal citations only require the last name to be spelled out in full. The format for writing author’s name would then be <last name>,<first name initial>,<middle initial>.

Chronology for journal articles:
* article title and subtitle
* abbreviated name of journal
* year of publication
* volume number
* supplement number
* page numbers

Internet citations

Internet sources are now credited by the AMA; just be sure to use information from reputable sources. Cite what kind of Internet material was used as a reference and enclose it in brackets.

Chronology for Internet sources:
* author’s name
* article or webpage name
* URL source
* date accessed

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