personal statement for medical school

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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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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