Why Being Part of the School Paper Pays Off When Writing Your Personal Statement for Medical School
There are several reasons why being part of the school paper pays off when writing your personal statement for medical school. One of the ways to attract the attention of admissions officials is to have an impressive curriculum vitae. Students who have exemplary records, both in their academic performance and extracurricular activities during their college years will have a better chance of being noticed than those who have sparse entries in their CVs. One of these extracurricular activities that can help you is being part of the school paper.
Benefits of school paper experience for medical school application
One extracurricular activity that will get you some attention is previous experience working for the school paper. Aside from the fact that it will paint a picture of you as someone who did not limit himself or herself to the four corners of the classroom while in college, experience with the school paper will also expose you to different kinds of people, give you an experience handling various kinds of responsibilities, and help you improve your ability to express yourself through writing, all of which you can use to your advantage, whether its applying for medical school or practicing as a full-fledged doctor.
Many experts agree that a personal statement for medical school should reflect the student and should show good written communication skills. There is no better way to hone these skills than to be part of a school paper way before you apply for medical school, and especially in a setting where good communication skills is the primary requirement. Working for the school newspaper will also allow you to use your critical thinking skills and creativity in order to solve problems, the same kind of skills that will prove useful in the hospital and any other medical setting.
Another way through which experience with the school paper can help you with your application to medical school is that the job will give you plenty of opportunities to accept correction for your mistakes. When writing a personal statement for medical school, you are expected to revise, revise, and revise some more before handing your essay to the panel. Previous experience with the school newspaper, where due diligence, expertise in checking out the facts, a willingness to accept correction for your work, and the willingness to revise your pieces as often as needed will make the revision of your personal statement come naturally for you.
Indeed, previous experience with the school newspaper, whether you worked for the high school organ or the college publication, will provide nothing but benefits for you, especially if you are applying for medical school. Aside from helping paint a picture of you as someone who has diverse interests and is willing to pursue them, the fact that you worked for a newspaper will help you persuade the admissions panel that you have the qualities and characteristics, such as the ability to think creatively and critically and the willingness to learn, that make a good candidate for medical school.
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A successful career in the medical field is not built on your accomplishments alone. As a practicing physician, you must be able to interact with people that can help you make an illustrious career in medicine – your patients and your colleagues. Though a bedside manner is a typical trait that doctors should possess, there may be some individuals who might need a little reminder on what a little socialization and people skills can do for them.
Improving doctor-patient relationship
Though it’s usually kids who need to be won over by unfamiliar faces, doctors need to portray friendliness toward older patients as well. Doctors do this to gain the patient’s trust and once this trust is achieved, the healing process can begin. If you can get your patient to talk to you about what he or she has been feeling, you can do your job easier by making quick diagnoses and administering the proper treatment. Patients would find it easier to disclose what they are feeling to doctors who are approachable and seem genuinely willing to help.
Improving relationships with colleagues
Unless you’re a one-man team doing private practice in your fully-equipped private clinic, you’d have to interact favorably with other people as well. Hospitals employ other medical professionals who have different duties and tasks assigned to them. All of these people in one way or another help you in performing your duties as a physician. It’s important to foster good relationships with people in the workplace, including nurses, technicians, orderlies, and watch guards. Aside from forging a good working relationship with your colleagues, some of them may even wind up as life-long friendships that could enrich your life in many other aspects. Of course, be prepared to give as well, starting with complimenting and thanking them for a job well done.
It’s not enough to do a good job in operation table. To touch other people’s lives, you must do what you can to reach out and help.
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Not everyone who studied medicine for nearly a decade get to pursue a hospital career . Their medicine degrees, however, won’t be put to waste as the corporate world opens new doors to a different career path. Here are some positions where medical graduates are key players:
Genetic counseling
Genetics has become a tool for more than just tracing bloodlines. As a genetics counselor, a doctor confers with patients with genetic histories of disorders. Medical information about their background, analysis of their genetic patterns, and assessing the risks of disorders recurring in the present or future generation are done by genetics counselors. This position not only requires clinical duty, but also practice professional sympathy by providing emotional support and counseling. Medical graduates who want to go into this profession should have at least taken units of genetics, biology, psychology, and public health.
Medical examiner
After the success of many police-medical dramas and TV series, a lot of people, including medical students, have turned their aspirations toward becoming another Jordan Cavanaugh of Crossing Jordan or Dr. Al Robbins of CSI. These characters portrayed medical examiners employed by the police to investigate cases. Instead of pulling out stories from live patients, medical examiners find out the truth from the dead. The evidence culled by medical examiners play key roles in investigations as they can also be called to court to testify and present their findings. For those who want to enjoy a CSI-esque career, be prepared to take up or brush up on physiology, anatomy, pathology, biochemistry, and your carving skills.
Everybody wants to make a difference or make their mark in this world. Even when not in a hospital setting that doesn’t mean you can’t help others anymore. A medical degree can take you a long way, in whatever track you might want to pursue.
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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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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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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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