Personal Statement: Why I Want To Study Medicine

Choosing to study medicine is not a decision I have taken lightly. Some life experiences had made me look into medicine as a lifestyle. One of them was to be witness of the progression of a disease that affected one of my family members. Those memories and discovering science at particular young age made me fascinated with this career. For all the years that I've been studying I can conclude that prevention has been the most important factor for the health and well being of patients.

I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I worked very hard during my college years especially on the laboratories for my biomedical science bachelors degree; this cause me to enjoy researching, but my wish to work close and direct with human aspect of medicine
The majority of my rotations took place in primary care clinics and university hospitals. During this time I had the opportunity to help attending physicians to diagnose and treat a multitude of patients with a wide variety of medical conditions. It was in this environment that I learned not only the skills to become a doctor but also learned about preventive
There I learn from first-hand how to manage patients with medical needs and limited resources specially in some remote areas. In Mexico they try the best that they can with what little resources they have, but many times adequate treatment or the proper tests were not available for patients. So I learned quickly how to be resourceful with what was available and it gives me the experience to practice evidence-based medicine. This experience also helped me to make better decisions. Overcrowded hospitals, rampant disease and poverty were also the norm, working in this environment on a daily basis taught me invaluable lessons about helping others and work in a very empathetic fashion. Working with patients since the first year in medical school helped me to be more sensitive with patients. Then after passed the USMLE Step 1, I started an internal medicine rotation in a little town called “La Barca” regional hospital. There I had the opportunity to understand the clinical medicine and consolidate the theory with the real practice, immediately. I felt honor and respect for all the patients that I got to help, regardless of the outcome. One of the most remarkable cases was esophageal varices rupture with terrible complications and eventually seeing the patient dead after emotionally being attach with