My Motivation To Become A Physician
To compliment my academic learning during sixthfrom, I have undertaken the CREST award which is a STEM based investigative project, at the gold level. The project brief given to us by the engineering firm AECOM, required my team and I to research and curate a solution to reduce pollution around specific junctions of the M62. One of the solutions that we identified was the Green Junkie. This plant is the product of the selective breeding of the honeysuckle plant which was done to boost the natural hairy phenotypical trait that helps absorption of pollutant particulates. This project allowed me to develop my critical and analytical abilities as I had to synthesize and review a breadth of information and data from secondary resources. Furthermore, I was able to employ my perceptive thinking and problem solving -which was crucial in adapting our solutions to make them applicable to a motorway environment.
Over the past year, I have completed 3 weeks shadowing GPs in communities through which I got a first-hand view of an amalgamation of human care and science which truly reinforced my interest in medicine. For almost three years I have volunteered at my local Oxfam charity shop on a weekly basis. Through this, I have contributed to the work that Oxfam does in helping the most marginalised people in the world. I have found this experience to be deeply enriching because I was able to translate my inherent passion for helping others into action.
My communication and teamwork skills have developed through working with a diverse range of people; from young volunteers, co-workers with learning disabilities to elderly customers. These transferable interpersonal skills will be valuable in a medical setting where, for example accurate relay of information between health care professionals and the patients is vital to prevent medical errors. As an aspiring medical student, I have immersed myself in more medicine through reading appropriate online articles on the student BMJ and other online publications. Student BMJ publications have accentuated the many enriching career opportunities that medicine encompasses through specialties and pioneering subspecialties that are arising in modern medicine. This appeals to me due to my aptitude for science and affinity for a stimulating career. Furthermore, I often take interesting case studies to a students organised medical society, more recently The Bawa-Garba case. Through discussion with my peers, I was able to apply my understanding of the universal principles of medicine to this case. Crucially, we were able to review the care of Jack Adcock and discuss the significance of a just culture in the practice of medicine which supports healthcare professionals to be honest in reporting mistakes so that the correct procedures could be taken to preserve patient safety.
I am aware that becoming physician is an arduous process; it requires several years of education, practice, sacrifices and complete dedication to the process. Even so, I would relish such a gratifying career that allows me to interface with people when it matters most to them. Above all, I know I have the diligence, inherent passion and drive to be successful within the medical profession.
