Medicine Personal Statement

My interest in medicine began when I was only a small child. I can recall wishing to be a doctor in order to help save other people. My aspiration to study medicine grows every time I attend my father’s GP, hospital or other health-related appointments as a translator. During these visits I have met with medical students as well as with a variety of doctors and nurses. I have learnt about the challenges, stresses and demands of medicine and that diligence is paramount. This has only served to increase my motivation and desire to qualify as a medical student.

To comprehend life as a doctor first-hand and supplement my academic knowledge, I arranged work experience at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, shadowing various medical professionals.  As I can fluently read, write and speak Pashto, Dari and Urdu I was able to utilise my lingual skills on one occasion by translating for a foreign elderly patient, who spoke incoherent English. It was then that I discovered the importance of good communication skills in medicine.

I also spent time at the Oxford Centre for Enablement where patients have a diverse range of physical and mental disabilities. My responsibilities involved caring for patients, conversing with them and escorting them around the grounds. I was involved in a quiz with a young patient in a wheelchair, who could not speak and had limited movement. The level of constant care he required starkly demonstrated the compassion, humility and patience required in the healthcare profession, qualities I feel I hold.

In addition, I spent time with an Occupational Therapist, where patients are given treatment to help them recover by performing activities required in daily life.  This gave me yet another perspective of the medical vocation.

To get a further practical insight into medicine, I asked my own doctor to let me watch an operation which involved removing a ganglion cyst from my wrist. This gave me an appreciation of the good hand-eye coordination and precision required in medicine.

During these placements and experiences, I have learnt that successful care, regardless of the medical specialisation, is not about individual effort, but rather a coherent team where everyone has different duties. Additionally, I found the role of the Doctor to be the most appealing due to the range of responsibilities they have, responsibility which I believe I am capable of and which is reflected in my social life.

My social life consists of playing Saturday cricket in a very competitive league, where I have the responsibility of opening the bowling. Last season I won ‘bowler of the year’ award in my team. I also play Sunday cricket in which I am the vice-captain. We have won two competitions under my captaincy, to which I believe I contributed. Furthermore I captained every year of our school cricket team. All of these roles have improved my inter-personal skills, team working abilities, and leadership competency. I believe these transferable attributes are imperative in becoming a successful doctor. Furthermore, I feel it is vital to balance professional diligence with competitive social activity.

In light of my work experience and my visits to Southampton and Birmingham Universities, I acknowledge the hard work that is to come in the forthcoming years as a medical student. I was brought up in s war-torn state, where children rarely have such opportunities to further their education. This background has strengthened my dedication to study medicine and the fact that I only came to the UK in 2004, lacking competency in English and yet am now in a position to be applying to a medical school, demonstrates my rapid progress and determination. I am hopeful to continue into higher education and pursue a career in medicine so that I may serve the community to which I am truly grateful.

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