Choosing To Study Internal Medicine Personal Development Essay

'The presence of the doctor is the beginning of a cure'-goes the proverb. It is something I firmly believe in. The art of healing patients begin at the moment the patient sees the doctor, not only when the medicine is prescribed. The practice of medicine is a combination of knowledge, compassion and love for the people we treat and fellow human beings in general. That's the combination of medicine that will treat the patient as a whole and uphold the WHO definition of health:

'' Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity''

The idea of treating people has charmed me since childhood. The house next door to where we live was given for rent and most of the time, doctors used to occupy it. Seeing them inspired me to undertake the art of curing people. When I was 11 years old there was incident that further rooted the interest for Medicine within me. One night my best friend's dad collapsed, the doctor next door administered CPR and he was taken to the nearby hospital immediately. In that way I had a firsthand account as to how much a doctor can affect another person's life.

When I was child, my parents left me with my grandparents. My parents had difficulty to take care of me in their hectic work schedule. Even though my grandparents looked after me in the best way possible, I always missed my parents. I used to feel a lack of love always, maybe from the absence of my parent's proximity. Somehow I resolved in my sub conscious mind that nobody else should suffer from the absence of care. This decision had a tremendous effect in my life when I entered Medical School. I always used to feel that all the patients whom I used to come into contact with as one of my own relatives. Sometimes I used to wonder how I am able to love these people whom I am coming in contact with the first time in my life, apparently a thought shared by my senior doctors as well. They called me and talked to me as to how I became like this and traced it back to my childhood. Now I believe everything that happens to us has a good effect in our lives sooner or later.

My interest in Internal Medicine started growing in the early years of Medical School. When the clinics started in the second year, I found myself drawn towards the Internal Medicine ward more than any other specialty. The doctors who taught us were veterans in their respective fields and instilled within us great interest and love for the vast subject. At times I would think in awe that Medicine is wonderful, vast and challenging. Every day the senior doctors used to have case discussions of patients in entirety starting from diagnosis and treatment of illness to offering support and counseling. The medical students were also asked to actively participate in such group discussions and ask all our doubts. During my student period I always made sure to see as many Internal Medicine cases as possible, the wide variety of cases always enthralled me and the different physiological systems acting with each other paves the way to list a variety of differential diagnoses as well. Our medical school was always conducting seminars and conferences of which the internal medicine department took a great interest to participate. I had the fortune to participate in state conferences as well. Each day a week, the hospital used to conduct a meeting which included the entire departments and hospital staff discussing the rare and interesting cases they have encountered; this was a really good experience for me and played a role in deepening my passion for the subject of internal medicine. Our professors in internal medicine used to conduct seminars on ''What not to do in Medical Practice'' as well, exposing to us the pitfalls they had in their life and how to be cautious against them. Another thing I found interesting about Internal Medicine is that we can take care of all the patient population. There is no restriction to any age group or gender. Many patients have told me that when they think of a doctor, the first image that comes to their mind is that of an internal medicine doctor. In my third year of medical school, we had postings in a community health center. When I was working there, I came across a patient, he was a fisherman, and he had come for refill of medication for his hypertension. The doctor in charge asked me to examine him. Examination of his system showed Mitral Regurgitation. The doctor in charge asked me to write him a referral letter to the local hospital for further evaluation including ECHO and stating that his financial condition is poor. Weeks later I saw him in our medical school, he was referred to our institution for surgery, while I was speaking to him-he took out the old referral letter which I wrote from his pocket and thanked me for helping him out. He even called up my parents to tell them that I helped him. Though I couldn't be directly involved in the treatment aspect, the way in which the patient expressed his gratitude touched me a lot and got me thinking that how much good we can do for people and change their lives for the good. I have always felt a particular liking and empathy for AIDS patients because they are always socially discriminated and the stigma surrounding AIDS even in this 21st century also is to such an extent that a diagnosis of AIDS means social death. I have always believed that doctors should not be anyone's judge-don't think as to how this person got this disease. A patient should always be treated with the same care and compassion, no matter what the disease is or how he/she contracted it.

The medical school I studied in is a charitable institution as well, catering to the needs of underprivileged sections of the society, so I was always close to the cradle of the basic human needs and emotions. I was a part of numerous camps that our Internal Medicine department had conducted which encompassed giving free medications and further follow up in our hospital, by doing this we were able to reach our medical care to all the sections of society, notably the tribal population in our state who never even used to go to a hospital for maternity care and where the infant mortality rate had been sky high.

During my clinical rotation I had the fortune to see many patients and a variety of cases. From the courageous and unsuccessful battle of patients against myelofibrosis and lung cancer to the children with Wilson's disease who walked away with a smiling face after a rigorous hospitalization post liver transplant. My interpersonal and social skills developed during this period. One of the challenges that medicine has provided is to speak to patients and families when they are helpless the most. We all know that people become vulnerable when they are sick. To help people take decision regarding the different treatment modalities: which is best for which patient , to have help people take end of life decision, comfort the immediate relatives and ease the passing of terminally ill patients, to hold their hands and comfort them, to wipe a tear from their eyes and an occasional hug for an old patient who has been abandoned by her children and tell her that we are all here to take care of you , has given me a degree of satisfaction, that until now, I was not aware of. I was able to establish a good relationship with many patients who were under our care during internship- Master.Gokul with Wilsons disease, Mr.Sali with Neurobrucellosis, Miss.Anjali with Cryptogenic Cirrhosis, Mr.Renjith with Paraquat poisoning, Mr.Appu with broncogenic carcinoma,Mr.Rajeev with Alcoholic Liver disease,Master.Ajay with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Mrs.Jolly with Gastric Carcinoma, Mrs.Meera with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis and so on. They all touched my life as much as I was able to touch theirs.

It is my specific strengths and summation of experiences, both professionally and personally, that have led me to choose Internal Medicine as my specialty. Internal Medicine uniquely combines service and compassion. This specialty also combines hard work, a requirement for strong social skills. My personal reasons for liking, and subsequently choosing Internal Medicine, complement my professional reasons in that the practice of this medicine will require hard work, discipline, service, and compassion. My clinical acumen, diagnostic abilities, communication skill and empathy for patients would find full meaning here. I am challenged, but undaunted, by the sheer volume of information and life experience that comprises Internal Medicine. It will provide a lifelong environment of challenges, and learning. As I stand at the threshold of a post graduate medical career I am sure that Internal Medicine residency will be a fulfilling experience both professionally and personally.

You can also include some specific incidences from which you learned something..it gives a feeling of your capacity to observe and learn…state some observations which you made during your study time..both academically and personally..

How you evaluate yourselves as a doctor? Just make an introspection.. What all necessary skills in future that can equip you more to become virtuoso?

Learning from mistakes is of great importance…you can also mention something like… if you have any publications or project works which you did during your schooling..its drawbacks etc etc…

May be you can state your interests other than your academics..see if such interests can in anyway relate your academics..

I did the plagiarism detection…it is free of plagiarism..hehe

Thalkalam ethrem ulloo…hehe..

enthuva vicharam..hmph..oru Miss.hanksss..haha..