Residency Personal Statement Example #18

“Code blue, electrophysiology laboratory,” a voice announces overhead during my cardiology rotation. As the code team, we rush to the patient, an elderly man in shock. Seamlessly, we each assume our preassigned roles. I quickly review his chart and note to the team-leader that this patient had a previous EF of 10 percent and just got cardioverted. Vasopressors were administered, the patient intubated, central line secured, and the patient was stabilized and sent to our floor. During my rotations in internal medicine, I was constantly elated by my team’s ability to come together at such key moments. This gave me a sense of joy I did not find in other rotations. Moreover, I had inspiring attending physicians and residents who served as my mentors. They taught me that an internist is a medical expert committed to evidence-based medicine and perpetual learning, a compassionate physician, and an engaged community member. These lessons and the satisfaction of managing highly complex cases with a dedicated team consolidated my interest in internal medicine.

My training in medical school has taught me that physicians have a responsibility to constantly renew and update their knowledge to give the best treatment to patients. During my rotations, I took advantage of opportunities to learn from my patients both at the bedside and through independent reading. As a senior student, I prepared learning capsules that I presented to my team, which taught me to synthesize and communicate information efficiently to a wide audience with different levels of expertise. Beyond that, I took courses outside of the formal curriculum such as a point-of-care ultrasound course to improve my ultrasound procedural skills. Of course, compassion remains quintessential for patient care. When we no longer had any curative interventions to offer patients, I learned that acknowledging the patients’ suffering and being present for them in their most vulnerable time can ease their pain. As a resident at [removed identifier], I will continue my dedication to academic excellence and compassionate, patient-centered care in my efforts to serve my patients.

Additionally, I believe that physicians also have a responsibility to engage with their communities outside of their immediate professional context. I have built strong ties to my community serving as president of the [removed identifier] Biology Student Union. After recognizing the severe shortage in workspace for the student body we represented, my team and I enacted a complex study space and locker initiative through my role as a mentor for [removed identifier]. This experience and others I had as president instilled in me the values of proactivity and advocacy which I aim to bring with me to [removed identifier]. There, I hope to continue my community engagement as a mentor with the [removed identifier] in [removed identifier]. Furthermore, I have been learning about the city’s healthcare system to prepare myself to take an active role in shaping the health policies in the region. Though the policies are, in general, very favorable to vulnerable populations such as youth and the elderly, I feel that more could be done to promote health equity for those of lower socioeconomic status and other marginalized groups in the area. I strongly believe that physicians should use their medical knowledge and platform to create much needed access to health care to all.

In addition to its excellent reputation, [removed identifier]’s commitment to academic excellence and continuing education, as exemplified by the abundant academic teaching, drew me to the program. Moreover, given my belief that we develop to be an amalgam of characteristics and values our mentors espouse, I was delighted to learn about the available mentorship opportunities such as the [removed identifier] and [removed identifier] programs. This was a unique characteristic that motivated me to apply to [removed identifier]. Finally, having lived in [removed identifier] for the last ten years, I am looking forward to spending the next chapter of my life in the smaller, more tightly knit community of [removed identifier].

As I learned and modeled the different roles of an internist, I also learned a lot about myself, including my thirst for knowledge, of my desire to treat and heal the patient, my passion for acute medicine, and of my urge to be a leader in my community. These characteristics will play a defining role in the next stage of my training. After my residency, I hope to further subspecialize in cardiology. As a future cardiologist, I aim to provide patient-centered care, conduct research on cardiovascular diseases, continue my community engagement, and act as a role model to future generations.

Click to go back to residency personal statement examples.

If you’d rather seek our help for residency application review click here.