Surgery Personal Statement Example

You reached here because you are searching for examples or samples of ERAS personal statement for surgery residency or observerships. Hopefully this will help you.

Sample 3

I am confident in devoting myself to the practice of surgery. My interest in surgery began with the endocrine research I did with surgically prepared pigs as an undergraduate. What began as a fascination with the anatomical and technical aspects of surgery, has evolved into a mature and realistic vision of the role of surgery in the practice of medicine.

When I started medical school I was interested in primary care because of my experience working with my parents in their Family Practice and Pediatric clinic, and my work at Alivio, an innovative community medical center serving Chicago?s Spanish speaking Pilsen neighborhood. These experiences confirmed my expectation that medicine would satisfy my strong interest in helping people in time of need.

As my clinical experiences broadened in my third year of medical school, my interest in surgery was rekindled. I scrubbed in on my first case during my Pediatrics clerkship when a neurosurgeon recognized that my inquisitive nature was not confined to the wards. With each subsequent case, my understanding of intraoperative events became stronger. I enjoyed the surgeons’s unique opportunity to confirm a clinical diagnosis, observe the pathophysiology, and effect a cure. More significantly, my appreciation for the complexity of the surgeon’s decision making process outside the operating room grew. The fact that the application of knowledge and experience in surgery so often yields immediate and tangible results was tremendously motivating to me.

I resolved to achieve outstanding evaluations in my general surgery clerkship and accomplished my goal through hard work, long hours, a zeal for learning, and strong commitment to team work and mutual learning. I pursued my interest in surgery with electives in Critical Care and Cardiothoracic Surgery.

With the support of several attending surgeons, I made a commitment to pursue a career in surgery. I am confident in my aptitude for this specialty and will continuously strive to provide the best possible patient care.

My three goals for my General Surgery residency are, first, to reach the highest standards of clinical proficiency in surgery. Second, I plan to join ongoing research to develop my skills in research methodology, medical writing, and critical appraisal. And third, I hope to acquire the leadership skills essential to becoming a great surgeon. After residency I plan to pursue fellowship training in Surgical Critical Care.

Sample of Surgery Personal Statement

You reached here because you are searching for examples or samples of ERAS personal statement for surgery residency or observerships. Hopefully this will help you.

Sample 2

During my third-year surgery clerkship, a patient in the ICU was scheduled for a Whipple procedure. As an eager medical student interested in surgery, I inquired if I could scrub in. Unfortunately, since I was not involved in that patient's care, my request was denied. The next morning during rounds, I received an urgent page to report to OR 11. I donned a cap and mask and sprinted there. As I entered, I saw the attending, the Chief Resident, and an intern capped and gowned over a sterile field. I was shocked -- I had been summoned to the Whipple.

Over the next nine hours, my mind and body were stretched to their limits. Thoughts raced through my mind. Can I stay focused through the entire procedure? Do I really want to be a surgeon? Pain crept into every muscle, and my body hurt from contorting like a pretzel as I held the various retractors and tried to watch and understand the complex operation. I found myself captivated by the precision with which the attending maneuvered inside the patient's abdomen, a sea of red, yellow and green to me. I longed to have the ability the Chief Resident and attending so masterfully exhibited. This experience cemented my aspiration to become a surgeon.

What truly draws me to surgery is its hands-on nature. The opportunity to work with my hands to fix a problem is what drove me to pursue a surgical residency. I feel most satisfied when I am in the OR and being in the OR gives me a mix of adrenaline and excitement. I simply cannot see myself doing anything else.

I plan to excel during my residency as both a student and a teacher. As an anatomy and physiology tutor during my second year at Semmelweis, I saw first-hand how a teacher who spends extra time can make a difference. The look of clarity and understanding that washes over a student's face when suddenly grasping a difficult concept is something I hope to reproduce many times in the future.

I currently plan on a career as a general surgeon, but Trauma/Critical Care and Cardio-Thoracic surgery are two areas I would like to explore, with the possibility of advanced training following residency. As a medical student, my experiences in surgery were the most rewarding, and the precision and technical expertise that a surgeon requires are traits that I strive to master. My selection of surgery is not simply a realization of what I find to be intellectually challenging, but a declaration of the role I want to play as a physician. This is how I want to connect with patients. My goal in pursuing a surgical residency is to be both a skilled surgeon who excels in his field, and an educator who has the honor of participating in the development of future generations of aspiring surgeons.

Surgery Personal Statement Sample

You reached here because you are searching for examples or samples of ERAS personal statement for surgery residency or observerships. Hopefully this will help you.

Sample 1

My love for surgery blossomed during medical school. Although didactics gave me a clearer picture of the scope and depth of the field, it was the clinical rotations that revealed the full beauty of surgery to me. As a lover of the arts I greatly admired the way surgery balanced art with science more than any other field of medicine. The first time I assisted in a plastic surgery procedure, I was thoroughly impressed by the way the surgeon expertly and precisely used skin flaps to reconstruct the burned face of a twelve-year-old boy. More than just aesthetics, it was the new confidence the surgery brought to the boy that made an impression on me. I marveled at how quick and dramatic the improvements in our patients were. A young man bent over in pain from acute appendicitis was pain-free just a few hours after being rushed to the hospital. A numb, cold and ashen forearm was miraculously saved by microsurgery. These experiences further reinforced my love for the field. But if I had to mark the event that made me certain that surgery was for me, it would have to be my first minor operation. The procedure was merely an excision of a sebaceous cyst. It was by no means a big deal, but the unexplainable rush that I got from performing the procedure confirmed that I truly loved surgery. I was thrilled by the fact that I could directly and physically contribute to the health of my patient. It was a heady experience. But as with most things I love, I opted to view the difficulties as challenges, and have thus remained steadfast in my choice of specialty.

Although I believe that great surgeons are trained, not born, I also believe that there are basic skills one must possess to become an effective surgeon. I have developed my finger dexterity by starting to play the piano at the age of six and by dabbling in various crafts. There is also the matter of having a sharp eye and a quick mind, both of which I have exercised in my love for art and puzzles. I set high standards for myself and am most critical of my own work. Aside from possessing the qualities required of an aspiring surgeon, I believe that I have the necessary measure of desire to become not just a good surgeon, but an excellent one. I have weathered many storms in my life, including the trials of medical school and the untimely death of my father. I believe that I have matured enough emotionally and professional to be able to handle the challenges of surgery.

My aspirations can only be realized by participating whole-heartedly in the best training program possible. I am looking for a residency program that will give structure and discipline to my advancement in the field. A wide variety and large number of cases would be optimal in honing the skills I will acquire. Research would complement the clinical training and give me the opportunity to contribute to the science of surgery. I am eager to find a stimulating environment where residents support one another and attending physicians are willing to share their vast wealth of knowledge. A training program that will allow me to pursue my other interests, such as photography, singing, reading and enjoying the outdoors, would be more than ideal.