Biochemistry Personal Statement

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Pages: 3

I am a college senior majoring in biochemistry, and will soon be applying to medical schools. I am applying to this mentorship program to gain firsthand experience observing a physician in a large hospital setting, as most of my previous experience has been in smaller private clinics. As someone who will be working in a large hospital for a significant amount of time after medical school, I want to observe the interplay between the various specialties and administrative staff in a large hospital. As a dedicated student, I have achieved a high GPA, and have received Distinguished University Honors. I have worked as a research assistant in a lab under Dr. Steve Phelps, doing research work about the neural and metabolic pathways, and epigenetic signals influencing singing behavior in singing mice. I am also a teaching …show more content…
As a sociology minor, I have learned that the provision of care is not limited to the prescribing of medicine, but extends to interpersonal care, and consideration of the patients’ socioeconomic situation. I had the opportunity to observe this firsthand at a clinic in Pennsylvania, where a doctor I was shadowing learned that a patient didn’t have the money to pay for a blood test, and asked the nurses to direct him to a volunteer organization that worked to provide medical tests for the underprivileged. At the same time, I saw the same physician be less accommodating towards a patient with depression, who was being inconsistent with her medication. My goal with this mentorship program, and with my career in medicine as a whole, is to learn how to best help patients with both their strictly biomedical conditions, and with issues they may face in their environment by either intervening directly, or by directing them to other