I belong to a village, not known to many, in the North West of Pakistan. I come from a place with only two schools teaching a handful of students up to the tenth grade. I belong to a place where local traditions, culture and customs are far more valued than education and employment. This is where my story begins.
Unlike most of my cousins, I was lucky enough that my father worked for the government of Pakistan. This gave me the opportunity to study at good schools in the city that followed the British System of education. After securing top honors in Chemistry from The University of Cambridge, UK, I was sure that going into a Medical school was the next big step for me.
Medicine has come naturally to me. I had no doctor in my family and no
…show more content…
For me medicine is no longer a school boys' dream of wanting to become a doctor, it is my service, my duty and my responsibility towards the community. My University has equipped me well for training in a competitive residency program. A system of education that integrates basic sciences with clinical clerkships has added greatly to my clinical acumen. As a medical student, my clinical experience in the wards helped me perfect my history taking, clinical skills and learning how to pay meticulous attention to detail. My experience in the outpatient clinics taught me how to counsel patients and their families. My rotations out in the rural communities taught me how to prioritize care for those who cannot afford undergoing expensive diagnostics and the importance of primary prevention. Working with doctors, nurses and my colleagues taught me the importance of working as a team. In short, every aspect of my student life was part of a valuable learning …show more content…
With millions of homeless people on the move and the country's already crippled health care infrastructure, we are headed for an epidemic of epic proportions. The current situation poses massive challenges to the country's crumbling health system in the near future. For me, the short-comings of our health care system were further hi lightened during my final year electives at The Mayo Clinic and Indiana University Hospital. I was also impressed by the quality of residency training being offered in terms of education, patient care and research. Thus my US experience deeply inspired me to be a part of such a training program that would not only afford me an opportunity to train myself, but also bring home something that would make a difference in the lives of