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Oxfam Personal Statement

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I’m committed to society and sacrifice my time for others. Since November 2011, I’ve volunteered at Oxfam charity shop, working in a team to manage stock and serve customers. Here, I improved my communication skills, by interacting with members of the public in a self-aware and sensitive manner, so I look forward to working with members of the community. The experience led me to realise that I have a strong desire to make a positive difference to people’s lives. From a young age, I’ve had an aptitude for science and I’ve always enjoyed teamwork, as a result, and after much research and introspection, I concluded that a career in medicine would suit my personality. I was on the gifted and talented science scheme during my school years so I had …show more content…

I also learnt that communication with the staff was just as important as communication with the residents. I spent a week shadowing doctors in Hillingdon hospital A&E department. This confirmed my suitability for a healthcare career and informed my choice. I experienced the NHS as a multi-professional team, where patient care was always the priority. By following patient journeys, I learnt that a career in medicine is a privilege; I discussed with doctors sensitive issues such as death and the need for practitioners to examine patients, irrespective of gender/disease and observed this. I witnessed the intellectual challenges and pressures of quick decision-making, the need to multi-task, complete paperwork, and the sombre atmosphere of breaking news of terminal cancer. All this gave me a realistic insight into modern medicine, a career to aspire to. Additionally, I’ve taken part in science competitions. I took part in a medical ethics debating competition at St Georges School, a valuable chance to explore modern social/ethical challenges in healthcare e.g. abortion, and in 2014 my team and I won the bronze prize in the final of The Physiological Society's, 'The Science of Life'

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