My childhood was defined by a fascination with the way things worked, which naturally led me to pursue a career in medicine. I have found that this industry is one of limitless possibilities, and an overwhelming amount of choices for where to focus my studies. Through formal and informal study I versed myself in specialties like dermatology, orthopedics, and pain management, but podiatry was like no other in that it incorporates all of these specialties to treat a particular region. I see a medical universality encompassed within podiatry, as this focus on the foot and ankle is far more impactful than one might expect. Podiatry is directly related to mobility, which defines the very notion of functional independence. I am inspired …show more content…
My experiences have taught me that the greatest service a physician provides is their care and comfort towards patients. I want my career defined by altruistic motivations, a mindset solidified in Honduras, where I traveled as vice president of the university’s Global Medical Brigade. I was part of a two summer medical mission designed to give healthcare knowledge and resources to impoverished regions of the world. I was in charge of operating the trips smoothly and more efficiently, producing the most positive results possible. This drastically developed my leadership skills and enabled me to take action and have a more direct impact on the world. These skills will prepare me to be a leader and an innovator in …show more content…
I did not let this squander my aspirations to become a podiatrist, however. I kept my head held high and used this rejection to become even more impassioned and serious about podiatry. I proved my newfound drive through shadowing a podiatrist for more than 50 hours, diving deeper into the specialty than I ever have before. This has given podiatry dimensionality to me, as I have done so much now from observing loading the foot to determine foot type and range of motion, to watching monofilament tests. I have been able to see warts frozen, orthotics customized, and surgical pins inserted. This great variety of tasks has only made me more excited to pursue this specialty as a full-fledged