From the very onset of my undergraduate career, I knew two things: I wanted to be a physician and I wanted to return home to work in my community. Growing up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, I was brought up in a rural, medically under-served area. Lack of facilities, short handed manpower, and patient ignorance of medical information all contribute to a rather rocky health care system within the community. Once I arrived to Xavier, I quickly joined a research lab, and have gained over 1000 hours of lab work. Additionally, through my research experiences, I gained immense amounts of both scientific and medical knowledge.
I chose TTUHSC SOM because of the ability to learn medicine in a place that values the art of patient care in its foundation as well as the ability to do anything I hope to do in medicine guided by the strength of its mission and the care that TTUHSC SOM provides for its students. I would like to conduct my medical career in a setting that converges between urban and rural settings. My parents brought their strong work ethic from Ghana, cultivated on their family’s farms, to Austin, Texas where it was critical in encouraging my own desire to work in close contact with a diverse population of patients. My experiences in the communities I’ve lived in and health care have provided me with the insight to work within both types of areas. My most prominent experiences in health care have come from working in clinics that serve underserved populations.
However, my familiarity with the details of medicine expanded when I began volunteering at the C.A.R.E. Clinic, which serves the under and uninsured at age 15. As I began college, I sought additional opportunities to explore medicine. This led me to volunteering in the emergency department at Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota in St. Paul and participation in a Global Medical Brigade to rural Honduras. In addition, I spent time shadowing physicians in a variety of specialties in both rural and urban settings. Finally, this summer I have performed medical research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Having the opportunity to work with underserved populations has sparked my interest in an area of medicine I previously did not know about. As a volunteer, I served as a patient advocate. As part of my responsibilities, I sat with the patients before, during, and after their visit to make sure their needs were met. Not all of these conversations were intense and deep-rooted, but to see the overall impact I was able to have on the patients as a volunteer was what caused me to be enamored with medicine. In addition, being a patient advocate was a great way to provide help to those that needed it the most.
I continued to show leadership and service outside of the classroom by helping to start Wright State University’s first ever Global Public Health Brigades chapter. Yet above all this, I believe I bring a great deal of passion. My experiences have led me to the belief that the best investment we can make is in each other. It is my goal to elevate the communities I serve through compassionate care and the promotion of health. I believe I have proven capable of handling the academic rigors of medical school and that I deserve the opportunity to continue to prove myself.
These instances combined with a passion for medicine are what has lead me to pursue this unbelievable and fulfilling career. Foremost, like many determined and selfless students I want to attend medical school because of my interest in medicine and the ability to provide care to others through clinics and research. Over the last few years I have been working in a clinic along side numerous physicians, having been fortunate enough to learn from some of the best. In my opinion nothing is more satisfying than evaluating a patient, determining the correct diagnosis, and then communicating a prognosis and plan of treatment to help cure the patient of any disease or ailments. It is the patient interactions that have attracted me to medicine.
The National Health Service Corps’ mission to work within underserved communities is a theme I hold true in my life as well. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to move directly into the career path I have been guiding myself towards over the last three years. Since I started my journey toward working in healthcare 3 years ago, I’ve wanted to work in primary care, especially in areas of need. Once I complete my degree and join the National Health Service Corp, I hope to be able to work in rural communities where healthcare infrastructure is lacking. As a Doctoral prepared Nurse Practitioner I will have the most update to date and well-rounded education.
The event that grounded me into the path of a physician and truly inspired me was a speech given by a pediatric oncologist in middle school. It amazed me to no end how humble she remained when explaining a few of her interactions with children and their families. After that particular experience, I learned that I want to lead my professional career as a physician in a way that involves continuous servitude towards bettering the lives of those not privileged, fighting for every individual’s right towards health equity, and reflecting on and improving myself throughout my journey. I made it my goal to become a pediatric surgeon who is able to grow as a physician that can evaluate and continue to better themselves through their experiences. While
My decision to pursue a career in the medical field all began when I was a little girl in Vietnam. My aunt brought me alone with her to a blind orphanage where she quotidian volunteered. When we arrived, I realized that this wasn’t just an institution for blind orphans but rather a shelter for all aspect of illness and disabilities. I saunter around and for the first time I became aware of how little others had and how fortunate I was. The volunteers tried their best to provide everyone’s exigency but the institution just didn’t have enough funds to provide enough for everyone.
The mission of the Nurse Corps Scholarship Program deeply resonates with my desire to become a nurse who improves the health of those in underserved communities. Underserved communities often face a lack of healthcare resources and higher rates of chronic conditions, as these communities are often burdened by poverty, limited access to specialists, and geographical isolation. This results in higher rates of chronic conditions and disproportionate negative health outcomes. As a recipient of the Nurse Corps Scholarship, I can directly address these disparities by providing much-needed care and preventative education. Witnessing positive health outcomes in these communities is incredibly rewarding.
Throughout my childhood, I always asked my father to tell me the story of his escape from Vietnam with thirty of his family members on a fishing boat. He always concluded by saying, “always give back to those less fortunate than you.” At that moment, I didn’t take his words to heart because I did not understand my father’s humble beginnings or the struggles my family faced during the Vietnam War. In time, I began to comprehend my father’s words when I began to volunteer at a hospital and work with underserved populations. For this reason, I considered a career as a medical professional.
Wanting to become a medical professional at a young age and gaining a better understanding of the various roles they have in a patient’s life through the years, helped me realize that I want to be a Physician Assistance. I have chosen to build my career as a Physician Assistance because I understand the significance of a life and want to have an impact on patients’ lives and make a difference. This profession is suitable for the lifestyle I want in the future because I plan on having children one day, and I want to be able to be there for them while they grow
This aligns with my future goals of becoming a leader in healthcare and working to improve access to care for underserved
Family Medicine allows me to manage patient issues, give treatments and work with other health care professionals. Working with Family Medicine doctors made me part of a small fraternity of doctors dedicated to helping patients in their communities with everyday medical needs. From promoting health and community outreach programs, to calling and reminding patients of their annual physicals and health checks I developed relationships with patients that are sincere and lasting. I want to have those kinds of relationships throughout my career. Additionally, the team oriented nature of Family Medicine allows me to use my strong organizational and interpersonal skills in order to help patients through stressful and difficult times.
Medicine is a fascinating area of study that has interested me for many years. It is the only course of study that combines the appliance of science at the most technical level, with the field of humanities. I have found medicine to be exciting, diverse and ever changing. I would love to study medicine because it provides a wide range of work opportunities ranging from medical research to family medicine to surgery. It also puts me in a position to help people.
