~May Your Light Shine :D~

Thursday, April 28, 2005

well as most of ur know, i applied for the med course in NUS and i have to prepare a personal statement telling the panel why i want to be a doctor... for everyone who helped me in this and for everyone else interested to know the reason... here it is...

I have always loved children, especially babies. My mum would often tell me that as a toddler, I would give tips to parents with newborn babies. However it was only a few years ago, that I set my mind to become a doctor, or a pediatrician to be exact.

I was in secondary school and happened to chance upon a book of the series, One Last Wish, written by Lurlene McDaniel, who has a son with juvenile diabetes. Through the series I was brought into a world where children could not go to shopping malls at whim, or attend school regularly. Their lives revolved around hospitals, doctors and medicine. Despite such dire circumstances, they still found joy and meaning in their lives. Unlike them, each day was of little significance to me. I took for granted the simple daily tasks of life, such as taking a walk in the park or just eating a meal on my own. I did well in school only because it gave me personal satisfaction and there was little that I have done that I could be really proud of. It struck me then, that compared with the children in the book, I had so much more, yet I was so much less.

Of course, not everything in fiction is founded on fact but I know that there are children all over the world suffering, not just physically from illness but also emotionally, and my heart goes out to them. When I was in JC2, I had the opportunity to be a befriender at a Very Special Arts Camp, where I interacted with children who are autistic, with cerebral palsy or Down’s syndrome. It was an eye opening experience and it made me more aware of those who need special help and care. I gained empathy for those children and yearned to understand them better. I found myself asking whether there was any way to lessen the pain and affliction of these children as I believe every child should be given the chance to live and experience life to the fullest. Since I have been blessed with good health and a sound mind, I feel the least I can do is to help ease the suffering of those not as fortunate as I am.

During my eight-year ‘career’ as a chorister, I have learnt that teamwork is extremely important, because without it, a choir will never sound like one. Likewise in the medical field, there will be times where it would be necessary to work with other doctors especially in complicated cases where the expertise of more than one specialty is required. Furthermore, being in a Choral Olympics gold medalist choir, I had to continually strive to improve myself and not rest on my laurels. Similarly, doctors would have to seek personal excellence and keep updating themselves with the latest medical technologies for the good of their patients.

In school, I realized that I could grasp scientific concepts easily. As a result, medical issues such as the separation of Siamese twins, the H2N2 virus, as well as the recent Terry Schiavo case, greatly pique my interest. I am one who enjoys a challenge and am not afraid of hard work. Even when I had long hours of choir practice in preparation for an important competition, I did not let my grades suffer, through meticulous time management and prioritization.

With a medical degree, besides being a physician, where I get to work directly with patients and interact with them, I can also go into research. Perhaps I can find a drug which can effectively prevent perinatal (mother-to-infant) HIV infection, decreasing the number of children suffering from AIDS. Eager as I am to heal as many people as possible, I recognise the importance of practicing caution as many drugs are double-edged swords. They may have the power to cure as well as to kill and I believe patients should never be treated as objects because every single life is important and should be treated with respect.

I am well aware that as a doctor, the road ahead would be far from smooth sailing. In fact, I will have to conquer some of my own fears – such as death, failure and disappointment. Some people see doctors as akin to God and never fail to place all the blame on the doctor when something goes wrong. There will be occasions where my judgment could decide between life and death for another person or a lawsuit looming just before me, a very heavy responsibility indeed. Then again, I do not plan to take the easy way out and I trust that I will be able to overcome my weaknesses, make the right decisions and learn from my mistakes with a single-minded determination and 100% dedication. All in all, as a doctor, I believe I can fully stretch my potential and be truly enjoying what I do, making a difference in other people’s lives.

Lydea blogged at 9:17 PM

May your light shine...
in the darkness...