Medicine Personal Statement Example 22

My decision to study medicine stems from a deep-rooted interest in the human body, how it functions, above all what causes it to function abnormally. It is this interest that makes medicine the career for me, a decision that has been strengthened by my becoming a first aider with St John Ambulance.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my training in first aid and look forward to being able to put my skills into practice when on duty. St John's has also taught me the value of good communication, as only by combining first aid knowledge with good communication can a situation be handled correctly.

Studying a range of sciences has taught me to analyse evidence, and draw a conclusion based on that evidence, a skill essential for doctors in making a diagnosis. I also relish the academic challenge posed by the ever-changing nature of medicine. I am prepared for continued learning long after my degree, and confronting new ethical issues arising from constant medical advancement. I like the fact that I can never know it all and there is always something new and often surprising to be discovered.

In Y12 I applied for and secured one of two places available to students at @@@@@, to go to the local university, @@@@@, for a week to do a BA CREST Award. We devised and carried out our own investigation, and wrote a report on it. Making a presentation at the end helped to improve my confidence in my communication skills. To explore my interest in medicine and discover more about the medical profession I arranged to spend 3 days in @@@@ @@@@ Hospital, where I observed a variety of patients and treatments. I was fortunate to observe how minor injuries were treated and was able to experience the running of an A&E department.

I have also arranged to spend time shadowing a GP in half term. As part of regularly volunteering at a local nursing home I have been able to observe several members of the health services at work including a chiropodist and have carried out my own duties such as assisting with day trips, ordering supplies, transporting and feeding residents. PreMed gave me a valuable insight into various techniques used by doctors every day, such as suturing and X-ray interpretation. PreMed also gave valuable information about training routes and UK medical courses. I have managed to secure the position as the student representative of the National Blood Service for my area.

My responsibilities are to visit colleges in the area and explain the format of the donation sessions, why blood is needed, give out dates of donation sessions and answer any questions. Within school I have been part of a sixth form-led team that surveyed all of the school about their experiences of bullying and collated the results to discover where problems were and how the students felt they should be resolved.

I found this helpful as I have become part of a mentoring programme, and have trained to aid younger students with any personal problems they might encounter, we have set up a safe area where they can go at lunch. I have also been given a pupil to mentor who I help with his personal and family problems. Helping at the Y6 open evening offered me a better understanding of the concerns of many pupils starting a new school; this was particularly useful as these were the problems faced by many of the pupils being mentored.

In my spare time I enjoy playing the guitar, which I have been teaching myself for six years. For the past five years I have been participating in archery in the area both socially and competitively. I have learnt to shoot the traditional English Longbow and the Mongolian bow, winning medals in several regional competitions. I also enjoy walking: last summer I successfully completed the Lyke Wake Walk, a non-stop 42-mile walk, to be completed in 24 hours, which I completed in 15. Running the Great North Run has been an exceptional challenge but in doing so I managed to raise over GBP 200 for Diabetes UK.