Читать книгу Start & Run a Medical Practice - Michael Clifford Fabian - Страница 34

I cannot think of anyone who has entered a medical field without showing enormous dedication. Achieving the grades and other requirements for acceptance into medical school clearly demonstrates dedication and determination. In order for you to proceed successfully in this career, these qualities are definitely required. There is no area of the health-care fields in which you do not need commitment in order to go forward and succeed.

Let me give you an example of how dedication can clearly be displayed by a person. Let’s call this person Joe for the sake of the illustration.

Joe always wanted to be a doctor from as young as he can remember. He is also a star athlete, ice hockey being his strongest sport. Joe, while having the ability to excel in the ice hockey world, has decided to pursue his life-long dream of becoming a medical doctor. Due to the enormous amount of time spent on hockey training, Joe’s grades are not fantastic, but they are good enough to apply to medical school.

Joe applies to five medical schools and does not even get an interview at any of them. He decides to do a year of basic science courses to prove that that he is able to excel academically. The next year, Joe applies to four medical schools and gets an interview at three of them. Unfortunately, when it comes to final selection, he is rejected at all three schools — the competition is just too tough. Judging by information provided by the universities and the available statistics, he suspects his performance in the interview process brought him down. Joe is determined to continue the challenge to go to medical school. He is also becoming more and more in debt from the years of study, and only being able to work part time. His hockey is now limited to a community league, as he does not have the time to play on a more serious level.

Joe spends the next year doing a few more courses and volunteering on a project for a clinician scientist, as well as volunteering in an emergency department at the local hospital. He knows that these things will also strengthen his application. During this time he tries to practice interviewing techniques as much as he can, but he finds it tough to find interview partners. Joe then applies for the third time to five medical schools. He gets an interview at all of them and receives an acceptance offer from two of them. Dedication has finally paid off!

This type of situation is not that uncommon among medical school applicants. Determined applicants will not give up their goal of ultimately getting that acceptance letter.