Early one morning while taking in-house call, I was breaking scrub after helping with a wound washout on one of the inpatients. I had been awake all night helping with a spine trauma case and fatigue was setting in. My senior resident noticed that I was getting tired and stated that I should go get some rest. He mentioned that we had another case waiting, but he wanted to make sure I was refreshed before starting, since he was going to talk me through an anterograde rodding of a right femur fracture. When I got upstairs and into bed, I could not stop thinking about the upcoming case. After a quick three hours of sleep, I was called down to the operating room. I rushed downstairs and met the resident there. He wanted me to scrub in so I could complete the operation with his help. Once I was ready to begin, he had already placed the guide wire and was preparing to ream the intramedullary canal. He asked the scrub nurse to pass the drill to me, and instructed me on what to do. As the case continued, I was allowed to hammer the rod into the femur and insert the distal and proximal screws. I closed the small incisions made for placing the hardware while the senior resident watched to ensure that there were no problems. We accompanied the patient to the recovery room, at which time the senior resident thanked me for helping with the case. As I left the operating suite, I finally knew that a career in Orthopaedic Surgery is what I wanted.
Once I was accepted into medical school, I began to realize that I would eventually have to choose a medical specialty. Early on I developed an interest in the surgical aspect of medicine. I enrolled in an Orthopaedics elective my freshman year, which focused on biomechanics. It seemed overwhelming at first, but as the course progressed so did my understanding of the basic principles of human tissues, joints and prosthetic materials. My clinical rotation as a junior began on Memorial Day with in-house call that night, with the resident and I evaluating various traumatic injuries. For the remainder of that week I was exposed to both the operating room and the specialty clinics. This exposure was enhanced through my senior elective with four weeks of operations, clinics, and in-house call every third night. During this time my understanding of orthopaedic problems and treatments improved, as did my confidence in assessing patients that present to the emergency room or to the specialty clinics.
During my experience with Orthopaedic Surgery, I have developed a greater interest in two aspects, trauma and sports medicine. I think of a trauma patient as an interesting challenge since there are so many variables present when called to evaluate a patient. By completing a thorough history and physical exam, an appropriate plan of treatment for the patient is developed, which may require coordination of care with other physicians on the trauma team. My interest in sports medicine overlaps with certain aspects of trauma since acute injuries often occur during practice or games. This interest includes the necessary maintenance of physical fitness in order to continue participation in sports. I find myself fascinated by the advances in the different technologies used to assess and treat injuries. And I feel a sense of accomplishment when seeing a patient improve after orthopaedic treatment along with a well-organized rehabilitation program, especially when the patient expresses their gratitude.
Throughout the years I have participated in a variety of sports, ranging from playing in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series to varsity tennis in high school to intramural sports in college and medical school. Teammates as well as players on opposing teams have become good friends over the years. Intramural sports have allowed me to become better acquainted with my medical school classmates outside of the classroom. Outside of intramural sports, I continue to play tennis for exercise, with an occasional round of golf (although I must admit my golf skills are novice at best). I also exercise through weightlifting at the gym two or three times per week. In-line skating provides aerobic exercise and a chance to enjoy the scenery along the riverfront trail.
Other interests outside medicine and sports include movies, music, computers and jigsaw puzzles. I have always enjoyed going to the movies to watch the latest theatrical releases. I even started to collect laserdiscs so that I could enjoy watching and learning more about my favorite movies, since extras such as deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes information about special effects, or commentary by the director and cast are often included. My music collection consists of both vinyl records and compact discs covering a wide range of musical genres. Computers have always been a big influence on my life, either for completing school work, personal projects, or recreation. I have tried to keep current with many of the newer technologies and remain proficient with various software packages needed for making presentations to colleagues or creating a web site with information about my interests. I even manage to play a video game at times, usually during breaks from school. Jigsaw puzzles have always challenged my observational and spatial skills, and working on a puzzle helps to keep these skills at their best.
Thoughts of what lies ahead for me have been surfacing while working on this brief personal statement. Thoughout the remainder of this last year of medical school my ability to provide patient care will continue to increase. Next year I will be participating in a surgical internship. My dedication to training as an Orthopaedic Surgeon will be reflected in my dedication to providing the best care for my patients. With the aid of my fellow residents and staff, my confidence and skills in assessing and treating patients will strengthen. In the following years I will progress through a residency program which will enable me to develop better diagnostic and surgical skills. More choices will await me once I near completion of a residency program, which will depend on my experiences garnered during my residency. I know that I have much to learn about Orthopaedic Surgery, and I am looking forward to having the opportunity to do so in the near future.