Sample personal statement for family medicine residency

If you need a crash course in good writing, read The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by Strunk and White. If you have friends or relatives with writing or editing skills, enlist their help. Student organizations at your school may host personal statement clinics, or your school may offer review services. Many student, medical, and specialty societies, local and national, may offer personal statement reviews or workshops.

Even if you're a great writer and feel confident about your application, you should ask trusted advisors, mentors, and friends to critique your personal statement (and your CV!). They can help you make your statement as flawless as possible by giving you feedback about areas that might have been unclear or things that should be added.

Don't cross the line

Your personal statement should remain an original composition, even as you seek input and advice. Retain your voice as you refine your writing and don't ever plagiarize. Be aware of other ethical lines you shouldn't cross as well, for example, don't use vague references that would allow for the reader to misinterpret the nature of your experience, and don't take full credit for a project if others worked on it with you.

FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT

My interest in family medicine has developed from personal and professional experiences over a long period of time. My father being a family physician was my first source of inspiration. I spent hours watching him at work and was impressed with bond he had with his patients and their families.
My interest in family practice was further heightened from my experiences in medical school. Volunteer work in underserved areas and clinical rotations during the last two years of medical school exposed me to a wide variety of cases from the prenatal through the geriatric stages of life. I realized that managing the health care of patients in these different age groups is challenging and intellectually appealing to me. I also felt that familiarity with the family system is essential in performing complete assessment and treatment of a patient's condition. Family practice provides exposure to the full spectrum of problems and issues in medicine and provides an opportunity not only to connect with a patient but also with their families. Family practice gives scope of practice to the needs of the community, puts me on the front line of diagnosis and planning, and helps nurture long-term relationships with patients. For this reason, family practice is the most comprehensive and most attractive type of medicine to me.

Most importantly, I realized it would suit me perfectly. Having taken care of my grandmothers during their end stages of life and being a mother of two, I have developed tremendous mental and physical stamina, learned to think quickly and remain focused, and work with patience and diligence. My fine eye for detail, interpersonal skills, and enthusiasm to work with a wide variety of patients will come a long way to mold me into an empathetic and successful family physician.

Throughout my well-rounded and diverse education I have tried to keep an open mind and expand my horizons. The decision to come to the US for graduate medical education was a step in that direction. My internship training after medical school had provided me hands-on clinical experience to wide variety of cases in all facets of medicine. The exposure I gained as an observer in pediatrics and internal medicine, as a research assistant and as a hospice care volunteer has further honed my clinical skills and added to my personal growth and social awareness. During this time, I attended daily rounds with residents, participated in taking medical history, discussed differential diagnosis and management, interpreted lab values and regularly attended noon conferences and grand rounds. My research has led to three articles, one of which has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. I continue to work as an observer at UMDNJ pediatrics emergency department while I prepare for Step 3.

I seek a residency program that will provide intensive clinical experience with a diverse patient population, promote patient education and prevention, encourage participation in community service, and requires significant resident responsibility for patient care. Though I welcome the excitement and intellectual challenge, what I want the most from my career is to channel a lifetime of energy into something meaningful and worthwhile. I am thoroughly committed to pursue a career in family medicine and I can only hope that I am able to give the profession as much as I think it can give me.

I am applying to a family practice residency program with a strong belief that it would bring the best of me and help me achieve my future goals. I will bring energy, enthusiasm, integrity and creativity to the program and will be committed to my work, fellow staff and to all my patients. After completion of residency, I plan to pursue fellowship in geriatrics. My ultimate goal is to dedicate myself to serve an underserved population while committing time to research and education in geriatrics.

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