Tyeaja Friend

I would always take my dolls and treat them as if they were real: save them, protect them and love them. I really wanted them to be alive. That was all a dream until one day it came true, my baby cousin needed a heart transplant. I was very hopeful when the hospital found a match for her. Just a few days before her surgery, however, she contracted an intestinal infection. My cousin’s doctor decided that she was not strong enough to undergo surgery and felt that the valuable heart should be given to someone with a better chance of survival. I stood by my cousin’s crib for a long time thinking, “I can’t believe this is happening. How can he just let her die? The unfairness of the doctor’s decision stayed with me for a long time, but I came to realize that he had to weigh his relationship with an individual patient against his duties to patients collectively and to society. Although it broke my heart to watch my cousin lose her battle that day, I know that her doctor had probably saved another person’s life. These observations have not diminished my desire to become a doctor. Rather I have been encouraged to learn more about and better prepare myself for the different relationships involved in the health professions. This is what made me want to become a doctor.
The ability to communicate clearly and concisely is the key to the success of a doctor’s relationship with his/her patients. I plan to work on improving my communication skills by being a supplementary instructor (SI) and tutor. Tutoring introductory courses will sharpen my ability to present information effectively since it requires the reorganization and rewording of complex concepts into terms that beginning students can understand. As an SI, I will also gain valuable communication skills through holding weekly summary sessions.
As managed care plays a greater role in our health care system, the relationship between physicians and administrators is becoming increasingly complex. I will minor in health care policy and management so that I will be able to make decisions that will optimize the benefits to the patients. These classes will help me better understand the relationships between mental health and physical health as well as social conditions and the health care system.
My desire to interact with people and understand their experiences and ideas came from my exposure to other children in a hospital setting while going through the loss of my baby cousin. I was curious to know who the other patients were, what was wrong with them, and how they were being treated and cured. I always had a million questions to ask, and this desire to learn more about children and medicine has only increased over the years.
As a young adult, I am learning that a physician participates in many different relationships: with patients, with other physicians, with nurses, with social workers, and other care-givers, as well as with hospital administrators and insurance carriers. Often, these relationships can be difficult to balance and sometimes it is even necessary to weigh one relationship against another.
The loss of my baby cousin taught me that I want to be the reason more children live and are healthy. That was the day I realized I had a passion for something. My desire to get into the medical field came from wanting to help those in need and also putting people before myself. That exact feeling the doctors felt while trying to save my baby cousin is the feeling I want to feel every day of my life. The outcome of children when they come out smiling is what inspires me to take on this career path.
My relationships have enriched and educated me, and by observing and exploring the different relationships in health care, I have gained a more comprehensive view of medicine. I believe that what I have learned from the many people and experiences over the years will help me to become a successful physician – sensitive to my patients needs and aware of my responsibilities to science, society, and the health care system.
Medicine has always been a part of my life, and I am exhilarated that the chance for it to play a new role has finally arrived. I have learned over the years (since my cousin needing a transplant) that love alone is not enough to heal a heart, and I am eagerly awaiting the chance to learn the rest.