Personal Essay: My Dream Of Becoming An Internist

I have learned that in order to achieve my dreams I must never give up. Throughout the years, I overcome hard times and accomplished my goals. I was born in Iraq, and I lived through the difficult conditions of wars and embargo where I saw many people who were suffering physically and emotionally. I wanted to help them, save their lives and alleviate their suffering. Because of these experiences, medicine and curing illness has become my dream and passion. I started my clinical rotations in medicine and surgery during my third year of medical school in Iraq. Though I enjoyed all of them, I was especially drawn to internal medicine because it exposed me to a wide variety of medical cases and required quick critical thinking skills to make accurate diagnosis. The complex medical cases seen in internal medicine are intellectually challenging and rewarding at the same time. I found myself very eager to spend

With a dual interest in research and disease epidemiology, I volunteered at the Detroit Medical Center as a Research Assistant in the division of Infectious Disease. Working with Dr. Donald Levine helped advance my research skills and develop ideas for new research projects about the epidemiological outcomes that are associated with Infective Endocarditis. While gaining research experience, I obtained clinical experiences as well through hands-on externships and observerships that considerably improved my ability to work with a collaborative team. This potentiated my communications skills and increased my understanding about the US health system. Furthermore, during my Internal Medicine observership at the Detroit Medical Center, I was inspired by the amazing physicians there who possess outstanding clinical skills and exceptional dedication to treat their patients; that fact motivated me even more to pursue a residency position in Internal