science in medical field essay

10 Successful Medical School Essays

Sponsored by.

-- Accepted to: Harvard Medical School GPA: 4.0 MCAT: 522

Sponsored by A ccepted.com : Great stats don’t assure acceptance to elite medical schools. The personal statement, most meaningful activities, activity descriptions, secondaries and interviews can determine acceptance or rejection. Since 1994, Accepted.com has guided medical applicants just like you to present compelling medical school applications. Get Accepted !

I started writing in 8th grade when a friend showed me her poetry about self-discovery and finding a voice. I was captivated by the way she used language to bring her experiences to life. We began writing together in our free time, trying to better understand ourselves by putting a pen to paper and attempting to paint a picture with words. I felt my style shift over time as I grappled with challenges that seemed to defy language. My poems became unstructured narratives, where I would use stories of events happening around me to convey my thoughts and emotions. In one of my earliest pieces, I wrote about a local boy’s suicide to try to better understand my visceral response. I discussed my frustration with the teenage social hierarchy, reflecting upon my social interactions while exploring the harms of peer pressure.

In college, as I continued to experiment with this narrative form, I discovered medical narratives. I have read everything from Manheimer’s Bellevue to Gawande’s Checklist and from Nuland’s observations about the way we die, to Kalanithi’s struggle with his own decline. I even experimented with this approach recently, writing a piece about my grandfather’s emphysema. Writing allowed me to move beyond the content of our relationship and attempt to investigate the ways time and youth distort our memories of the ones we love. I have augmented these narrative excursions with a clinical bioethics internship. In working with an interdisciplinary team of ethics consultants, I have learned by doing by participating in care team meetings, synthesizing discussions and paths forward in patient charts, and contributing to an ongoing legislative debate addressing the challenges of end of life care. I have also seen the ways ineffective intra-team communication and inter-personal conflicts of beliefs can compromise patient care.

Writing allowed me to move beyond the content of our relationship and attempt to investigate the ways time and youth distort our memories of the ones we love.

By assessing these difficult situations from all relevant perspectives and working to integrate the knowledge I’ve gained from exploring narratives, I have begun to reflect upon the impact the humanities can have on medical care. In a world that has become increasingly data driven, where patients can so easily devolve into lists of numbers and be forced into algorithmic boxes in search of an exact diagnosis, my synergistic narrative and bioethical backgrounds have taught me the importance of considering the many dimensions of the human condition. I am driven to become a physician who deeply considers a patient’s goal of care and goals of life. I want to learn to build and lead patient care teams that are oriented toward fulfilling these goals, creating an environment where family and clinician conflict can be addressed efficiently and respectfully. Above all, I look forward to using these approaches to keep the person beneath my patients in focus at each stage of my medical training, as I begin the task of translating complex basic science into excellent clinical care.

In her essay for medical school, Morgan pitches herself as a future physician with an interdisciplinary approach, given her appreciation of how the humanities can enable her to better understand her patients. Her narrative takes the form of an origin story, showing how a childhood interest in poetry grew into a larger mindset to keep a patient’s humanity at the center of her approach to clinical care.

This narrative distinguishes Morgan as a candidate for medical school effectively, as she provides specific examples of how her passions intersect with medicine. She first discusses how she used poetry to process her emotional response to a local boy’s suicide and ties in concern about teenage mental health. Then, she discusses more philosophical questions she encountered through reading medical narratives, which demonstrates her direct interest in applying writing and the humanities to medicine. By making the connection from this larger theme to her own reflections on her grandfather, Morgan provides a personal insight that will give an admissions officer a window into her character. This demonstrates her empathy for her future patients and commitment to their care.

Her narrative takes the form of an origin story, showing how a childhood interest in poetry grew into a larger mindset to keep a patient's humanity at the center of her approach to clinical care.

Furthermore, it is important to note that Morgan’s essay does not repeat anything in-depth that would otherwise be on her resume. She makes a reference to her work in care team meetings through a clinical bioethics internship, but does not focus on this because there are other places on her application where this internship can be discussed. Instead, she offers a more reflection-based perspective on the internship that goes more in-depth than a resume or CV could. This enables her to explain the reasons for interdisciplinary approach to medicine with tangible examples that range from personal to professional experiences — an approach that presents her as a well-rounded candidate for medical school.

Disclaimer: With exception of the removal of identifying details, essays are reproduced as originally submitted in applications; any errors in submissions are maintained to preserve the integrity of the piece. The Crimson's news and opinion teams—including writers, editors, photographers, and designers—were not involved in the production of this article.

-- Accepted To: A medical school in New Jersey with a 3% acceptance rate. GPA: 3.80 MCAT: 502 and 504

Sponsored by E fiie Consulting Group : “ EFIIE ” boasts 100% match rate for all premedical and predental registered students. Not all students are accepted unto their pre-health student roster. Considered the most elite in the industry and assists from start to end – premed to residency. EFIIE is a one-stop-full-service education firm.

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The tribulations I've overcome in my life have manifested in the compassion, curiosity, and courage that is embedded in my personality. Even a horrific mishap in my life has not changed my core beliefs and has only added fuel to my intense desire to become a doctor. My extensive service at an animal hospital, a harrowing personal experience, and volunteering as an EMT have increased my appreciation and admiration for the medical field.

At thirteen, I accompanied my father to the Park Home Animal Hospital with our eleven-year-old dog, Brendan. He was experiencing severe pain due to an osteosarcoma, which ultimately led to the difficult decision to put him to sleep. That experience brought to light many questions regarding the idea of what constitutes a "quality of life" for an animal and what importance "dignity" plays to an animal and how that differs from owner to owner and pet to pet. Noting my curiosity and my relative maturity in the matter, the owner of the animal hospital invited me to shadow the professional staff. Ten years later, I am still part of the team, having made the transition from volunteer to veterinarian technician. Saving a life, relieving pain, sharing in the euphoria of animal and owner reuniting after a procedure, to understanding the emotions of losing a loved one – my life was forever altered from the moment I stepped into that animal hospital.

As my appreciation for medical professionals continued to grow, a horrible accident created an indelible moment in my life. It was a warm summer day as I jumped onto a small boat captained by my grandfather. He was on his way to refill the boat's gas tank at the local marina, and as he pulled into the dock, I proceeded to make a dire mistake. As the line was thrown from the dock, I attempted to cleat the bowline prematurely, and some of the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life ensued.

Saving a life, relieving pain, sharing in the euphoria of animal and owner reuniting after a procedure, to understanding the emotions of losing a loved one – my life was forever altered from the moment I stepped into that animal hospital.

"Call 911!" I screamed, half-dazed as I witnessed blood gushing out of my open wounds, splashing onto the white fiberglass deck of the boat, forming a small puddle beneath my feet. I was instructed to raise my hand to reduce the bleeding, while someone wrapped an icy towel around the wound. The EMTs arrived shortly after and quickly drove me to an open field a short distance away, where a helicopter seemed to instantaneously appear.

The medevac landed on the roof of Stony Brook Hospital before I was expeditiously wheeled into the operating room for a seven-hour surgery to reattach my severed fingers. The distal phalanges of my 3rd and 4th fingers on my left hand had been torn off by the rope tightening on the cleat. I distinctly remember the chill from the cold metal table, the bright lights of the OR, and multiple doctors and nurses scurrying around. The skill and knowledge required to execute multiple skin graft surgeries were impressive and eye-opening. My shortened fingers often raise questions by others; however, they do not impair my self-confidence or physical abilities. The positive outcome of this trial was the realization of my intense desire to become a medical professional.

Despite being the patient, I was extremely impressed with the dedication, competence, and cohesiveness of the medical team. I felt proud to be a critical member of such a skilled group. To this day, I still cannot explain the dichotomy of experiencing being the patient, and concurrently one on the professional team, committed to saving the patient. Certainly, this experience was a defining part of my life and one of the key contributors to why I became an EMT and a volunteer member of the Sample Volunteer Ambulance Corps. The startling ring of the pager, whether it is to respond to an inebriated alcoholic who is emotionally distraught or to help bring breath to a pulseless person who has been pulled from the family swimming pool, I am committed to EMS. All of these events engender the same call to action and must be reacted to with the same seriousness, intensity, and magnanimity. It may be some routine matter or a dire emergency; this is a role filled with uncertainty and ambiguity, but that is how I choose to spend my days. My motives to become a physician are deeply seeded. They permeate my personality and emanate from my desire to respond to the needs of others. Through a traumatic personal event and my experiences as both a professional and volunteer, I have witnessed firsthand the power to heal the wounded and offer hope. Each person defines success in different ways. To know even one life has been improved by my actions affords me immense gratification and meaning. That is success to me and why I want to be a doctor.

This review is provided by EFIIE Consulting Group’s Pre-Health Senior Consultant Jude Chan

This student was a joy to work with — she was also the lowest MCAT profile I ever accepted onto my roster. At 504 on the second attempt (502 on her first) it would seem impossible and unlikely to most that she would be accepted into an allopathic medical school. Even for an osteopathic medical school this score could be too low. Additionally, the student’s GPA was considered competitive at 3.80, but it was from a lower ranked, less known college, so naturally most advisors would tell this student to go on and complete a master’s or postbaccalaureate program to show that she could manage upper level science classes. Further, she needed to retake the MCAT a third time.

However, I saw many other facets to this student’s history and life that spoke volumes about the type of student she was, and this was the positioning strategy I used for her file. Students who read her personal statement should know that acceptance is contingent on so much more than just an essay and MCAT score or GPA. Although many students have greater MCAT scores than 504 and higher GPAs than 3.80, I have helped students with lower scores and still maintained our 100% match rate. You are competing with thousands of candidates. Not every student out there requires our services and we are actually grateful that we can focus on a limited amount out of the tens of thousands that do. We are also here for the students who wish to focus on learning well the organic chemistry courses and physics courses and who want to focus on their research and shadowing opportunities rather than waste time deciphering the next step in this complex process. We tailor a pathway for each student dependent on their health care career goals, and our partnerships with non-profit organizations, hospitals, physicians and research labs allow our students to focus on what matters most — the building up of their basic science knowledge and their exposure to patients and patient care.

Students who read her personal statement should know that acceptance is contingent on so much more than just an essay and MCAT score or GPA.

Even students who believe that their struggle somehow disqualifies them from their dream career in health care can be redeemed if they are willing to work for it, just like this student with 502 and 504 MCAT scores. After our first consult, I saw a way to position her to still be accepted into an MD school in the US — I would not have recommended she register to our roster if I did not believe we could make a difference. Our rosters have a waitlist each semester, and it is in our best interest to be transparent with our students and protect our 100% record — something I consider a win-win. It is unethical to ever guarantee acceptance in admissions as we simply do not control these decisions. However, we respect it, play by the rules, and help our students stay one step ahead by creating an applicant profile that would be hard for the schools to ignore.

This may be the doctor I go to one day. Or the nurse or dentist my children or my grandchildren goes to one day. That is why it is much more than gaining acceptance — it is about properly matching the student to the best options for their education. Gaining an acceptance and being incapable of getting through the next 4 or 8 years (for my MD/PhD-MSTP students) is nonsensical.

-- Accepted To: Imperial College London UCAT Score: 2740 BMAT Score: 3.9, 5.4, 3.5A

My motivation to study Medicine stems from wishing to be a cog in the remarkable machine that is universal healthcare: a system which I saw first-hand when observing surgery in both the UK and Sri Lanka. Despite the differences in sanitation and technology, the universality of compassion became evident. When volunteering at OSCE training days, I spoke to many medical students, who emphasised the importance of a genuine interest in the sciences when studying Medicine. As such, I have kept myself informed of promising developments, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy. After learning about the role of HeLa cells in the development of the polio vaccine in Biology, I read 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' to find out more. Furthermore, I read that surface protein CD4 can be added to HeLa cells, allowing them to be infected with HIV, opening the possibility of these cells being used in HIV research to produce more life-changing drugs, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP). Following my BioGrad laboratory experience in HIV testing, and time collating data for research into inflammatory markers in lung cancer, I am also interested in pursuing a career in medical research. However, during a consultation between an ENT surgeon and a thyroid cancer patient, I learnt that practising medicine needs more than a scientific aptitude. As the surgeon explained that the cancer had metastasised to her liver, I watched him empathetically tailor his language for the patient - he avoided medical jargon and instead gave her time to come to terms with this. I have been developing my communication skills by volunteering weekly at care homes for 3 years, which has improved my ability to read body language and structure conversations to engage with the residents, most of whom have dementia.

However, during a consultation between an ENT surgeon and a thyroid cancer patient, I learnt that practising medicine needs more than a scientific aptitude.

Jude’s essay provides a very matter-of-fact account of their experience as a pre-medical student. However, they deepen this narrative by merging two distinct cultures through some common ground: a universality of compassion. Using clear, concise language and a logical succession of events — much like a doctor must follow when speaking to patients — Jude shows their motivation to go into the medical field.

From their OSCE training days to their school’s Science society, Jude connects their analytical perspective — learning about HeLa cells — to something that is relatable and human, such as a poor farmer’s notable contribution to science. This approach provides a gateway into their moral compass without having to explicitly state it, highlighting their fervent desire to learn how to interact and communicate with others when in a position of authority.

Using clear, concise language and a logical succession of events — much like a doctor must follow when speaking to patients — Jude shows their motivation to go into the medical field.

Jude’s closing paragraph reminds the reader of the similarities between two countries like the UK and Sri Lanka, and the importance of having a universal healthcare system that centers around the just and “world-class” treatment of patients. Overall, this essay showcases Jude’s personal initiative to continue to learn more and do better for the people they serve.

While the essay could have benefited from better transitions to weave Jude’s experiences into a personal story, its strong grounding in Jude’s motivation makes for a compelling application essay.

-- Accepted to: Weill Cornell Medical College GPA: 3.98 MCAT: 521

Sponsored by E fie Consulting Group : “ EFIIE ” boasts 100% match rate for all premedical and predental registered students. Not all students are accepted unto their pre-health student roster. Considered the most elite in the industry and assists from start to end – premed to residency. EFIIE is a one-stop-full-service education firm.

Following the physician’s unexpected request, we waited outside, anxiously waiting to hear the latest update on my father’s condition. It was early on in my father’s cancer progression – a change that had shaken our entire way of life overnight. During those 18 months, while my mother spent countless nights at the hospital, I took on the responsibility of caring for my brother. My social life became of minimal concern, and the majority of my studying for upcoming 12th- grade exams was done at the hospital. We were allowed back into the room as the physician walked out, and my parents updated us on the situation. Though we were a tight-knit family and my father wanted us to be present throughout his treatment, what this physician did was give my father a choice. Without making assumptions about who my father wanted in the room, he empowered him to make that choice independently in private. It was this respect directed towards my father, the subsequent efforts at caring for him, and the personal relationship of understanding they formed, that made the largest impact on him. Though my decision to pursue medicine came more than a year later, I deeply valued what these physicians were doing for my father, and I aspired to make a similar impact on people in the future.

It was during this period that I became curious about the human body, as we began to learn physiology in more depth at school. In previous years, the problem-based approach I could take while learning math and chemistry were primarily what sparked my interest. However, I became intrigued by how molecular interactions translated into large-scale organ function, and how these organ systems integrated together to generate the extraordinary physiological functions we tend to under-appreciate. I began my undergraduate studies with the goal of pursuing these interests, whilst leaning towards a career in medicine. While I was surprised to find that there were upwards of 40 programs within the life sciences that I could pursue, it broadened my perspective and challenged me to explore my options within science and healthcare. I chose to study pathobiology and explore my interests through hospital volunteering and research at the end of my first year.

Though my decision to pursue medicine came more than a year later, I deeply valued what these physicians were doing for my father, and I aspired to make a similar impact on people in the future.

While conducting research at St. Michael’s Hospital, I began to understand methods of data collection and analysis, and the thought process of scientific inquiry. I became acquainted with the scientific literature, and the experience transformed how I thought about the concepts I was learning in lecture. However, what stood out to me that summer was the time spent shadowing my supervisor in the neurosurgery clinic. It was where I began to fully understand what life would be like as a physician, and where the career began to truly appeal to me. What appealed to me most was the patient-oriented collaboration and discussions between my supervisor and his fellow; the physician-patient relationship that went far beyond diagnoses and treatments; and the problem solving that I experienced first-hand while being questioned on disease cases.

The day spent shadowing in the clinic was also the first time I developed a relationship with a patient. We were instructed to administer the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) test to patients as they awaited the neurosurgeon. My task was to convey the instructions as clearly as possible and score each section. I did this as best I could, adapting my explanation to each patient, and paying close attention to their responses to ensure I was understood. The last patient was a challenging case, given a language barrier combined with his severe hydrocephalus. It was an emotional time for his family, seeing their father/husband struggle to complete simple tasks and subsequently give up. I encouraged him to continue trying. But I also knew my words would not remedy the condition underlying his struggles. All I could do was make attempts at lightening the atmosphere as I got to know him and his family better. Hours later, as I saw his remarkable improvement following a lumbar puncture, and the joy on his and his family’s faces at his renewed ability to walk independently, I got a glimpse of how rewarding it would be to have the ability and privilege to care for such patients. By this point, I knew I wanted to commit to a life in medicine. Two years of weekly hospital volunteering have allowed me to make a small difference in patients’ lives by keeping them company through difficult times, and listening to their concerns while striving to help in the limited way that I could. I want to have the ability to provide care and treatment on a daily basis as a physician. Moreover, my hope is that the breadth of medicine will provide me with the opportunity to make an impact on a larger scale. Whilst attending conferences on neuroscience and surgical technology, I became aware of the potential to make a difference through healthcare, and I look forward to developing the skills necessary to do so through a Master’s in Global Health. Whether through research, health innovation, or public health, I hope not only to care for patients with the same compassion with which physicians cared for my father, but to add to the daily impact I can have by tackling large-scale issues in health.

Taylor’s essay offers both a straightforward, in-depth narrative and a deep analysis of his experiences, which effectively reveals his passion and willingness to learn in the medical field. The anecdote of Taylor’s father gives the reader insight into an original instance of learning through experience and clearly articulates Taylor’s motivations for becoming a compassionate and respectful physician.

Taylor strikes an impeccable balance between discussing his accomplishments and his character. All of his life experiences — and the difficult challenges he overcame — introduce the reader to an important aspect of Taylor’s personality: his compassion, care for his family, and power of observation in reflecting on the decisions his father’s doctor makes. His description of his time volunteering at St. Michael’s Hospital is indicative of Taylor’s curiosity about medical research, but also of his recognition of the importance of the patient-physician relationship. Moreover, he shows how his volunteer work enabled him to see how medicine goes “beyond diagnoses and treatments” — an observation that also speaks to his compassion.

His description of his time volunteering at St. Michael's Hospital is indicative of Taylor's curiosity about medical research, but also of his recognition of the importance of the patient-physician relationship.

Finally, Taylor also tells the reader about his ambition and purpose, which is important when thinking about applying to medical school. He discusses his hope of tackling larger scale problems through any means possible in medicine. This notion of using self interest to better the world is imperative to a successful college essay, and it is nicely done here.

-- Accepted to: Washington University

Sponsored by A dmitRx : We are a group of Chicago-based medical students who realize how challenging medical school admissions can be, so we want to provide our future classmates with resources we wish we had. Our mission at AdmitRx is to provide pre-medical students with affordable, personalized, high-quality guidance towards becoming an admitted medical student.

Running has always been one of my greatest passions whether it be with friends or alone with my thoughts. My dad has always been my biggest role model and was the first to introduce me to the world of running. We entered races around the country, and one day he invited me on a run that changed my life forever. The St. Jude Run is an annual event that raises millions of dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. My dad has led or our local team for as long as I can remember, and I had the privilege to join when I was 16. From the first step I knew this was the environment for me – people from all walks of life united with one goal of ending childhood cancer. I had an interest in medicine before the run, and with these experiences I began to consider oncology as a career. When this came up in conversations, I would invariably be faced with the question “Do you really think you could get used to working with dying kids?” My 16-year-old self responded with something noble but naïve like “It’s important work, so I’ll have to handle it”. I was 16 years young with my plan to become an oncologist at St. Jude.

As I transitioned into college my plans for oncology were alive and well. I began working in a biochemistry lab researching new anti-cancer drugs. It was a small start, but I was overjoyed to be a part of the process. I applied to work at a number of places for the summer, but the Pediatric Oncology Education program (POE) at St. Jude was my goal. One afternoon, I had just returned from class and there it was: an email listed as ‘POE Offer’. I was ecstatic and accepted the offer immediately. Finally, I could get a glimpse at what my future holds. My future PI, Dr. Q, specialized in solid tumor translational research and I couldn’t wait to get started.

I was 16 years young with my plan to become an oncologist at St. Jude.

Summer finally came, I moved to Memphis, and I was welcomed by the X lab. I loved translational research because the results are just around the corner from helping patients. We began a pre-clinical trial of a new chemotherapy regimen and the results were looking terrific. I was also able to accompany Dr. Q whenever she saw patients in the solid tumor division. Things started simple with rounds each morning before focusing on the higher risk cases. I was fortunate enough to get to know some of the patients quite well, and I could sometimes help them pass the time with a game or two on a slow afternoon between treatments. These experiences shined a very human light on a field I had previously seen only through a microscope in a lab.

I arrived one morning as usual, but Dr. Q pulled me aside before rounds. She said one of the patients we had been seeing passed away in the night. I held my composure in the moment, but I felt as though an anvil was crushing down on me. It was tragic but I knew loss was part of the job, so I told myself to push forward. A few days later, I had mostly come to terms with what happened, but then the anvil came crashing back down with the passing of another patient. I could scarcely hold back the tears this time. That moment, it didn’t matter how many miraculous successes were happening a few doors down. Nothing overshadowed the loss, and there was no way I could ‘get used to it’ as my younger self had hoped.

I was still carrying the weight of what had happened and it was showing, so I asked Dr. Q for help. How do you keep smiling each day? How do you get used to it? The questions in my head went on. What I heard next changed my perspective forever. She said you keep smiling because no matter what happened, you’re still hope for the next patient. It’s not about getting used to it. You never get used to it and you shouldn’t. Beating cancer takes lifetimes, and you can’t look passed a life’s worth of hardships. I realized that moving passed the loss of patients would never suffice, but I need to move forward with them. Through the successes and shortcomings, we constantly make progress. I like to imagine that in all our future endeavors, it is the hands of those who have gone before us that guide the way. That is why I want to attend medical school and become a physician. We may never end the sting of loss, but physicians are the bridge between the past and the future. No where else is there the chance to learn from tragedy and use that to shape a better future. If I can learn something from one loss, keep moving forward, and use that knowledge to help even a single person – save one life, bring a moment of joy, avoid a moment of pain—then that is how I want to spend my life.

The change wasn’t overnight. The next loss still brought pain, but I took solace in moving forward so that we might learn something to give hope to a future patient. I returned to campus in a new lab doing cancer research, and my passion for medicine continues to flourish. I still think about all the people I encountered at St. Jude, especially those we lost. It might be a stretch, but during the long hours at the lab bench I still picture their hands moving through mine each step of the way. I could never have foreseen where the first steps of the St. Jude Run would bring me. I’m not sure where the road to becoming a physician may lead, but with helping hands guiding the way, I won’t be running it alone.

This essay, a description of the applicant’s intellectual challenges, displays the hardships of tending to cancer patients as a milestone of experience and realization of what it takes to be a physician. The writer explores deeper ideas beyond medicine, such as dealing with patient deaths in a way to progress and improve as a professional. In this way, the applicant gives the reader some insight into the applicant’s mindset, and their ability to think beyond the surface for ways to become better at what they do.

However, the essay fails to zero in on the applicant’s character, instead elaborating on life events that weakly illustrate the applicant’s growth as a physician. The writer’s mantra (“keep moving forward”) is feebly projected, and seems unoriginal due to the lack of a personalized connection between the experience at St. Jude and how that led to the applicant’s growth and mindset changes.

The writer explores deeper ideas beyond medicine, such as dealing with patient deaths in a way to progress and improve as a professional.

The writer, by only focusing on grief brought from patient deaths at St. Jude, misses out on the opportunity to further describe his or her experience at the hospital and portray an original, well-rounded image of his or her strengths, weaknesses, and work ethic.

The applicant ends the essay by attempting to highlight the things they learned at St. Jude, but fails to organize the ideas into a cohesive, comprehensible section. These ideas are also too abstract, and are vague indicators of the applicant’s character that are difficult to grasp.

-- Accepted to: New York University School of Medicine

Sponsored by MedEdits : MedEdits Medical Admissions has been helping applicants get into medical schools like Harvard for more than ten years. Structured like an academic medical department, MedEdits has experts in admissions, writing, editing, medicine, and interview prep working with you collaboratively so you can earn the best admissions results possible.

“Is this the movie you were talking about Alice?” I said as I showed her the movie poster on my iPhone. “Oh my God, I haven’t seen that poster in over 70 years,” she said with her arms trembling in front of her. Immediately, I sat up straight and started to question further. We were talking for about 40 minutes, and the most exciting thing she brought up in that time was the new flavor of pudding she had for lunch. All of sudden, she’s back in 1940 talking about what it was like to see this movie after school for only 5¢ a ticket! After an engaging discussion about life in the 40’s, I knew I had to indulge her. Armed with a plethora of movie streaming sights, I went to work scouring the web. No luck. The movie, “My Son My Son,” was apparently not in high demand amongst torrenting teens. I had to entreat my older brother for his Amazon Prime account to get a working stream. However, breaking up the monotony and isolation felt at the nursing home with a simple movie was worth the pandering.

While I was glad to help a resident have some fun, I was partly motivated by how much Alice reminded me of my own grandfather. In accordance with custom, my grandfather was to stay in our house once my grandmother passed away. More specifically, he stayed in my room and my bed. Just like grandma’s passing, my sudden roommate was a rough transition. In 8th grade at the time, I considered myself to be a generally good guy. Maybe even good enough to be a doctor one day. I volunteered at the hospital, shadowed regularly, and had a genuine interest for science. However, my interest in medicine was mostly restricted to academia. To be honest, I never had a sustained exposure to the palliative side of medicine until the arrival of my new roommate.

The two years I slept on that creaky wooden bed with him was the first time my metal was tested. Sharing that room, I was the one to take care of him. I was the one to rub ointment on his back, to feed him when I came back from school, and to empty out his spittoon when it got full. It was far from glamorous, and frustrating most of the time. With 75 years separating us, and senile dementia setting in, he would often forget who I was or where he was. Having to remind him that I was his grandson threatened to erode at my resolve. Assured by my Syrian Orthodox faith, I even prayed about it; asking God for comfort and firmness on my end. Over time, I grew slow to speak and eager to listen as he started to ramble more and more about bits and pieces of the past. If I was lucky, I would be able to stich together a narrative that may or may have not been true. In any case, my patience started to bud beyond my age group.

Having to remind him that I was his grandson threatened to erode at my resolve.

Although I grew more patient with his disease, my curiosity never really quelled. Conversely, it developed further alongside my rapidly growing interest in the clinical side of medicine. Naturally, I became drawn to a neurology lab in college where I got to study pathologies ranging from atrophy associated with schizophrenia, and necrotic lesions post stroke. However, unlike my intro biology courses, my work at the neurology lab was rooted beyond the academics. Instead, I found myself driven by real people who could potentially benefit from our research. In particular, my shadowing experience with Dr. Dominger in the Veteran’s home made the patient more relevant in our research as I got to encounter geriatric patients with age related diseases, such as Alzhimer’s and Parkinson’s. Furthermore, I had the privilege of of talking to the families of a few of these patients to get an idea of the impact that these diseases had on the family structure. For me, the scut work in the lab meant a lot more with these families in mind than the tritium tracer we were using in the lab.

Despite my achievements in the lab and the classroom, my time with my grandfather still holds a special place in my life story. The more I think about him, the more confident I am in my decision to pursue a career where caring for people is just as important, if not more important, than excelling at academics. Although it was a lot of work, the years spent with him was critical in expanding my horizons both in my personal life and in the context of medicine. While I grew to be more patient around others, I also grew to appreciate medicine beyond the science. This more holistic understanding of medicine had a synergistic effect in my work as I gained a purpose behind the extra hours in the lab, sleepless nights in the library, and longer hours volunteering. I had a reason for what I was doing that may one day help me have long conversations with my own grandchildren about the price of popcorn in the 2000’s.

The most important thing to highlight in Avery’s essay is how he is able to create a duality between his interest in not only the clinical, more academic-based side of medicine, but also the field’s personal side.

He draws personal connections between working with Alice — a patient in a hospital or nursing home — and caring intensely for his grandfather. These two experiences build up the “synergistic” relationship between caring for people and studying the science behind medicine. In this way, he is able to clearly state his passions for medicine and explain his exact motives for entering the field. Furthermore, in his discussion of her grandfather, he effectively employs imagery (“rub ointment on his back,” “feed him when I came back from school,” etc.) to describe the actual work that he does, calling it initially as “far from glamorous, and frustrating most of the time.” By first mentioning his initial impression, then transitioning into how he grew to appreciate the experience, Avery is able to demonstrate a strength of character, sense of enormous responsibility and capability, and open-minded attitude.

He draws personal connections between working with Alice — a patient in a hospital or nursing home — and caring intensely for his grandfather.

Later in the essay, Avery is also able to relate his time caring for his grandfather to his work with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, showcasing the social impact of his work, as the reader is likely already familiar with the biological impact of the work. This takes Avery’s essay full circle, bringing it back to how a discussion with an elderly patient about the movies reminds him of why he chose to pursue medicine.

That said, the essay does feel rushed near the end, as the writer was likely trying to remain within the word count. There could be a more developed transition before Avery introduces the last sentence about “conversations with my own grandchildren,” especially as a strong essay ending is always recommended.

-- Accepted To: Saint Louis University Medical School Direct Admission Medical Program

Sponsored by Atlas Admissions : Atlas Admissions provides expert medical school admissions consulting and test preparation services. Their experienced, physician-driven team consistently delivers top results by designing comprehensive, personalized strategies to optimize applications. Atlas Admissions is based in Boston, MA and is trusted by clients worldwide.

The tension in the office was tangible. The entire team sat silently sifting through papers as Dr. L introduced Adam, a 60-year-old morbidly obese man recently admitted for a large open wound along his chest. As Dr. L reviewed the details of the case, his prognosis became even bleaker: hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiomyopathy, hyperlipidemia; the list went on and on. As the humdrum of the side-conversations came to a halt, and the shuffle of papers softened, the reality of Adam’s situation became apparent. Adam had a few months to live at best, a few days at worst. To make matters worse, Adam’s insurance would not cover his treatment costs. With no job, family, or friends, he was dying poor and alone.

I followed Dr. L out of the conference room, unsure what would happen next. “Well,” she muttered hesitantly, “We need to make sure that Adam is on the same page as us.” It’s one thing to hear bad news, and another to hear it utterly alone. Dr. L frantically reviewed all of Adam’s paperwork desperately looking for someone to console him, someone to be at his side. As she began to make calls, I saw that being a physician calls for more than good grades and an aptitude for science: it requires maturity, sacrifice, and most of all, empathy. That empathy is exactly what I saw in Dr. L as she went out of her way to comfort a patient she met hardly 20 minutes prior.

Since high school, I’ve been fascinated by technology’s potential to improve healthcare. As a volunteer in [the] Student Ambassador program, I was fortunate enough to watch an open-heart surgery. Intrigued by the confluence of technology and medicine, I chose to study biomedical engineering. At [school], I wanted to help expand this interface, so I became involved with research through Dr. P’s lab by studying the applications of electrospun scaffolds for dermal wound healing. While still in the preliminary stages of research, I learned about the Disability Service Club (DSC) and decided to try something new by volunteering at a bowling outing.

As she began to make calls, I saw that being a physician calls for more than good grades and an aptitude for science: it requires maturity, sacrifice, and most of all, empathy.

The DSC promotes awareness of cognitive disabilities in the community and seeks to alleviate difficulties for the disabled. During one outing, I collaborated with Arc, a local organization with a similar mission. Walking in, I was told that my role was to support the participants by providing encouragement. I decided to help a relatively quiet group of individuals assisted by only one volunteer, Mary. Mary informed me that many individuals with whom I was working were diagnosed with ASD. Suddenly, she started cheering, as one of the members of the group bowled a strike. The group went wild. Everyone was dancing, singing, and rejoicing. Then I noticed one gentleman sitting at our table, solemn-faced. I tried to start a conversation with him, but he remained unresponsive. I sat with him for the rest of the game, trying my hardest to think of questions that would elicit more than a monosyllabic response, but to no avail. As the game ended, I stood up to say bye when he mumbled, “Thanks for talking.” Then he quickly turned his head away. I walked away beaming. Although I was unable to draw out a smile or even sustain a conversation, at the end of the day, the fact that this gentleman appreciated my mere effort completely overshadowed the awkwardness of our time together. Later that day, I realized that as much as I enjoyed the thrill of research and its applications, helping other people was what I was most passionate about.

When it finally came time to tell Adam about his deteriorating condition, I was not sure how he would react. Dr. L gently greeted him and slowly let reality take its toll. He stoically turned towards Dr. L and groaned, “I don’t really care. Just leave me alone.” Dr. L gave him a concerned nod and gradually left the room. We walked to the next room where we met with a pastor from Adam’s church.

“Adam’s always been like that,” remarked the pastor, “he’s never been one to express emotion.” We sat with his pastor for over an hour discussing how we could console Adam. It turned out that Adam was part of a motorcycle club, but recently quit because of his health. So, Dr. L arranged for motorcycle pictures and other small bike trinkets to be brought to his room as a reminder of better times.

Dr. L’s simple gesture reminded me of why I want to pursue medicine. There is something sacred, empowering, about providing support when people need it the most; whether it be simple as starting a conversation, or providing support during the most trying of times. My time spent conducting research kindled my interest in the science of medicine, and my service as a volunteer allowed me to realize how much I valued human interaction. Science and technology form the foundation of medicine, but to me, empathy is the essence. It is my combined interest in science and service that inspires me to pursue medicine. It is that combined interest that makes me aspire to be a physician.

Parker’s essay focuses on one central narrative with a governing theme of compassionate and attentive care for patients, which is the key motivator for her application to medical school. Parker’s story focuses on her volunteer experience shadowing of Dr. L who went the extra mile for Adam, which sets Dr. L up as a role model for Parker as she enters the medical field. This effectively demonstrates to the reader what kind of doctor Parker wants to be in the future.

Parker’s narrative has a clear beginning, middle, and end, making it easy for the reader to follow. She intersperses the main narrative about Adam with experiences she has with other patients and reflects upon her values as she contemplates pursuing medicine as a career. Her anecdote about bowling with the patients diagnosed with ASD is another instance where she uses a story to tell the reader why she values helping people through medicine and attentive patient care, especially as she focuses on the impact her work made on one man at the event.

Parker's story focuses on her volunteer experience shadowing of Dr. L who went the extra mile for Adam, which sets Dr. L up as a role model for Parker as she enters the medical field.

All throughout the essay, the writing is engaging and Parker incorporates excellent imagery, which goes well with her varied sentence structure. The essay is also strong because it comes back full circle at its conclusion, tying the overall narrative back to the story of Dr. L and Adam, which speaks to Parker’s motives for going to medical school.

-- Accepted To: Emory School of Medicine

Growing up, I enjoyed visiting my grandparents. My grandfather was an established doctor, helping the sick and elderly in rural Taiwan until two weeks before he died at 91 years old. His clinic was located on the first floor of the residency with an exam room, treatment room, X-ray room, and small pharmacy. Curious about his work, I would follow him to see his patients. Grandpa often asked me if I want to be a doctor just like him. I always smiled, but was more interested in how to beat the latest Pokémon game. I was in 8th grade when my grandfather passed away. I flew back to Taiwan to attend his funeral. It was a gloomy day and the only street in the small village became a mourning place for the villagers. Flowers filled the streets and people came to pay their respects. An old man told me a story: 60 years ago, a village woman was in a difficult labor. My grandfather rushed into the house and delivered a baby boy. That boy was the old man and he was forever grateful. Stories of grandpa saving lives and bringing happiness to families were told during the ceremony. At that moment, I realized why my grandfather worked so tirelessly up until his death as a physician. He did it for the reward of knowing that he kept a family together and saved a life. The ability for a doctor to heal and bring happiness is the reason why I want to study medicine. Medical school is the first step on a lifelong journey of learning, but I feel that my journey leading up to now has taught me some things of what it means to be an effective physician.

With a newfound purpose, I began volunteering and shadowing at my local hospital. One situation stood out when I was a volunteer in the cardiac stress lab. As I attached EKG leads onto a patient, suddenly the patient collapsed and started gasping for air. His face turned pale, then slightly blue. The charge nurse triggered “Code Blue” and started CPR. A team of doctors and nurses came, rushing in with a defibrillator to treat and stabilize the patient. What I noticed was that medicine was not only about one individual acting as a superhero to save a life, but that it takes a team of individuals with an effective leader, working together to deliver the best care. I want to be a leader as well as part of a team that can make a difference in a person’s life. I have refined these lessons about teamwork and leadership to my activities. In high school I was an 8 time varsity letter winner for swimming and tennis and captain of both of those teams. In college I have participated in many activities, but notably serving as assistant principle cellist in my school symphony as well as being a co-founding member of a quartet. From both my athletic experiences and my music experiences I learned what it was like to not only assert my position as a leader and to effectively communicate my views, but equally as important I learned how to compromise and listen to the opinions of others. Many physicians that I have observed show a unique blend of confidence and humility.

What I noticed was that medicine was not only about one individual acting as a superhero to save a life, but that it takes a team of individuals with an effective leader, working together to deliver the best care.

College opened me up to new perspectives on what makes a complete physician. A concept that was preached in the Guaranteed Professional Program Admissions in Medicine (GPPA) was that medicine is both an art and a science. The art of medicine deals with a variety of aspects including patient relationships as well as ethics. Besides my strong affinity for the sciences and mathematics, I always have had interest in history. I took courses in both German literature and history, which influenced me to take a class focusing on Nazi neuroscientists. It was the ideology of seeing the disabled and different races as test subjects rather than people that led to devastating lapses in medical ethics. The most surprising fact for me was that doctors who were respected and leaders in their field disregarded the humanity of patient and rather focused on getting results from their research. Speaking with Dr. Zeidman, the professor for this course, influenced me to start my research which deals with the ethical qualms of using data derived from unethical Nazi experimentation such as the brains derived from the adult and child euthanasia programs. Today, science is so result driven, it is important to keep in mind the ethics behind research and clinical practice. Also the development of personalized genomic medicine brings into question about potential privacy violations and on the extreme end discrimination. The study of ethics no matter the time period is paramount in the medical field. The end goal should always be to put the patient first.

Teaching experiences in college inspired me to become a physician educator if I become a doctor. Post-MCAT, I was offered a job by Next Step Test Prep as a tutor to help students one on one for the MCAT. I had a student who stated he was doing well during practice, but couldn’t get the correct answer during practice tests. Working with the student, I pointed out his lack of understanding concepts and this realization helped him and improves his MCAT score. Having the ability to educate the next generation of doctors is not only necessary, but also a rewarding experience.

My experiences volunteering and shadowing doctors in the hospital as well as my understanding of what it means to be a complete physician will make me a good candidate as a medical school student. It is my goal to provide the best care to patients and to put a smile on a family’s face just as my grandfather once had. Achieving this goal does not take a special miracle, but rather hard work, dedication, and an understanding of what it means to be an effective physician.

Through reflecting on various stages of life, Quinn expresses how they found purpose in pursuing medicine. Starting as a child more interested in Pokemon than their grandfather’s patients, Quinn exhibits personal growth through recognizing the importance of their grandfather’s work saving lives and eventually gaining the maturity to work towards this goal as part of a team.

This essay opens with abundant imagery — of the grandfather’s clinic, flowers filling the streets, and the village woman’s difficult labor — which grounds Quinn’s story in their family roots. Yet, the transition from shadowing in hospitals to pursuing leadership positions in high schools is jarring, and the list of athletic and musical accomplishments reads like a laundry list of accomplishments until Quinn neatly wraps them up as evidence of leadership and teamwork skills. Similarly, the section about tutoring, while intended to demonstrate Quinn’s desire to educate future physicians, lacks the emotional resonance necessary to elevate it from another line lifted from their resume.

This essay opens with abundant imagery — of the grandfather's clinic, flowers filling the streets, and the village woman's difficult labor — which grounds Quinn's story in their family roots.

The strongest point of Quinn’s essay is the focus on their unique arts and humanities background. This equips them with a unique perspective necessary to consider issues in medicine in a new light. Through detailing how history and literature coursework informed their unique research, Quinn sets their application apart from the multitude of STEM-focused narratives. Closing the essay with the desire to help others just as their grandfather had, Quinn ties the narrative back to their personal roots.

-- Accepted To: Edinburgh University UCAT Score: 2810 BMAT Score: 4.6, 4.2, 3.5A

Exposure to the medical career from an early age by my father, who would explain diseases of the human body, sparked my interest for Medicine and drove me to seek out work experience. I witnessed the contrast between use of bone saws and drills to gain access to the brain, with subsequent use of delicate instruments and microscopes in neurosurgery. The surgeon's care to remove the tumour, ensuring minimal damage to surrounding healthy brain and his commitment to achieve the best outcome for the patient was inspiring. The chance to have such a positive impact on a patient has motivated me to seek out a career in Medicine.

Whilst shadowing a surgical team in Texas, carrying out laparoscopic bariatric procedures, I appreciated the surgeon's dedication to continual professional development and research. I was inspired to carry out an Extended Project Qualification on whether bariatric surgery should be funded by the NHS. By researching current literature beyond my school curriculum, I learnt to assess papers for bias and use reliable sources to make a conclusion on a difficult ethical situation. I know that doctors are required to carry out research and make ethical decisions and so, I want to continue developing these skills during my time at medical school.

The chance to have such a positive impact on a patient has motivated me to seek out a career in Medicine.

Attending an Oncology multi-disciplinary team meeting showed me the importance of teamwork in medicine. I saw each team member, with specific areas of expertise, contributing to the discussion and actively listening, and together they formed a holistic plan of action for patients. During my Young Enterprise Award, I facilitated a brainstorm where everyone pitched a product idea. Each member offered a different perspective on the idea and then voted on a product to carry forward in the competition. As a result, we came runners up in the Regional Finals. Furthermore, I started developing my leadership skills, which I improved by doing Duke of Edinburgh Silver and attending a St. John Ambulance Leadership course. In one workshop, similar to the bariatric surgeon I shadowed, I communicated instructions and delegated roles to my team to successfully solve a puzzle. These experiences highlighted the crucial need for teamwork and leadership as a doctor.

Observing a GP, I identified the importance of compassion and empathy. During a consultation with a severely depressed patient, the GP came to the patient's eye level and used a calm, non-judgmental tone of voice, easing her anxieties and allowing her to disclose more information. While volunteering at a care home weekly for two years, I adapted my communication for a resident suffering with dementia who was disconnected from others. I would take her to a quiet environment, speak slowly and in a non-threatening manner, as such, she became talkative, engaged and happier. I recognised that communication and compassion allows doctors to build rapport, gain patients' trust and improve compliance. For two weeks, I shadowed a surgeon performing multiple craniotomies a day. I appreciated the challenges facing doctors including time and stress management needed to deliver high quality care. Organisation, by prioritising patients based on urgency and creating a timetable on the ward round, was key to running the theatre effectively. Similarly, I create to-do-lists and prioritise my academics and extra-curricular activities to maintain a good work-life balance: I am currently preparing for my Grade 8 in Singing, alongside my A-level exams. I also play tennis for the 1st team to relax and enable me to refocus. I wish to continue my hobbies at university, as ways to manage stress.

Through my work experiences and voluntary work, I have gained a realistic understanding of Medicine and its challenges. I have begun to display the necessary skills that I witnessed, such as empathy, leadership and teamwork. The combination of these skills with my fascination for the human body drives me to pursue a place at medical school and a career as a doctor.

This essay traces Alex's personal exploration of medicine through different stages of life, taking a fairly traditional path to the medical school application essay. From witnessing medical procedures to eventually pursuing leadership positions, this tale of personal progress argues that Alex's life has prepared him to become a doctor.

Alex details how experiences conducting research and working with medical teams have confirmed his interest in medicine. Although the breadth of experiences speaks to the applicant’s interest in medicine, the essay verges on being a regurgitation of the Alex's resume, which does not provide the admissions officer with any new insights or information and ultimately takes away from the essay as a whole. As such, the writing’s lack of voice or unique perspective puts the applicant at risk of sounding middle-of-the-road.

From witnessing medical procedures to eventually pursuing leadership positions, this tale of personal progress argues that Alex's life has prepared him to become a doctor.

The essay’s organization, however, is one of its strengths — each paragraph provides an example of personal growth through a new experience in medicine. Further, Alex demonstrates his compassion and diligence through detailed stories, which give a reader a glimpse into his values. Through recognizing important skills necessary to be a doctor, Alex demonstrates that he has the mature perspective necessary to embark upon this journey.

What this essay lacks in a unique voice, it makes up for in professionalism and organization. Alex's earnest desire to attend medical school is what makes this essay shine.

-- Accepted To: University of Toronto MCAT Scores: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems - 128, Critical Analysis and Reading Skills - 127, Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems - 127, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior - 130, Total - 512

Moment of brilliance.

Revelation.

These are all words one would use to describe their motivation by a higher calling to achieve something great. Such an experience is often cited as the reason for students to become physicians; I was not one of these students. Instead of waiting for an event like this, I chose to get involved in the activities that I found most invigorating. Slowly but surely, my interests, hobbies, and experiences inspired me to pursue medicine.

As a medical student, one must possess a solid academic foundation to facilitate an understanding of physical health and illness. Since high school, I found science courses the most appealing and tended to devote most of my time to their exploration. I also enjoyed learning about the music, food, literature, and language of other cultures through Latin and French class. I chose the Medical Sciences program because it allowed for flexibility in course selection. I have studied several scientific disciplines in depth like physiology and pathology while taking classes in sociology, psychology, and classical studies. Such a diverse academic portfolio has strengthened my ability to consider multiple viewpoints and attack problems from several angles. I hope to relate to patients from all walks of life as a physician and offer them personalized treatment.

I was motivated to travel as much as possible by learning about other cultures in school. Exposing myself to different environments offered me perspective on universal traits that render us human. I want to pursue medicine because I believe that this principle of commonality relates to medical practice in providing objective and compassionate care for all. Combined with my love for travel, this realization took me to Nepal with Volunteer Abroad (VA) to build a school for a local orphanage (4). The project’s demands required a group of us to work closely as a team to accomplish the task. Rooted in different backgrounds, we often had conflicting perspectives; even a simple task such as bricklaying could stir up an argument because each person had their own approach. However, we discussed why we came to Nepal and reached the conclusion that all we wanted was to build a place of education for the children. Our unifying goal allowed us to reach compromises and truly appreciate the value of teamwork. These skills are vital in a clinical setting, where physicians and other health care professionals need to collaborate as a multidisciplinary team to tackle patients’ physical, emotional, social, and psychological problems.

I hope to relate to patients from all walks of life as a physician and offer them personalized treatment.

The insight I gained from my Nepal excursion encouraged me to undertake and develop the role of VA campus representative (4). Unfortunately, many students are not equipped with the resources to volunteer abroad; I raised awareness about local initiatives so everyone had a chance to do their part. I tried to avoid pushing solely for international volunteerism for this reason and also because it can undermine the work of local skilled workers and foster dependency. Nevertheless, I took on this position with VA because I felt that the potential benefits were more significant than the disadvantages. Likewise, doctors must constantly weigh out the pros and cons of a situation to help a patient make the best choice. I tried to dispel fears of traveling abroad by sharing first-hand experiences so that students could make an informed decision. When people approached me regarding unfamiliar placements, I researched their questions and provided them with both answers and a sense of security. I found great fulfillment in addressing the concerns of individuals, and I believe that similar processes could prove invaluable in the practice of medicine.

As part of the Sickkids Summer Research Program, I began to appreciate the value of experimental investigation and evidence-based medicine (23). Responsible for initiating an infant nutrition study at a downtown clinic, I was required to explain the project’s implications and daily protocol to physicians, nurses and phlebotomists. I took anthropometric measurements and blood pressure of children aged 1-10 and asked parents about their and their child’s diet, television habits, physical exercise regimen, and sunlight exposure. On a few occasions, I analyzed and presented a small set of data to my superiors through oral presentations and written documents.

With continuous medical developments, physicians must participate in lifelong learning. More importantly, they can engage in research to further improve the lives of their patients. I encountered a young mother one day at the clinic struggling to complete the study’s questionnaires. After I asked her some questions, she began to open up to me as her anxiety subsided; she then told me that her child suffered from low iron. By talking with the physician and reading a few articles, I recommended a few supplements and iron-rich foods to help her child. This experience in particular helped me realize that I enjoy clinical research and strive to address the concerns of people with whom I interact.

Research is often impeded by a lack of government and private funding. My clinical placement motivated me to become more adept in budgeting, culminating in my role as founding Co-President of the UWO Commerce Club (ICCC) (9). Together, fellow club executives and I worked diligently to get the club ratified, a process that made me aware of the bureaucratic challenges facing new organizations. Although we had a small budget, we found ways of minimizing expenditure on advertising so that we were able to host more speakers who lectured about entrepreneurship and overcoming challenges. Considering the limited space available in hospitals and the rising cost of health care, physicians, too, are often forced to prioritize and manage the needs of their patients.

No one needs a grand revelation to pursue medicine. Although passion is vital, it is irrelevant whether this comes suddenly from a life-altering event or builds up progressively through experience. I enjoyed working in Nepal, managing resources, and being a part of clinical and research teams; medicine will allow me to combine all of these aspects into one wholesome career.

I know with certainty that this is the profession for me.

Jimmy opens this essay hinting that his essay will follow a well-worn path, describing the “big moment” that made him realize why he needed to become a physician. But Jimmy quickly turns the reader’s expectation on its head by stating that he did not have one of those moments. By doing this, Jimmy commands attention and has the reader waiting for an explanation. He soon provides the explanation that doubles as the “thesis” of his essay: Jimmy thinks passion can be built progressively, and Jimmy’s life progression has led him to the medical field.

Jimmy did not make the decision to pursue a career in medicine lightly. Instead he displays through anecdotes that his separate passions — helping others, exploring different walks of life, personal responsibility, and learning constantly, among others — helped Jimmy realize that being a physician was the career for him. By talking readers through his thought process, it is made clear that Jimmy is a critical thinker who can balance multiple different perspectives simultaneously. The ability to evaluate multiple options and make an informed, well-reasoned decision is one that bodes well for Jimmy’s medical career.

While in some cases this essay does a lot of “telling,” the comprehensive and decisive walkthrough indicates what Jimmy’s idea of a doctor is. To him, a doctor is someone who is genuinely interested in his work, someone who can empathize and related to his patients, someone who can make important decisions with a clear head, and someone who is always trying to learn more. Just like his decision to work at the VA, Jimmy has broken down the “problem” (what his career should be) and reached a sound conclusion.

By talking readers through his thought process, it is made clear that Jimmy is a critical thinker who can balance multiple different perspectives simultaneously.

Additionally, this essay communicates Jimmy’s care for others. While it is not always advisable to list one’s volunteer efforts, each activity Jimmy lists has a direct application to his essay. Further, the sheer amount of philanthropic work that Jimmy does speaks for itself: Jimmy would not have worked at VA, spent a summer with Sickkids, or founded the UWO finance club if he were not passionate about helping others through medicine. Like the VA story, the details of Jimmy’s participation in Sickkids and the UWO continue to show how he has thought about and embodied the principles that a physician needs to be successful.

Jimmy’s essay both breaks common tropes and lives up to them. By framing his “list” of activities with his passion-happens-slowly mindset, Jimmy injects purpose and interest into what could have been a boring and braggadocious essay if it were written differently. Overall, this essay lets the reader know that Jimmy is seriously dedicated to becoming a physician, and both his thoughts and his actions inspire confidence that he will give medical school his all.

The Crimson's news and opinion teams—including writers, editors, photographers, and designers—were not involved in the production of this content.

MSU Libraries

Research guides.

• Need help? Ask a Librarian

Writing in the Medical Sciences: The Basics

• Books at MSU
• Citing Material

Writing Assistance

The MSU Writing Center  provides writing assistance to students and faculty and is available for both in-person and online consultations.  

They also have a number of resources with writing advice, tips, and tricks.

Contact the Writing Center to schedule a writing consultation .

Academic Integrity

It is up to the writer to avoid plagiarism.  Here are a number of resources that discuss what to consider when writing to insure academic integrity:

Plagiarism 101     

What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It

Quoting and Paraphrasing

US Office of Research Integrity: Avoiding Plagiarism, Self-plagiarism, and other Questionable Writing Practices

Avoiding Plagiarism: Paraphrasing

Resources for International Students

Some language resources for writers who are not native English speakers and would like a little extra help or practice.

Handbook of Biomedical Research Writing

Originally written for Korean scientists in the biomedical sciences, this guide offers helpful information to other non-native English speakers.

Grammar and Writing Guides

Guide to Grammar and Writing

In-depth guide by the Capital Community College Foundation about grammar and how to avoid common writing mistakes.

Getting Started

When writing, it is important to have a clear idea of what you want to say as well as who your intended audience is. These resources discuss some of the things to keep in mind to make sure you get your point across clearly and concisely.

The Craft of Research

This book explains how to build a persuasive argument and anticipate and respond to the reservations of readers.

Generating Good Research Questions in Health Professions Education

This table from  Academic Medicine  walks you through the process of developing and evaluating your research question. 

Types of Writing in Medical Sciences

Throughout the course of your career in medicine you will be expected to produce writing in a number of different formats. The Writing Center at UNC at Chapel Hill has a number of short guides available on a wide range of topics about writing.

Some types of writing you may be expected to do, although not an inclusive list, include:

• Annotated Bibliographies
• CVs and Resumes
• Grant Proposals
• Literature Reviews
• Thesis Statement
• Scientific Reports

Two other guides from UNC that are extremely useful are the ones on Figures and Charts and Editing and Proofreading .

MSU Library Guide To Systematic Reviews

This guide contains information on how to conduct and write a systematic review, including tools and software you can use and how to get help from a librarian. 

Writing in the Health Sciences: A Comprehensive Guide

This guide developed by the University of Toronto also contains information on a wide range of writing types. Note: To access the full-text on a topic, select either the PDF or HTML link to the right of the topic name in the table of contents.

Equator Network Reporting Guidelines/Writing for Publication

The Equator Network provides a range of guidelines on what information to include when writing up different kinds of medical research, and the site links to some articles with other kinds of medical writing advice.

STM Report: an Overview of Scientific and Scholarly Publications

This report provides a good sense of how scientific journals are ranked and assessed and how the process of submission and publication works. 

Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives by Organization

This page includes links to research reporting guidelines from a number of major biomedical information groups, as well as some editorial style guides. 

Medical Terminology

The following resources are helpful for understanding and using medical terminology.

Stedman's Medical Dictionary

A direct link to this resource is not currently available. Selecting this link will take you to a sign-in page. You can use the institutional login in to log in via MSU, and then  access Stedman's, via Tools & Features above the list of titles on the left side of the page.

Understanding Medical Words

A tutorial from the National Library of Medicine.

Whonamedit? - Dictionary of Medical Eponyms

A great resource for medical eponyms - drugs or disease named after a person.

Librarians - Medicine

Citation Management Software

There are a number of citation management programs available, and the MSU Libraries provide instruction and support for three of them. Using a citation management program is highly recommended if you will be doing a large amount of writing because they help to easily collect, organize, and properly format citations.

How to choose a citation manager?

• Next: Books at MSU >>
• Last Updated: Jun 30, 2023 12:15 PM
• URL: https://libguides.lib.msu.edu/medwriting

Writing a strong scientific paper in medicine and the biomedical sciences: a checklist and recommendations for early career researchers

• Open access
• Published: 28 July 2021
• Volume 72 , pages 395–407, ( 2021 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Payam Behzadi 1 &
• Márió Gajdács   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1270-0365 2 , 3  

15k Accesses

51 Citations

402 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

Scientific writing is an important skill in both academia and clinical practice. The skills for writing a strong scientific paper are necessary for researchers (comprising academic staff and health-care professionals). The process of a scientific research will be completed by reporting the obtained results in the form of a strong scholarly publication. Therefore, an insufficiency in scientific writing skills may lead to consequential rejections. This feature results in undesirable impact for their academic careers, promotions and credits. Although there are different types of papers, the original article is normally the outcome of experimental/epidemiological research. On the one hand, scientific writing is part of the curricula for many medical programs. On the other hand, not every physician may have adequate knowledge on formulating research results for publication adequately. Hence, the present review aimed to introduce the details of creating a strong original article for publication (especially for novice or early career researchers).

Similar content being viewed by others

A Practical Guide to Writing (and Understanding) a Scientific Paper: Clinical Studies

Writing a Scientific Article

A brief guide to the science and art of writing manuscripts in biomedicine

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

The writing and editing of scientific papers should be done in parallel with the collection and analysis of epidemiological data or during the performance of laboratory experiments, as it is an integral step of practical research. Indeed, a scholar paper is the figurative product of scientific investigations (Behzadi and Behzadi 2011 ; Singh and Mayer 2014 ). Moreover, the publication of scholarly papers is important from the standpoint of providing relevant information—both locally and internationally—that may influence clinical practice, while in academia, national and international academic metrics (in which the number and quality of papers determine the score and rank of the scientists) are relevant to fulfill employment criteria and to apply for scientific grants (Grech and Cuschieri 2018 ; Singer and Hollander 2009 ). Thus, scientific writing and the publication of quality peer-reviewed papers in prestigious academic journals are an important challenge for medical professionals and biomedical scientists (Ahlstrom 2017 ). Writing a strong scholarly paper is a multi-procedure task, which may be achieved in a right manner by using a balanced and well-designed framework or blueprint (Gemayel 2016 ; Tóth et al. 2020 ). All in all, time needs to be spent of writing a well-designed and thoughtful scientific proposal to support the research, which will subsequently end in the publication of a paper in a prestigious, peer-reviewed, indexed and scholarly journal with an impact factor (IF). A well-designed scientific project encompasses well-supported and strong hypotheses and up-to-date methodology, which may lead to the collection of remarkable (and reproducible!) data. When a study is based on a strong hypothesis, suitable methodology and our studies result in usable data, the next step is the analysis and interpretation of the said data to present a valuable conclusion at the end of our studies. These criteria give you an influent confidence to prepare a robust and prestigious scholarly paper (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Kallet 2004 ; Stenson et al. 2019 ). The aim of this review is to highlight all the necessary details for publication of a strong scientific writing of original article, which may especially be useful for novice or early career researchers.

Approaches for writing and formatting manuscripts before submission

In the presence of effective and appropriate items for writing a strong scientific paper, the author must know the key points and the main core of the study. Thus, preparing a blueprint for the paper will be much easier. The blueprint enables you to draft your work in a logical order (Gemayel 2016 ). In this regard, employment of a mass of charge, free or pay-per-use online and offline software tools can be particularly useful (Gemayel 2016 ; Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ; Behzadi et al. 2021 ; Ebrahim 2018 ; Issakhanian and Behzadi 2019 ; O'Connor and Holmquist 2009 ; Petkau et al. 2012 ; Singh and Mayer 2014 ; Tomasello et al. 2020 ). Today, there are a wide range of diverse software tools which can be used for design and organization of different parts of your manuscript in the correct form and order. Although traditionally, many scientist do not use these softwares to help formulate their paper and deliver their message in the manuscript, they can indeed facilitate some stages of the manuscript preparation process. Some of these online and offline software facilities are shown in Table 1 .

The first step of writing any scientific manuscript is the writing of the first draft. When writing the first draft, the authors do not need to push themselves to write it in it’s determined order (Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ; Gemayel 2016 ); however, the finalized manuscript should be organized and structured, according to the publisher’s expectations (Berman et al. 2000 ; Behzadi et al. 2016 ). Based on the contents of the manuscripts, there are different types of papers including original articles, review articles, systematic reviews, short communications, case reports, comments and letters to the editor (Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ; Gemayel 2016 ), but the present paper will only focus on the original articles structured in the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) structure. Materials and methods, results, discussion or introduction sections are all suitable target sections to begin writing the primary draft of the manuscript, although in most cases, the methods section is the one written first, as authors already have a clear sense and grasp on the methodologies utilized during their studies (Ebrahim 2018 ). The final sections of IMRAD papers which should be completed are the abstract (which is basically the mini-version of the paper) and conclusion (Liumbruno et al. 2013 ; Paróczai et al. 2021 ; Ranjbar et al. 2016 ). The authors should be aware that the final draft of the manuscript should clearly express: the reason of performing the study, the individuality (novelty and uniqueness) of the work, the methodology of the study, the specific outcomes examined in this work, the importance, meaning and worth of the study. The lack of any of the items in the manuscript will usually lead to the direct rejection of the manuscript from the journals. During the composition of the manuscript (which corresponds to any and all sections of the IMRAD), some basics of scientific writing should be taken into consideration: scientific language is characterized by short, crisp sentences, as the goal of the publication is to deliver the main message concisely and without confusion. It is a common misconception that scientific writing needs to be “colorful” and “artistic,” which may have the opposite effect on the clarity of the message. As the main goal of publishing is to deliver the message (i.e., the results) of our study, it is preferred that scientific or technical terms (once defined) are used uniformly, with avoiding synonyms. If young scientists have linguistic difficulties (i.e., English is not their first language), it is desirable to seek the help of professional proofreading services to ensure the correct grammar use and clarity. Traditionally, the passive voice was expected to be used in scientific communication, which was intended to strengthen the sense of generalization and universality of research; however, nowadays the active voice is preferred (symbolizing that authors take ownership and accountability of their work) and sentences in passive voice should take up < 10% of the paper (Berman et al. 2000 ; Behzadi et al. 2016 ).

Every scientist should be able to present and discuss their results in their own words, without copy–pasting sentences from other scientists or without referring to the work of others, if it was used in our paper. If an author copies or represents another authors’ intellectual property or words as their own (accidentally or more commonly on purpose) is called plagiarism. Scientific journals use plagiarism checker softwares to cross-check the level of similarity between the submitted works and scientific papers or other materials already published; over a certain threshold of similarity, journals take action to address this issue. Plagiarism is highly unethical and frowned upon in the scientific community, and it is strictly forbidden by all relevant scientific publishers, and if one is caught with plagiarism, the scientific paper is usually rejected immediately (if this occurs during the submission process) or is retracted. There are some freely available online software tools (e.g., iThenticate® ( http://www.ithenticate.com/ ) and SMALL SEO TOOLS ( https://smallseotoolz.net/plagiarism-checker ) for authors to screen their works for similarities with other sources; nevertheless, it is also unethical to use these tools to determine the “acceptable” level of similarity (i.e., cheating) before submitting a paper.

The structure of an IMRAD article includes the title, author’s(s’) name(s), author’s(s’) affiliation(s), author’s(s’) ORCID iD(s) ( https://orcid.org/ ), abstract, keywords, introduction, methods (or materials and methods), results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgements, conflict of interest and references (Behzadi and Behzadi 2011 ; Singh and Mayer 2014 ). The acronym of ORCID (with a hard pronunciation of C ( https://orcid.org/blog/2013/01/07/how-should-orcid-be-pronounced )) (abbreviation of Open Researcher & Contributor ID) is considered as unique international identifier for researchers (Haak et al. 2012 ; Hoogenboom and Manske 2012 ). The ORCID iD is composed of 16 digits and introduced in the format of https URI ( https://support.orcid.org/hc/en-us/articles/360006897674 ). It is recommended for the authors to register their ORCID iD. The ORCID is important for manuscript submissions, manuscript citations, looking at the works of other researchers among other things (Haak et al. 2012 ; Hoogenboom and Manske 2012 ).

The contents of the IMRAD-structured manuscripts

Although the IMRAD format seems to be a cul-de-sac structure, it can be a suitable mold for both beginners and professional writers and authors. Each manuscript should contain a title page which includes the main and running (shortened) titles, authors’ names, authors’ affiliations (such as research place, e-mail, and academic degree), authors’ ORCID iDs, fund and financial supports (if any), conflicts of interest, corresponding author’s(s’) information, manuscript’s word count and number of figures, tables and graphs (Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ).

As the title is the first section of your paper which is seen by the readers, it is important for the authors to take time on appropriately formulating it. The nature of title may attract or dismiss the readers (Tullu and Karande 2017 ). In this regard, a title should be the mirror of the paper’s content; hence, a proper title should be attractive, tempting, specific, relevant, simple, readable, clear, brief, concise and comprehensive. Avoid jargons, acronyms, opinions and the introduction of bias . Short and single-sentenced titles have a “magic power” on the readers. Additionally, the use of important and influent keywords could affect the readers and could be easy searchable by the search engines (Cuschieri et al. 2019 ). This can help to increase the citation of a paper. Due to this fact, it is recommended to consider a number of titles for your manuscript and finally select the most appropriate one, which reflects the contents of the paper the best. The number of titles’ and running titles’ characters is limited in a wide range of journals (Cuschieri et al. 2019 ).

The abstract is the vitrine of a manuscript, which should be sequential, arranged, structured and summarized with great effort and special care. This section is the second most important part of a manuscript after title (Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ). The abstract should be written very carefully, deliberately and comprehensively in perfect English, because a well-written abstract invites the readers (the editors, reviewers, and readers who may cite the paper in the future) to read the paper entirely from A to Z and a rough one discourages readers (the editors and reviewers) from even handling the manuscript (Cuschieri et al. 2019 ). Whether we like it or not, the abstract is the only part of the manuscript that will be read for the most part; thus, the authors should make an effort to show the impressiveness and quality of the paper in this section.

The abstract as an independent structured section of a manuscript stands alone and is the appetizer of your work (Jirge 2017 ). So as mentioned, this part of paper should be written accurately, briefly, clearly, and to be facile and informative. For this section, the word count is often limited (150 to 250/300 words) and includes a format of introduction/background/, aim/goal/objective, methods, results and conclusions. The introduction or background refers to primary observations and the importance of the work, goal/aim/objective should represent the hypothesis of the study (i.e., why did you do what you did?), the methods should cover the experimental procedures (how did you do what you did?), the results should consider the significant and original findings, and finally, the clear message should be reported as the conclusion. It is recommended to use verbs in third person (unless specified by the Journal’s instructions). Moreover, the verbs depicting the facts which already have been recognized should be used in present tense while those verbs describing the outcomes gained by the current work should be used in past tense. For beginners in scientific publishing, it is a common mistake to start the writing of the manuscript with the abstract (which—in fact—should be the finalizing step, after the full text of the paper has already been finished and revised). In fact, abstract ideally is the copy-pasted version of the main messages of the manuscript, until the word limit (defined by the journal) has been reached. Another common mistake by inexperienced authors is forgetting to include/integrate changes in the abstract to reflect the amendments made in the bulk text of the paper. All in all, even a paper with very good contents and significant results may could be rejected because of a poor and weak abstract (Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ).

Keywords are the key point words and terms of the manuscript which come right after abstract section. The keywords are used for searching papers in the related fields by internet search engines. It is recommended to employ 3 to 10 keywords in this section. The keywords should be selected from the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) service, NCBI ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/ ). An appropriate title should involve the most number of keywords (Behzadi and Gajdács 2020 ; Jirge 2017 ).

Introduction section should be framed up to four paragraphs (up to 15% of the paper’s content). This section should be progressed gradually from general to specific information and gaps (in a funnel-formed fashion). In another words, the current condition of the problem and the previous studies should be briefly presented in the first paragraph. More explanation should be brought in discussion section, where the results of the paper should be discussed in light of the other findings in the literature (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ). In this regard, the original articles and some key references should be cited to have a clarified description. The second paragraph should clarify the lack of knowledge regarding the problem at present, the current status of the scientific issue and explain shortly the necessity and the importance of the present investigation. Subsequently, the relevance of this work should be described to fill the current gaps relating to the problem. The questions (hypothesis/purpose) of the study comprising “Why did you do?/What did you do?/So What?” should be clarified as the main goal in the last paragraph (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Burian et al. 2010 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ). A concise and focused introduction lets the readers to have an influent understanding and evaluation for the performance of the study. The importance of the work presented should never be exaggerated, if the readers feel that they have been misled in some form that may damage the credibility of the authors’ reputation. It is recommended to use standard abbreviations in this section by writing the complete word, expression or phrase for the first time and mentioning the related abbreviation within parenthesis in this section. Obviously, the abbreviations will be used in the following sentences throughout the manuscript. The authors should also adhere to international conventions related to writing certain concepts, e.g., taxonomic names or chemical formulas. In brief, the introduction section contains four key points including: previous studies, importance of the subject, the presence of serious gap(s) in current knowledge regarding the subject, the hypothesis of the work (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ). Previously, it was recommended by majority of journals to use verbs in past tense and their passive forms; however, this shows a changing trend, as more and more journals recommend the use of the active voice.

Materials and methods

As the materials and methods section constitutes the skeleton of a paper (being indicative of the quality of the data), this section is known as the keystone of the research. A poor, flawed or incorrect methodology may result in the direct rejection of manuscripts, especially in high IF journals, because it cannot link the introduction section into the results section (Haralambides 2018 ; Meo 2018 ). In other words, the methods are used to test the study’s hypothesis and the readers judge the validity of a research by the released information in this section. This part of manuscript belongs to specialists and researchers; thus, the application of subheadings in a determined and relevant manner will support the readers to follow information in a right order at the earliest. The presentation of the methodologies in a correct and logical order in this section clarifies the direction of the methods used, which can be useful for those who want to replicate these procedures (Haralambides 2018 ; Juhász et al. 2021 ; Meo 2018 ). An effective, accurate, comprehensive and sufficient description guarantees the clarity and transparency of the work and satisfies the skeptical reviewers and readers regarding the basis of the research. The following questions should be answered in this section: “What was done?” and “How was it done?” and “Why was it done?”

The cornerstones of the methods section including defining the type of study, materials (e.g., concentration, dose, generic and manufacturer names of chemicals, antibiotics), participants (e.g., humans, animals, microorganisms), demographic data (e.g., age, gender, race, time, duration, place), the need for and the existence of an ethical approval or waiver (in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and its revisions) for humans and animals, experimental designs (e.g., sampling methods, time and duration of the study, place), protocols, procedures, rationale, criteria, devices/tools/techniques (together with their manufacturers and country of origin), calibration plots, measurement parameters, calculations, statistical methods, tests and analyses, statistical software tools and version among many other things should be described here in methods section (Haralambides 2016 ; Stájer et al. 2020 ). If the details of protocols make this section extremely long, mention them in brief and cite the related papers (if they are already published). If the applied protocol was modified by the researcher, the protocol should be mentioned as modified protocol with the related address. Moreover, it is recommended to use flow charts (preferably standard flow charts) and tables to shorten this section, because “a picture paints a thousand words” (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ).

The used online guidelines in accordance with the type of study should be mentioned in the methods section. In this regard, some of these online check lists, including the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement ( http://www.consort-statement.org/ ) (to improve the reporting randomized trials), the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement ( http://www.prisma-statement.org/ ) (to improve the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses), the STARD (Standards for Reporting Diagnostic accuracy studies) statement ( http://www.equator-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/STARD-2015-checklist.pdf ) (to improve the reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies), the STORBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) statement ( https://www.strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=strobe-home ) (to improve the reporting of observational studies in Epidemiology), should be mentioned and highlighted in medical articles. Normally, the methods section begins with mentioning of exclusion (depicting safe selection) and inclusion (depicting no bias has happened) criteria (regarding the populations studied) and continues by the description of procedures and data collection. This section usually ends by the description of statistical data analyses. As mentioned in a previous section, older recommendations in “Instructions for authors” suggested the use of verbs in past tense, in 3rd person and passive forms, whereas novel guidelines suggest more text written in the active voice (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ).

The results including negative and positive outcomes should be reported clearly in this section with no interpretation (Audisio et al. 2009 ; Behzadi et al. 2013 ). The most original information of an IMRAD paper originates from the results section. Indeed, the reported findings are the main core of the study which answers to the research question (hypothesis) “what was found?” The results section should answer all points brought up in the methods section. Categorization of findings by subheadings from the major to minor results, chronologically or by any logical order, facilitates readers to comprehend the results in an effective and influent manner (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ).

Representing the motive of experiments, the related experimental setups, and the gained outcomes supports the quality and clarity of your results, because these components create logical and influent communications between obtained data, observations and measurements. The results section should represent all types of data (major to minor), variables (dependent and independent), variables effects and even accidental findings. The statistical analyses should be represented at the end of results section. The statistical significance should be represented by an exact amount of p value ( p  < 0.05 is usually recognized and set as the threshold for statistical significance, while p  > 0.05 depicts no statistical significance). Moreover, the mentioning of the 95% confidence intervals and related statistical parameters is also needed, especially in epidemiological studies (Mišak et al. 2005 ).

It is recommended to use tables, figures, graphs and charts in this section to give an influent representation of results to the readers. Using well-structured tables deeply impresses the readers. Usually the limitation of the number of figures, graphs, tables and charts is represented in the section of instructions for authors of the journal. Remember that well-designed tables and figures act as clean mirrors which transfer a clear and sharp illustration of your work and your efforts in preparing the manuscript. Thus, a well-designed graph, table, charts or figure should be understood easily; in other words, they should be represented as self-explanatory compartments. Avoid repeating the represented data in figures, tables, charts and graphs within the text. Citing figures, graphs, charts and tables in right positions within the text increases the impact and quality of your manuscript (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ). Showing the highest and lowest amounts in tables by bolding or highlighting them is very effective. Normally, the legends are placed under graphs and figures and above the tables. It is recommended to begin the figure legends with conclusion and finish it by important technical key points.

Discussion and conclusion

This section represents the interpretations of results. In other words, discussion describes what these results do mean by the help of mechanistic interpretations of causes and effects. This argument should be achieved sharp and strong in a logical manner (Gajdács 2020 ; Rasko et al. 2016 ). The interpretations should be supported by relevant references and evidences. Usually, the first paragraph of discussion involves the key points of results. The represented data in results section should not be repeated within the discussion section. Magnification and exaggeration of data should never occur! “A good wine needs no bush.” Care about the quality of discussion section, because this part of the manuscript is determinative item for the acceptance of the paper (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ).

Avoid representing new data in discussion, which were not mentioned in the results section. The following paragraphs should represent the novelty, differences and/or similarities of the obtained findings. Unusual and findings not predicted should be highlighted (Gajdács 2020 ; Rasko et al. 2016 ). It is important to interpret the obtained results by the strong references and evidences. Remember that citation of strong and relevant references enforces your evaluations and increases the quality of your points of view (Mack 2018 ; Shakeel et al. 2021 ). The probable weaknesses or strengths of the project should be discussed. This critical view of the results supports the discussion of the manuscript. The discussion section is finished by the final paragraph of conclusion. A critical paragraph in which the potential significance of obtained findings should be represented in brief (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ). The bring/take-home message of the study in conclusion section should be highlighted. For writing a conclusion, it is recommended to use non-technical language in perfect English as it should be done in abstract section (Alexandrov 2004 ). It is suggested to use verbs in present tense and passive forms, if not otherwise mandated by the journal’s instructions. In accordance with policy of journals, the conclusion section could be the last part of discussion or presented within a separate section after discussion section (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ).

Acknowledgements

This section is placed right after discussion and/or conclusion section. The unsaid contributors with pale activities who cannot be recognized as the manuscripts’ authors should be mentioned in acknowledgement section. Financial sponsors, coordinators, colleagues, laboratory staff and technical supporters, scientific writing proof readers, institutions and organizations should be appreciated in this section. The names listed in acknowledgements section will be indexed by some databases like US National Library Medicine (NLM) ( https://www.nlm.nih.gov/ ) (Ahlstrom 2017 ).

Conflict of interest

If the authors have any concerns regarding moral or financial interests, they should declare it unambiguously, because the related interests may lead to biases and suspicions of misconducts (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ). This section usually comes right after acknowledgements and before references.

Application of relevant and pertinent references supports the manuscript’s scientific documentary. Moreover, utilization of related references with high citation helps the quality of the manuscript. For searching references, it is recommended to use search engines like Google Scholar ( https://scholar.google.com/ ), databases such as MEDLINE ( https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/medline.html ) and NCBI ( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ ) and Web sites including SCOPUS ( https://www.scopus.com/ ), etc.; in this regard, the keywords are used for a successful and effective search. Each journal has its own bibliographic system; hence, it is recommended to use reference management software tools, e.g., EndNote®. The most common bibliographic styles are APA American Psychological Association, Harvard and Vancouver. Nevertheless, the authors should aware of retracted articles and making sure not to use them as references (Ahlstrom 2017 ; Behzadi 2021 ; Lilleyman 1995 ; Tahaei et al. 2021 ). Depending on the journal, there are different limitations for the number of references. It is recommended to read carefully the instructions for authors section of the journal.

Conclusions for future biology

From the societal standpoint, the publication of scientific results may lead to important advances in technology and innovation. In medicine, patient care—and the biomedical sciences in general—the publication of scientific research may also lead to substantial benefits to advancing the medical practice, as evidence-based medicine (EBM) is based on the available scientific data at the present time. Additionally, academic institutions and many academic centers require young medical professionals to be active in the scientific scene for promotions and many employment prospects. Although scientific writing is part of the curricula for many medical programs, not every physician may have adequate knowledge on formulating research results for publication adequately. The present review aimed to briefly and concisely summarize the details of creating a favorable original article to aid early career researchers in the submission to peer-reviewed journal and subsequent publication. Although not all concepts have been discussed in detail, the paper allows for current and future authors to grasp the basic ideas regarding scientific writing and the authors hope to encourage everyone to take the “leap of faith” into scientific research in medicine and to submit their first article to international journals.

Data accessibility

Not applicable.

Ahlstrom D (2017) How to publish in academic journals: writing a strong and organized introduction section. J East Eur Cent Asian Res 4(2):1–9

Google Scholar  

Alexandrov AV (2004) How to write a research paper. Cerebrovasc Dis 18(2):135–138

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Audisio RA, Stahel RA, Aapro MS, Costa A, Pandey M, Pavlidis N (2009) Successful publishing: how to get your paper accepted. Surg Oncol 18(4):350–356

Behzadi P (2021) Peer review publication skills matter for academicians. Iran J Pathol 16(1):95–96

Behzadi P, Behzadi E (2011) A new aspect on how to write an original article, 1st edn. Persian Science & Research Publisher, Tehran

Behzadi P, Gajdács M (2020) Dos and don’ts of a successfully peer-reviewed publication: from A-Z. Eur J Microbiol Immun 10:125–130

Article   Google Scholar  

Behzadi E, Behzadi P, Ranjbar R (2013) Abc’s of writing scientific paper. Infectioro 33(1):6–7

Behzadi P, Najafi A, Behzadi E, Ranjbar R (2016) Microarray long oligo probe designing for Escherichia coli: an in-silico DNA marker extraction. Cent Eur J Urol 69(1):105–111

CAS   Google Scholar  

Behzadi P, García-Perdomo HA, Karpiński TA (2021) Toll-like receptors: general molecular and structural biology. J Immunol Res 2021:e9914854

Berman HM, Westbrook J, Feng Z, Gilliland G, Bhat TN, Weissig H, Shindyalov IN, Bourne PE (2000) The protein data bank. Nucl Acids Res 28(1):235–242

Article   CAS   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Burian K, Endresz V, Deak J, Kormanyos Z, Pal A, Nelson D, Virok DP (2010) Transcriptome analysis indicates an enhanced activation of adaptive and innate immunity by chlamydia-infected murine epithelial cells treated with interferon γ. J Infect Dis 202:1405–1414

Cuschieri S, Grech V, Savona-Ventura C (2019) WASP (write a scientific paper): structuring a scientific paper. Early Human Dev 128:114–117

Ebrahim AN (2018) Publishing Procedure and Strategies to Improve Research Visibility and Impact. https://figshare.com/articles/presentation/Publishing_Procedure_and_Strategies_to_Improve_Research_Visibility_and_Impact/7475036

Gajdács M (2020) Taxonomy and nomenclature of bacteria with clinical and scientific importance: current concepts for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. Acta Pharm Hung 89(4):99–108

Gemayel R (2016) How to write a scientific paper. FEBS 283(21):3882–3885

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Grech V, Cuschieri S (2018) Write a scientific paper (WASP)-a career-critical skill. Early Human Dev 117:96–97

Haak LL, Fenner M, Paglione L, Pentz E, Ratner H (2012) ORCID: a system to uniquely identify researchers. Learn Publ 25(4):259–264

Haralambides HE (2016) Dos and don’ts in scholarly publishing. Marit Econ Logist 18(2):101–102

Haralambides HE (2018) Dos and don’ts of scholarly publishing (part II). Marit Econ Logist 20(3):321–326

Hoogenboom BJ, Manske RC (2012) How to write a scientific article. Int J Sports Phys Ther 7(5):512–517

PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Issakhanian L, Behzadi P (2019) Antimicrobial Agents and Urinary Tract Infections. Curr Pharm Des 25(12):1409–1423

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Jirge PR (2017) Preparing and publishing a scientific manuscript. J Hum Reprod Sci 10(1):3–9

Juhász J, Ligeti B, Gajdács M, Makra N, Ostorházi E, Farkas FB, Stercz B, Tóth Á, Domokos J, Pongor S, Szabó D (2021) Colonization dynamics of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae are dictated by microbiota-cluster group behavior over individual antibiotic susceptibility: a metataxonomic analysis. Antibiotics 10(3):e268

Kallet RH (2004) How to write the methods section of a research paper. Resp Care 49(10):1229–1232

Lilleyman J (1995) How to write a scientific paper—a rough guide to getting published. Arch Dis Child 72(3):268–270

Liumbruno GM, Velati C, Pasqualetti P, Franchini M (2013) How to write a scientific manuscript for publication. Blood Transf 11(2):217–226

Mack CA (2018) How to write a good scientific paper. The United States of America: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Press. ISBN 9781510619135

Meo SA (2018) Anatomy and physiology of a scientific paper. Saudi J Biol Sci 25(7):1278–1283

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Mišak A, Marušić M, Marušić A (2005) Manuscript editing as a way of teaching academic writing: experience from a small scientific journal. J Second Lang Writ 14(2):122–131

O’Connor TR, Holmquist GP (2009) Algorithm for writing a scientific manuscript. Biochem Mol Biol Educ 37(6):344–348

Paróczai D, Sejben A, Kókai D, Virók DP, Endrész V, Burián K (2021) Beneficial immunomodulatory effects of fluticasone propionate in chlamydia pneumoniae-infected mice. Pathogens 10(3):e338

Petkau A, Stuart-Edwards M, Stothard P, Van Domselaar G (2012) Interactive microbial genome visualization with GView. Bioinformatics 26(24):3125–3126

Ranjbar R, Behzadi P, Mammina C (2016) Respiratory tularemia: Francisella tularensis and microarray probe designing. Open Microbiol J 10:176–182

Rasko Z, Nagy L, Radnai M, Piffkó J, Baráth Z (2016) Assessing the accuracy of cone-beam computerized tomography in measuring thinning oral and buccal bone. J Oral Implant 42:311–314

Shakeel S, Iffat W, Qamar A, Ghuman F, Yamin R, Ahmad N, Ishaq SM, Gajdács M, Patel I, Jamshed S (2021) Pediatricians’ compliance to the clinical management guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia in infants and young children in Pakistan. Healthcare 9(6):e701

Singer AJ, Hollander JE (2009) How to write a manuscript. J Emerg Med 36(1):89–93

Singh V, Mayer P (2014) Scientific writing: strategies and tools for students and advisors. Biochem Mol Biol Educ 42(5):405–413

Stájer A, Kajári S, Gajdács M, Musah-Eroje A, Baráth Z (2020) Utility of photodynamic therapy in dentistry: current concepts. Dent J 8(2):43

Stenson JF, Foltz C, Lendner M, Vaccaro AR (2019) How to write an effective materials and methods section for clinical studies. Clin Spine Surg 32(5):208–209

Tahaei SAS, Stájer A, Barrak I, Ostorházi E, Szabó D, Gajdács M (2021) Correlation between biofilm-formation and the antibiotic resistant phenotype in staphylococcus aureus isolates: a laboratory-based study in Hungary and a review of the literature. Infect Drug Res 14:1155–1168

Tomasello G, Armenia I, Molla G (2020) The protein imager: a full-featured online molecular viewer interface with server-side HQ-rendering capabilities. Bioinformatics 36(9):2909–2911

Tóth Á, Makai A, Jánvári L, Damjanova I, Gajdács M, Urbán E (2020) Characterization of a rare bla VIM-4 metallo-β-lactamase-producing Serratia marcescens clinical isolate in Hungary. Heliyon 6(6):e04231

Tullu M, Karande S (2017) Writing a model research paper: a roadmap. J Postgrad Med 63(3):143–146

Download references

Payam Behzadi would like to thank the Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Tehran, Iran, for approving the organization of the workshop on “How to write a scientific paper?” Márió Gajdács would also like to acknowledge the support of ESCMID’s “30 under 30” Award.

Open access funding provided by University of Szeged. Márió Gajdács was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship (BO/00144/20/5) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the New National Excellence Programme (ÚNKP-20-5-SZTE-330) of the Ministry of Human Resources.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, 37541-374, Iran

Payam Behzadi

Institute of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Nagyvárad tér 4, 1089, Hungary

Márió Gajdács

Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Eötvös utca 6., 6720, Hungary

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Márió Gajdács .

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no competing interests, monetary or otherwise.

Ethical statement

Rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Behzadi, P., Gajdács, M. Writing a strong scientific paper in medicine and the biomedical sciences: a checklist and recommendations for early career researchers. BIOLOGIA FUTURA 72 , 395–407 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-021-00095-z

Download citation

Received : 08 April 2021

Accepted : 16 July 2021

Published : 28 July 2021

Issue Date : December 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s42977-021-00095-z

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Scientific research
• Publications
• Medical publications
• Clinical medicine
• Peer review
• Academic training
• Abstracting and indexing
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

Don't have an Account?

Register Now!

• International Student
• Essay Writing Center
• Sample Essays

Sample Medical School Essays

Applying to medical school is an exciting decision, but the application process is very competitive. This means when it comes to your application you need to ensure you’ve put your best foot forward and done everything you can to stand out from other applicants. One great way to provide additional information on why you have decided to pursue a career in medicine and why you’re qualified, is your medical school essay. Read these samples to get a good idea on how you can write your own top-notch essay.

This section contains five sample medical school essays

• Medical School Sample Essay One
• Medical School Sample Essay Two
• Medical School Sample Essay Three
• Medical School Sample Essay Four
• Medical School Sample Essay Five

Medical School Essay One

When I was twelve years old, a drunk driver hit the car my mother was driving while I was in the backseat. I have very few memories of the accident, but I do faintly recall a serious but calming face as I was gently lifted out of the car. The paramedic held my hand as we traveled to the hospital. I was in the hospital for several weeks and that same paramedic came to visit me almost every day. During my stay, I also got to know the various doctors and nurses in the hospital on a personal level. I remember feeling anxiety about my condition, but not sadness or even fear. It seemed to me that those around me, particularly my family, were more fearful of what might happen to me than I was. I don’t believe it was innocence or ignorance, but rather a trust in the abilities of my doctors. It was as if my doctors and I had a silent bond. Now that I’m older I fear death and sickness in a more intense way than I remember experiencing it as a child. My experience as a child sparked a keen interest in how we approach pediatric care, especially as it relates to our psychological and emotional support of children facing serious medical conditions. It was here that I experienced first-hand the power and compassion of medicine, not only in healing but also in bringing unlikely individuals together, such as adults and children, in uncommon yet profound ways. And it was here that I began to take seriously the possibility of becoming a pediatric surgeon.

My interest was sparked even more when, as an undergraduate, I was asked to assist in a study one of my professors was conducting on how children experience and process fear and the prospect of death. This professor was not in the medical field; rather, her background is in cultural anthropology. I was very honored to be part of this project at such an early stage of my career. During the study, we discovered that children face death in extremely different ways than adults do. We found that children facing fatal illnesses are very aware of their condition, even when it hasn’t been fully explained to them, and on the whole were willing to fight their illnesses, but were also more accepting of their potential fate than many adults facing similar diagnoses. We concluded our study by asking whether and to what extent this discovery should impact the type of care given to children in contrast to adults. I am eager to continue this sort of research as I pursue my medical career. The intersection of medicine, psychology, and socialization or culture (in this case, the social variables differentiating adults from children) is quite fascinating and is a field that is in need of better research.

Although much headway has been made in this area in the past twenty or so years, I feel there is a still a tendency in medicine to treat diseases the same way no matter who the patient is. We are slowly learning that procedures and drugs are not always universally effective. Not only must we alter our care of patients depending upon these cultural and social factors, we may also need to alter our entire emotional and psychological approach to them as well.

It is for this reason that I’m applying to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, as it has one of the top programs for pediatric surgery in the country, as well as several renowned researchers delving into the social, generational, and cultural questions in which I’m interested. My approach to medicine will be multidisciplinary, which is evidenced by the fact that I’m already double-majoring in early childhood psychology and pre-med, with a minor in cultural anthropology. This is the type of extraordinary care that I received as a child—care that seemed to approach my injuries with a much larger and deeper picture than that which pure medicine cannot offer—and it is this sort of care I want to provide my future patients. I turned what might have been a debilitating event in my life—a devastating car accident—into the inspiration that has shaped my life since. I am driven and passionate. And while I know that the pediatric surgery program at Johns Hopkins will likely be the second biggest challenge I will face in my life, I know that I am up for it. I am ready to be challenged and prove to myself what I’ve been telling myself since that fateful car accident: I will be a doctor.

Tips for a Successful Medical School Essay

• If you’re applying through AMCAS, remember to keep your essay more general rather than tailored to a specific medical school, because your essay will be seen by multiple schools.
• AMCAS essays are limited to 5300 characters—not words! This includes spaces.
• Make sure the information you include in your essay doesn't conflict with the information in your other application materials.
• In general, provide additional information that isn’t found in your other application materials. Look at the essay as an opportunity to tell your story rather than a burden.
• Keep the interview in mind as you write. You will most likely be asked questions regarding your essay during the interview, so think about the experiences you want to talk about.
• When you are copying and pasting from a word processor to the AMCAS application online, formatting and font will be lost. Don’t waste your time making it look nice. Be sure to look through the essay once you’ve copied it into AMCAS and edit appropriately for any odd characters that result from pasting.
• Avoid overly controversial topics. While it is fine to take a position and back up your position with evidence, you don’t want to sound narrow-minded.
• Revise, revise, revise. Have multiple readers look at your essay and make suggestions. Go over your essay yourself many times and rewrite it several times until you feel that it communicates your message effectively and creatively.
• Make the opening sentence memorable. Admissions officers will read dozens of personal statements in a day. You must say something at the very beginning to catch their attention, encourage them to read the essay in detail, and make yourself stand out from the crowd.
• Character traits to portray in your essay include: maturity, intellect, critical thinking skills, leadership, tolerance, perseverance, and sincerity.

Medical School Essay Two

If you had told me ten years ago that I would be writing this essay and planning for yet another ten years into the future, part of me would have been surprised. I am a planner and a maker of to-do lists, and it has always been my plan to follow in the steps of my father and become a physician. This plan was derailed when I was called to active duty to serve in Iraq as part of the War on Terror.

I joined the National Guard before graduating high school and continued my service when I began college. My goal was to receive training that would be valuable for my future medical career, as I was working in the field of emergency health care. It was also a way to help me pay for college. When I was called to active duty in Iraq for my first deployment, I was forced to withdraw from school, and my deployment was subsequently extended. I spent a total of 24 months deployed overseas, where I provided in-the-field medical support to our combat troops. While the experience was invaluable not only in terms of my future medical career but also in terms of developing leadership and creative thinking skills, it put my undergraduate studies on hold for over two years. Consequently, my carefully-planned journey towards medical school and a medical career was thrown off course. Thus, while ten-year plans are valuable, I have learned from experience how easily such plans can dissolve in situations that are beyond one’s control, as well as the value of perseverance and flexibility.

Eventually, I returned to school. Despite my best efforts to graduate within two years, it took me another three years, as I suffered greatly from post-traumatic stress disorder following my time in Iraq. I considered abandoning my dream of becoming a physician altogether, since I was several years behind my peers with whom I had taken biology and chemistry classes before my deployment. Thanks to the unceasing encouragement of my academic advisor, who even stayed in contact with me when I was overseas, I gathered my strength and courage and began studying for the MCAT. To my surprise, my score was beyond satisfactory and while I am several years behind my original ten-year plan, I am now applying to Brown University’s School of Medicine.

I can describe my new ten-year plan, but I will do so with both optimism and also caution, knowing that I will inevitably face unforeseen complications and will need to adapt appropriately. One of the many insights I gained as a member of the National Guard and by serving in war-time was the incredible creativity medical specialists in the Armed Forces employ to deliver health care services to our wounded soldiers on the ground. I was part of a team that was saving lives under incredibly difficult circumstances—sometimes while under heavy fire and with only the most basic of resources. I am now interested in how I can use these skills to deliver health care in similar circumstances where basic medical infrastructure is lacking. While there is seemingly little in common between the deserts of Fallujah and rural Wyoming, where I’m currently working as a volunteer first responder in a small town located more than 60 miles from the nearest hospital, I see a lot of potential uses for the skills that I gained as a National Guardsman. As I learned from my father, who worked with Doctors Without Borders for a number of years, there is quite a bit in common between my field of knowledge from the military and working in post-conflict zones. I feel I have a unique experience from which to draw as I embark on my medical school journey, experiences that can be applied both here and abroad.

In ten years’ time, I hope to be trained in the field of emergency medicine, which, surprisingly, is a specialization that is actually lacking here in the United States as compared to similarly developed countries. I hope to conduct research in the field of health care infrastructure and work with government agencies and legislators to find creative solutions to improving access to emergency facilities in currently underserved areas of the United States, with an aim towards providing comprehensive policy reports and recommendations on how the US can once again be the world leader in health outcomes. While the problems inherent in our health care system are not one-dimensional and require a dynamic approach, one of the solutions as I see it is to think less in terms of state-of-the-art facilities and more in terms of access to primary care. Much of the care that I provide as a first responder and volunteer is extremely effective and also relatively cheap. More money is always helpful when facing a complex social and political problem, but we must think of solutions above and beyond more money and more taxes. In ten years I want to be a key player in the health care debate in this country and offering innovative solutions to delivering high quality and cost-effective health care to all our nation’s citizens, especially to those in rural and otherwise underserved areas.

Of course, my policy interests do not replace my passion for helping others and delivering emergency medicine. As a doctor, I hope to continue serving in areas of the country that, for one reason or another, are lagging behind in basic health care infrastructure. Eventually, I would also like to take my knowledge and talents abroad and serve in the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders.

In short, I see the role of physicians in society as multifunctional: they are not only doctors who heal, they are also leaders, innovators, social scientists, and patriots. Although my path to medical school has not always been the most direct, my varied and circuitous journey has given me a set of skills and experiences that many otherwise qualified applicants lack. I have no doubt that the next ten years will be similarly unpredictable, but I can assure you that no matter what obstacles I face, my goal will remain the same. I sincerely hope to begin the next phase of my journey at Brown University. Thank you for your kind attention.

Additional Tips for a Successful Medical School Essay

• Regardless of the prompt, you should always address the question of why you want to go to medical school in your essay.
• Try to always give concrete examples rather than make general statements. If you say that you have perseverance, describe an event in your life that demonstrates perseverance.
• There should be an overall message or theme in your essay. In the example above, the theme is overcoming unexpected obstacles.
• Make sure you check and recheck for spelling and grammar!
• Unless you’re very sure you can pull it off, it is usually not a good idea to use humor or to employ the skills you learned in creative writing class in your personal statement. While you want to paint a picture, you don’t want to be too poetic or literary.
• Turn potential weaknesses into positives. As in the example above, address any potential weaknesses in your application and make them strengths, if possible. If you have low MCAT scores or something else that can’t be easily explained or turned into a positive, simply don’t mention it.

Medical School Essay Three

The roots of my desire to become a physician are, thankfully, not around the bedside of a sick family member or in a hospital, but rather on a 10-acre plot of land outside of a small town in Northwest Arkansas. I loved raising and exhibiting cattle, so every morning before the bus arrived at 7 a.m. I was in the barn feeding, checking cattle for any health issues and washing the show heifers. These early mornings and my experiences on a farm not only taught me the value of hard work, but ignited my interest in the body, albeit bovine at the time. It was by a working chute that I learned the functions of reproductive hormones as we utilized them for assisted reproduction and artificial insemination; it was by giving vaccinations to prevent infection that I learned about bacteria and the germ theory of disease; it was beside a stillborn calf before the sun had risen that I was exposed to the frailty of life.

Facing the realities of disease and death daily from an early age, I developed a strong sense of pragmatism out of necessity. There is no place for abstractions or euphemisms about life and death when treating a calf’s pneumonia in the pouring rain during winter. Witnessing the sometimes harsh realities of life on a farm did not instill within me an attitude of jaded inevitability of death. Instead, it germinated a responsibility to protect life to the best of my abilities, cure what ailments I can and alleviate as much suffering as possible while recognizing that sometimes nothing can be done.

I first approached human health at the age of nine through beef nutrition and food safety. Learning the roles of nutrients such as zinc, iron, protein and B-vitamins in the human body as well as the dangers of food-borne illness through the Beef Ambassador program shifted my interest in the body to a new species. Talking with consumers about every facet of the origins of food, I realized that the topics that most interested me were those that pertained to human health. In college, while I connected with people over samples of beef and answered their questions, I also realized that it is not enough simply to have adequate knowledge. Ultimately knowledge is of little use if it is not digestible to those who receive it. So my goal as a future clinical physician is not only to illuminate the source of an affliction and provide treatment for patients, but take care to ensure the need for understanding by both patient and family is met.

I saw this combination of care and understanding while volunteering in an emergency room, where I was also exposed to other aspects and players in the medical field. While assisting a nurse perform a bladder scan and witnessing technicians carry out an echocardiogram or CT scan, I learned the important roles that other professionals who do not wear white coats have in today’s medical field. Medicine is a team sport, and coordinating the efforts of each of these players is crucial for the successful execution of patient care. It is my goal to serve as the leader of this healthcare unit and unify a team of professionals to provide the highest quality care for patients. Perhaps most importantly my time at the VA showed me the power a smile and an open ear can have with people. On the long walk to radiology, talking with patients about their military service and families always seemed to take their mind off the reason for their visit, if only for a few minutes. This served as a reminder that we are helping people with pasts and dreams, rather than simply remedying patients’ symptoms.

Growing up in a small town, I never held aspirations of world travel when I was young. But my time abroad revealed to me the state of healthcare in developing countries and fostered a previously unknown interest in global health. During my first trip abroad to Ghana, my roommate became ill with a severe case of traveler’s diarrhea. In the rural north of the country near the Sahara, the options for healthcare were limited; he told me how our professor was forced to bribe employees to bypass long lines and even recounted how doctors took a bag of saline off the line of another patient to give to him. During a service trip to a rural community in Nicaragua, I encountered patients with preventable and easily treatable diseases that, due to poverty and lack of access, were left untreated for months or years at a time. I was discouraged by the state of healthcare in these countries and wondered what could be done to help. I plan to continue to help provide access to healthcare in rural parts of developing countries, and hopefully as a physician with an agricultural background I can approach public health and food security issues in a multifaceted and holistic manner.

My time on a cattle farm taught me how to work hard to pursue my interests, but also fueled my appetite for knowledge about the body and instilled within me a firm sense of practicality. Whether in a clinic, operating room or pursuing public and global health projects, I plan to bring this work ethic and pragmatism to all of my endeavors. My agricultural upbringing has produced a foundation of skills and values that I am confident will readily transplant into my chosen career. Farming is my early passion, but medicine is my future.

Medical School Essay Four

I am a white, cisgender, and heterosexual female who has been afforded many privileges: I was raised by parents with significant financial resources, I have traveled the world, and I received top-quality high school and college educations. I do not wish to be addressed or recognized in any special way; all I ask is to be treated with respect.

As for my geographic origin, I was born and raised in the rural state of Maine. Since graduating from college, I have been living in my home state, working and giving back to the community that has given me so much. I could not be happier here; I love the down-to-earth people, the unhurried pace of life, and the easy access to the outdoors. While I am certainly excited to move elsewhere in the country for medical school and continue to explore new places, I will always self-identify as a Mainer as being from Maine is something I take great pride in. I am proud of my family ties to the state (which date back to the 1890’s), I am proud of the state’s commitment to preserving its natural beauty, and I am particularly proud of my slight Maine accent (we don’t pronounce our r’s). From the rocky coastline and rugged ski mountains to the locally-grown food and great restaurants, it is no wonder Maine is nicknamed, "Vacationland.” Yet, Maine is so much more than just a tourist destination. The state is dotted with wonderful communities in which to live, communities like the one where I grew up.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I plan to return to Maine after residency. I want to raise a family and establish my medical practice here. We certainly could use more doctors! Even though Maine is a terrific place to live, the state is facing a significant doctor shortage. Today, we are meeting less than half of our need for primary care providers. To make matters worse, many of our physicians are close to retirement age. Yet, according to the AAMC, only 53 Maine residents matriculated into medical school last year! Undoubtedly, Maine is in need of young doctors who are committed to working long term in underserved areas. As my primary career goal is to return to my much adored home state and do my part to help fill this need, I have a vested interest in learning more about rural medicine during medical school.

I was raised in Cumberland, Maine, a coastal town of 7,000 just north of Portland. With its single stoplight and general store (where it would be unusual to visit without running into someone you know), Cumberland is the epitome of a small New England town. It truly was the perfect place to grow up. According to the most recent census, nearly a third of the town’s population is under 18 and more than 75% of households contain children, two statistics which speak to the family-centric nature of Cumberland’s community. Recently rated Maine's safest town, Cumberland is the type of place where you allow your kindergartener to bike alone to school, leave your house unlocked while at work, and bring home-cooked food to your sick neighbors and their children. Growing up in such a safe, close-knit, and supportive community instilled in me the core values of compassion, trustworthiness, and citizenship. These three values guide me every day and will continue to guide me through medical school and my career in medicine.

As a medical student and eventual physician, my compassion will guide me to become a provider who cares for more than just the physical well-being of my patients. I will also commit myself to my patients’ emotional, spiritual, and social well-being and make it a priority to take into account the unique values and beliefs of each patient. By also demonstrating my trustworthiness during every encounter, I will develop strong interpersonal relationships with those whom I serve. As a doctor once wisely said, “A patient does not care how much you know until he knows how much you care.”

My citizenship will guide me to serve my community and to encourage my classmates and colleagues to do the same. We will be taught in medical school to be healers, scientists, and educators. I believe that, in addition, as students and as physicians, we have the responsibility to use our medical knowledge, research skills, and teaching abilities to benefit more than just our patients. We must also commit ourselves to improving the health and wellness of those living in our communities by participating in public events (i.e by donating our medical services), lobbying for better access to healthcare for the underprivileged, and promoting wellness campaigns. As a medical student and eventual physician, my compassion, trustworthiness, and citizenship will drive me to improve the lives of as many individuals as I can.

Cumberland instilled in me important core values and afforded me a wonderful childhood. However, I recognize that my hometown is not perfect. For one, the population is shockingly homogenous, at least as far as demographics go. As of the 2010 census, 97.2% of the residents of Cumberland were white. Only 4.1% of residents speak a language other than English at home and even fewer were born in another country. Essentially everybody who identified with a religion identified as some denomination of Christian. My family was one of maybe five Jewish families in the town. Additionally, nearly all the town’s residents graduated from high school (98.1%), are free of disability (93.8%), and live above the poverty line (95.8%). Efforts to attract diverse families to Cumberland is one improvement that I believe would make the community a better place in which to live. Diversity in background (and in thought) is desirable in any community as living, learning, and working alongside diverse individuals helps us develop new perspectives, enhances our social development, provides us with a larger frame of reference, and improves our understanding of our place in society.

Medical School Essay Five

“How many of you received the flu vaccine this year?” I asked my Bricks 4 Kidz class, where I volunteer to teach elementary students introductory science and math principles using Lego blocks. “What’s a flu vaccine?” they asked in confusion. Surprised, I briefly explained the influenza vaccine and its purpose for protection. My connection to children and their health extends to medical offices, clinics and communities where I have gained experience and insight into medicine, confirming my goal of becoming a physician.

My motivation to pursue a career in medicine developed when my mother, who was diagnosed with Lupus, underwent a kidney transplant surgery and suffered multiple complications. I recall the fear and anxiety I felt as a child because I misunderstood her chronic disease. This prompted me to learn more about the science of medicine. In high school, I observed patients plagued with acute and chronic kidney disease while briefly exploring various fields of medicine through a Mentorship in Medicine summer program at my local hospital. In addition to shadowing nephrologists in a hospital and clinical setting, I scrubbed into the operating room, viewed the radiology department, celebrated the miracle of birth in the delivery room, and quietly observed a partial autopsy in pathology. I saw many patients confused about their diagnoses. I was impressed by the compassion of the physicians and the time they took to reassure and educate their patients.

Further experiences in medicine throughout and after college shaped a desire to practice in underserved areas. While coloring and reading with children in the patient area at a Family Health Center, I witnessed family medicine physicians diligently serve patients from low-income communities. On a medical/dental mission trip to the Philippines, I partnered with local doctors to serve and distribute medical supplies to rural schools and communities. At one impoverished village, I held a malnourished two-year old boy suffering from cerebral palsy and cardiorespiratory disease. His family could not afford to take him to the nearest pediatrician, a few hours away by car, for treatment. Overwhelmed, I cried as we left the village. Many people were suffering through pain and disease due to limited access to medicine. But this is not rare; there are many people suffering due to inadequate access/accessibility around the world, even in my hometown. One physician may not be able to change the status of underserved communities, however, one can alleviate some of the suffering.

Dr. X, my mentor and supervisor, taught me that the practice of medicine is both a science and an art. As a medical assistant in a pediatric office, I am learning about the patient-physician relationship and the meaningful connection with people that medicine provides. I interact with patients and their families daily. Newborn twins were one of the first patients I helped, and I look forward to seeing their development at successive visits. A young boy who endured a major cardiac surgery was another patient I connected with, seeing his smiling face in the office often as he transitioned from the hospital to his home. I also helped many excited, college-bound teenagers with requests for medical records in order to matriculate. This is the art of medicine – the ability to build relationships with patients and have an important and influential role in their lives, from birth to adulthood and beyond.

In addition, medicine encompasses patient-centered care, such as considering and addressing concerns. While taking patient vitals, I grew discouraged when parents refused the influenza vaccine and could not understand their choices. With my experience in scientific research, I conducted an informal yet insightful study. Over one hundred families were surveyed about their specific reasons for refusing the flu vaccine. I sought feedback on patients’ level of understanding about vaccinations and its interactions with the human immune system. Through this project, I learned the importance of understanding patient’s concerns in order to reassure them through medicine. I also learned the value of communicating with patients, such as explaining the purpose of a recommended vaccine. I hope to further this by attending medical school to become a physician focused on patient-centered care, learning from and teaching my community.

Children have been a common thread in my pursuit of medicine, from perceiving medicine through child-like eyes to interacting daily with children in a medical office. My diverse experiences in patient interaction and the practice of medicine inspire me to become a physician, a path that requires perseverance and passion. Physicians are life-long learners and teachers, educating others whether it is on vaccinations or various diseases. This vocation also requires preparation, and I eagerly look forward to continually learning and growing in medical school and beyond.

To learn more about what to expect from the study of medicine, check out our Study Medicine in the US section.

Related Content:

Get the international student newsletter.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Healthcare Writing

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Subsections

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals

Medical research articles from across Nature Portfolio

Medical research involves research in a wide range of fields, such as biology, chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology with the goal of developing new medicines or medical procedures or improving the application of those already available. It can be viewed as encompassing preclinical research (for example, in cellular systems and animal models) and clinical research (for example, clinical trials).

Neuronal hypoglycolysis sustains body health

Neurons have a high energy cost mainly sustained by glucose, but paradoxically present a weak glycolysis. This fact is now shown to account for healthy bioenergetics, reduced mitochondrial redox stress and whole-body fitness. Mice with high glycolytic rates in neurons present impaired autophagy, cognitive defects and metabolic-like syndrome.

• Beatriz Pardo

mRNA therapy is safe for treating the inherited metabolic condition propionic acidaemia

Propionic acidaemia is an inheirited metabolic condition caused by a lack of a liver enzyme, which leads to accumulation of toxic compounds. In a first-in-human trial, a therapeutic messenger RNA drug (mRNA-3927) led to restored enzyme activity, was well tolerated and showed a promising dose-dependent reduction of potentially life-threatening clinical events.

The efficacy of dapagliflozin in a hierarchical kidney outcome in heart failure

Dapagliflozin improved a hierarchical composite outcome, including death, a worsening kidney disease event, and estimated glomerular filtration rate slope, compared with placebo, in patients with heart failure. This hierarchical outcome — analyzed with win statistics — might provide the statistical power to evaluate the effect of treatments on kidney function in heart failure trials.

Related Subjects

• Drug development
• Epidemiology
• Experimental models of disease
• Genetics research
• Outcomes research
• Paediatric research
• Preclinical research
• Stem-cell research
• Clinical trial design
• Translational research

Latest Research and Reviews

LASSO-derived model for the prediction of bleeding in aspirin users

• Lei Wanling
• Wang Maofeng

Structural variant calling and clinical interpretation in 6224 unsolved rare disease exomes

• German Demidov
• Steven Laurie
• Stephan Ossowski

The effect of whole-body vibration on glucose and lipid profiles in type-2 diabetes: a systematic review and pairwise and network meta-analyses of randomized trials

• Maryam Binesh
• Fatemeh Ehsani
• Alireza Emadi

Consumption of interesterified palm oil leads inflammation of white adipose tissue and triggers metabolic disturbances in mice on a high-fat diet

• Bruna Cadete Martins
• Mayara da Silva Ribeiro
• Julio Beltrame Daleprane

Universal paramyxovirus vaccine design by stabilizing regions involved in structural transformation of the fusion protein

There is a lack of vaccines for prevention of human respirovirus 3 (RV3) infection. Bakkers et al. report the design of a stabilized RV3 preF protein vaccine candidate that induces strong neutralizing antibodies and protective responses in small animal models.

• Johannes P. M. Langedijk
• Mark J. G. Bakkers

Determinants of low Apgar score among newborns delivered by Cesarean section in Nigist Eleni Mohammed memorial specialized hospital, Southern Ethiopia

• Mitiku Desalegn
• Tadele Yohannes
• Legesse Tesfaye

News and Comment

First pig-to-human liver transplant recipient 'doing very well'

The transplant aims to prolong the life of the patient and provide important lessons for doctors.

• Smriti Mallapaty

Point-of-care testing for sepsis in remote Australia and for First Nations peoples

• Brooke Spaeth
• Sean Taylor
• Simon Finfer

Shifting BSMM research paradigms in the context of HIV status-neutral care continuums

Black sexually minoritized men (BSMM), Black men who identify as part of a sexual minority group, are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States. There is a need to shift existing reductive research paradigms to focus on within-group variation, in order to include BSMM who are living with and without HIV.

• John A. Schneider
• Darnell N. Motley
• Jade Pagkas-Bather

Innovative cancer therapies offer new hope

The arsenal of weapons used to treat these insidious diseases is rapidly expanding.

A surprising abundance of pancreatic pre-cancers

AI-based three-dimensional genomic mapping reveals a large abundance of cancer precursors in normal pancreatic tissue — prompting new insights and research directions.

• Karen O’Leary

Lactate exacerbates lung damage induced by nano-microplastics through the gut microbiota–HIF1a/PTBP1 pathway

Quick links.

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Secondary Medical School Application Essays: How to Shine

Emphasizing fit and showing authenticity help medical school secondary essays stand out, experts say.

Tips for Secondary Med School Essays

Getty Images | iStockphoto

One of best pieces of advice when writing an application essay is to be authentic.

Key Takeaways

• Secondary medical school essays should highlight why an applicant is a good fit.
• Applicants should submit the essays early without compromising quality.
• It's important to be authentic in essay responses.

After receiving primary applications, most medical schools ask applicants to complete a secondary application, which typically includes additional essay questions. While primary essay prompts ask why you're pursuing medicine, medical school secondary essays focus on you and how you fit with a specific school.

Secondary essay prompts vary by school, but they're generally designed to help med schools learn about you at a deeper level. They may ask you to reflect on what makes you who you are, a time when you worked with a population different than yourself, an occasion where you asked for help or a time when you worked in a team. They may ask how you spent a gap year before applying to medical school or what you did after your undergraduate degree.

"What we are trying to figure out is if this is a candidate that can fulfill the premedical competencies and whether they are mission-aligned," says Dr. Wendy Jackson, associate dean for admissions at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine . “Can they help fulfill the needs that our institution is trying to deliver?”

A lot rides on these essays, but keeping a few best practices in mind can make the process less daunting.

Emphasize Fit

The first thing medical schools look for is whether an applicant will be a good fit for the school’s mission, Jackson says.

“I would challenge someone who is completing a secondary application to understand the mission of the school and envision how they are going to contribute to that,” she says. “The vast majority of schools are going to ask why you chose their institution, so you need to be prepared to answer that.”

Some secondary essay questions are optional, but experts recommend answering them even though they're extra work. For example, the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee asks applicants what makes them interested in the school.

“We just want to see if they’re a good fit for us and that they’ve done a little bit of homework about Vanderbilt," says Jennifer Kimble, director of admissions at Vanderbilt's medical school. "We want to make sure that the students we admit are going to be happy with their Vanderbilt experience.”

Avoid focusing on what you’re going to gain from the school – schools are really asking how you'll be an asset to the program.

"It’s almost like if you’re trying to date someone and you tell them, ‘Here’s what I’m going to get from this relationship,’ without saying, ‘We’re better off together,’” says Shirag Shemmassian, founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting. “You have to sell the idea that you’re bettering one another and how you’re better together than apart. I think students often miss that latter component."

Don't Procrastinate

The medical school application process is often compared to a marathon, but the final steps may feel like a sprint. Applicants typically receive secondary application requests in late June, and in some cases schools want those back within a matter of weeks. Others set deadlines months down the road.

Either way, because of rolling admissions , it's best to send essays in as early as possible without compromising quality, Shemmassian says.

The earlier an applicant submits materials, the less competition they typically face, experts say. For example, Vanderbilt receives nearly 7,000 applications per year. Of those, roughly 600 applicants will be asked to interview and around 260 will be offered admission for 96 spots.

"At the beginning of the cycle, our calendar is wide open and we’re very open to who we bring in for an interview," Kimble says. "Down the road when we only have 30 seats left, it’s highly selective who those candidates are that get those coveted 30 interview spots that are left over."

Prewrite Essays

Applicants won't know the specific language of secondary essay prompts until schools send them, but in many cases, essay prompts are similar year to year and the previous year's prompts are often published on a school's admissions website, experts say. Some schools may change or tweak questions, but you can generally get a head start by prewriting essays based on previous prompts.

"As the new ones come out, you can modify as needed," Shemmassian says. "I would say that about 70% to 80% of prompts will remain the same or similar. If they change, you can usually adapt an essay you’ve written for another school."

Secondary essays vary in length and number. Vanderbilt requires applicants to submit an 800-word essay and two 600-word essays. Some schools may require close to 10 secondary essays. Shemmassian says this is significantly more writing than applicants are used to, so budgeting time is crucial.

But applicants should take care when prewriting essays and make sure each is tailored to the specific school with the correct school name, experts say. Jackson says she's read plenty of essays where applicants included the wrong school name and it cost them.

“You may think you can save time by cutting and pasting or taking half of a previously written essay response and making a modification,” Jackson says. “Be careful, because the questions vary from institution to institution.”

Experts say applicants often neglect to fully read prompts in their haste to complete answers. Though there's a time crunch, it's vital to thoroughly read the prompt and answer the question fully without grammatical or spelling errors.

“That seems kind of silly, but I think we can get going down a road when we’re writing and feel like we’ve completed and written something well but look back and never really have a response to the true question being asked," Jackson says.

Be Authentic

Medical school applicants tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves to write something that schools haven't read before, Kimble says. Given that med schools sift through thousands of applicants a year, "we’ve read all sorts of scenarios in life, so take that pressure and put it on the shelf," she says. "That’s not a concern for us. We aren’t looking for something that’s totally innovative."

Experts say schools are mostly looking for authenticity and an organic, genuine tone. The tone "can make or break an applicant," Jackson says.

It may be tempting, especially given time constraints, to rely on outside help – such as ChatGPT or other AI-powered software – to write essays. While some professors and admissions officers have embraced AI to help automate certain processes, Kimble says she strongly discourages med school applicants from using AI to help with secondary essays.

"We had an (application) that you could clearly see was not written by a human voice," she says. "It sounded very computer generated, so we ended up passing on the candidate just because we want to hear their story in their own words."

A Secondary Essay Example

Shemmassian compiles more than 1,000 sample secondary essays each year, using prompts from more than 150 medical schools in various states, and offers them to paying clients. The excerpted example below, created by Shemmassian's team and used with their permission, shows what he considers to be a successful diversity-themed essay in response to a Yale University School of Medicine prompt that asks applicants to reflect on how their background and experiences contribute to the school's focus on diversity and how it will inform their future role as a doctor.

As a child, one of my favorite times of the year was the summer, when I would travel to Yemen… at least until I turned twelve. Suddenly, the traditional and, in my Yemeni American view, restrictive laws for women, applied to me. Perhaps the most representative of these laws was having to cover my hair with a scarf-like garment. Staying true to my values, I decided against returning to Yemen, thereby losing a vital connection to my culture. However, this estrangement did not inhibit my growth.

The 500-word response continues with how the applicant met a Yemeni student who grew up in France and was barred from wearing a headscarf due to a school uniform policy. Where the applicant saw the headscarf as restrictive, the other student saw it as a connection to her roots. The applicant describes how although the same object held different meanings to two people from the same background, she used that to appreciate different perspectives and to advocate for a woman's right to express herself.

Later that year, I applied this lesson in perspective to my work as a clinical coordinator, when a patient walked into the office and handed me a piece of paper explaining she only spoke Arabic...By thinking critically while vernacularly translating the doctor’s advice, I was directly involved in the process of her medical care. Because of my experience in exploring the multi-cultural barriers I faced alongside the Yemeni French student who cherished her headscarf, I spent time talking to this Yemeni patient about the barriers she had faced in receiving care.

This experience motivated me to help overcome cultural healthcare barriers and disparities, showcasing my devotion to equitable treatment by creating a new protocol within the clinic where I work. Now, when scheduling patients over the phone, we ask if they have any language preferences, and we have a series of scripts we can use during each patient’s treatment.

The applicant then drives home why she believes she's a good fit for the school.

My background and experiences will contribute to Yale School of Medicine’s diversity and inform my future role as a physician by creating a student organization that holds informational workshops, utilizing my unique experiences to connect with Yale’s diverse patient population, and working to address healthcare disparities as a future physician. I envision these informational workshops would operate in the Haven Free Clinic patient waiting rooms to empower all patients, regardless of their background.

This essay is successful because it does more than tell essay readers about the applicant's background, Shemmassian says. It shows how the applicant grew "into a more compassionate and culturally humble future physician who will help patients overcome health care barriers."

"Strong diversity essays will always show admissions committees how a unique trait or life experience will help them become a better physician," he says. "This essay is especially successful because the applicant connects their experiences and what they’ve learned because of them to the Yale School of Medicine itself. This is an applicant who is already thinking deeply about not just what they can get out of medical school but how they can contribute to the values and mission of the school they attend."

Searching for a medical school? Get our  complete rankings  of Best Medical Schools.

Medical School Application Mistakes

Tags: medical school , doctors , graduate schools , education , students

You May Also Like

Ways women can thrive in b-school.

Anayat Durrani May 29, 2024

Study Away or Abroad in Law School

Gabriel Kuris May 28, 2024

A Guide to Executive MBA Degrees

Ilana Kowarski and Cole Claybourn May 24, 2024

How to Choose a Civil Rights Law School

Anayat Durrani May 22, 2024

Avoid Procrastinating in Medical School

Kathleen Franco, M.D., M.S. May 21, 2024

Good Law School Recommendation Letters

Gabriel Kuris May 20, 2024

Get Accepted to Multiple Top B-schools

Anayat Durrani May 16, 2024

Premeds and Emerging Medical Research

Zach Grimmett May 14, 2024

How to Get a Perfect Score on the LSAT

Gabriel Kuris May 13, 2024

Premeds Take 5 Public Health Courses

Rachel Rizal May 7, 2024

• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 12 October 2020

“It is this very knowledge that makes us doctors”: an applied thematic analysis of how medical students perceive the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to clinical medicine

• Bonny L. Dickinson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2418-0141 1 ,
• Kristine Gibson 2 ,
• Kristi VanDerKolk 2 ,
• Jeffrey Greene 2 ,
• Claudia A. Rosu 3 ,
• Deborah D. Navedo 4 ,
• Kirsten A. Porter-Stransky   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9895-8641 5 &
• Lisa E. Graves 1  

BMC Medical Education volume  20 , Article number:  356 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

7320 Accesses

16 Citations

7 Altmetric

Metrics details

A Correction to this article was published on 13 November 2020

This article has been updated

Intensive study of the biomedical sciences remains a core component of undergraduate medical education with medical students often completing up to 2 years of biomedical science training prior to entering clerkships. While it is generally accepted that biomedical science knowledge is essential for clinical practice because it forms the basis of clinical reasoning and decision-making, whether medical students perceive an expanded role for their biomedical science knowledge remains to be examined.

We conducted a qualitative research study to explore how medical students in the first clerkship year perceived the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to clinical medicine during this pivotal time as they begin their transition from students to physicians. To identify previously unidentified perspectives and insights, we asked students to write brief essays in response to the prompt: How is biomedical science knowledge relevant to clinical medicine? Ten codes and four themes were interpreted through an applied thematic analysis of students’ essays.

Analysis of students’ essays revealed novel perspectives previously unidentified by survey studies and focus groups. Specifically, students perceived their biomedical science knowledge as contributory to the development of adaptive expertise and professional identity formation, both viewed as essential developmental milestones for medical students.

Conclusions

The results of this study have important implications for ongoing curricular reform efforts to improve the structure, content, delivery, and assessment of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Identifying the explicit and tacit elements of the formal, informal, and hidden curriculum that enable biomedical science knowledge to contribute to the development of adaptive expertise and professional identity formation will enable the purposeful design of innovations to support the acquisition of these critical educational outcomes.

Peer Review reports

Medical students often complete up to 2 years of intensive study in the biomedical sciences in the undergraduate medical curriculum. This knowledge base serves as the foundation for clinical reasoning and decision-making, and is required to address novel, complex, and ambiguous clinical problems that necessitate a deeper fund of knowledge, one that goes beyond reliance on pattern recognition and algorithms alone [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. A detailed understanding of the biomedical sciences also enables physicians to understand and effectively utilize innovations and discoveries that emerge from basic and translational science research [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Thus, although there is general agreement that biomedical science knowledge is critical to the training of future clinicians [ 3 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ], debate remains about the depth and extent of training required [ 1 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. This debate is particularly relevant given continued efforts to reduce the time of training to address physician shortages, reduce the rising cost of physician training, and enable creation of time variable flexible and individualized learning pathways [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].

Innovative approaches to reform undergraduate medical education over the past 10 years include changes to curricular structure/organization, content, and delivery [ 23 , 24 ]. Such innovations have the potential to significantly impact how the biomedical sciences are taught and learned. For example, many schools have embraced a reduction in the length of the preclinical curriculum and the inclusion of early clinical experiences in the preclinical curriculum where the majority of the biomedical sciences is taught [ 20 , 21 , 24 ]. These innovations may compress an already crowded curriculum in which contemporary topics are also being added such as health systems science, addiction, pain management, population health, social determinants of health, wellness, and medical informatics to name a few [ 24 ]. While evidence suggests that some of these changes may not impact academic performance per se [ 25 ], whether these and other critical outcomes of medical education such as professionalism, professional identity formation, adaptive expertise, and humanistic approaches to patient care are impacted remains to be examined [ 26 ]. For these reasons, further study is needed to anticipate how curricular reforms that impact training in the biomedical sciences might influence physician training.

To date, few studies have sought to understand medical student perceptions of their training in the biomedical sciences. Filling this gap in our understanding could lend significant insight to the question of the depth, context, and extent of training required in the biomedical sciences to ensure the effectiveness of initiatives to improve medical education. In one study, for example, the longitudinal development of students’ attitudes concerning the basic sciences revealed that students further in their training were more likely than beginning students to support learning biomedical knowledge prior to its application in a clinical context [ 27 ]. These results suggest that the experiences of more advanced students improved their recognition that knowledge of the biomedical sciences is important for medical practice. A more recent mixed methods study found that while most medical students agreed the biomedical sciences curriculum was a crucial part of their training, their perception of the importance and relevance of the biomedical curriculum decreased with their progress in medical school, which contradicts the results of the aforementioned study [ 28 ].

We conducted a qualitative research study to determine whether medical students perceive an expanded role for the biomedical science knowledge they acquire during training beyond those roles previously identified by surveys, open-ended questions, and focus groups. The objective this study was to explore how medical students in their first clerkship year perceive the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to clinical medicine with the goal of providing insights relevant to curricular reform efforts that impact how the biomedical sciences are taught.

Qualitative approach

We conducted an applied thematic analysis of participants’ essays. Applied thematic analysis is a rigorous, inductive set of procedures designed to identify and examine themes from textual data [ 29 ].

Participants

This study included all fifty-five third-year medical students enrolled in the graduating class of 2019 (the second class enrolled since inception of the school). Twenty-six women and 29 men comprised the class of 2019.

This study took place over a 12-month period at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, a private not-for-profit graduate entry medical school. The preclinical curriculum has been previously described [ 30 ]. Briefly, at the beginning of the first year, students complete a medical first responder course and are licensed in the State of Michigan as Medical First Responders. Then, students learn fundamental concepts in the basic sciences in five Foundations of Health and Disease courses that range from three to 5 weeks in duration: Molecular, Cellular, Genetic, Metabolic, and Immunology and Infectious Disease. These foundational concepts are then revisited with increasing complexity throughout the remaining preclinical curriculum organized as nine organ-based courses ranging from five to 6 weeks in duration and which follow a multidisciplinary integration model: Hematology and Oncology, Musculoskeletal System and Dermatology, Cardiovascular System, Pulmonary System, Renal and Genitourinary System, Gastrointestinal System, Endocrinology and Reproduction System, Nervous System I, and Nervous System II. Foundational and organ-based courses were designed and delivered by both basic science and clinician educators to emphasize integration of the biomedical and clinical sciences. Integration was supported by weekly Team-Based Learning® experiences that were designed and delivered by teams of basic science and clinical faculty [ 31 ]. Integration also occurred in other curricular events such as case-based learning, simulation-based learning, tutorials, and anatomy, histology, and pathology laboratories.

Concurrent clinical courses in the first 2 years provide students with clinical skills and interactions with real patients, standardized patients, and simulated patients. These courses include Introductory Clinical Experiences, Advances and Perspectives in Medicine, early electives, and Professions of Medicine. In the third year, four blocks of 12–13 students rotate through four clerkship experiences in different sequences: Medicine and Neurology, Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and Family and Community Medicine, Surgery, and Women’s Health and Psychiatry. In the fourth year, students complete electives and advanced courses in Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Hospital-Centered Medicine, and Advanced Ambulatory Medicine.

Sampling strategy, data collection and analysis

A pre-clerkship assignment was provided at the beginning the family and community medicine and pediatric and adolescent medicine clerkship block (Additional file 1 ). Students were asked to write a brief essay in response to the prompt: How is biomedical science knowledge relevant to clinical medicine? After completing the pre-clerkship assignment, a mid-clerkship assignment was provided to students at the beginning of the second half of the rotation (Additional file 1 ). This reflective writing assignment was designed using the principles of the Kolb experiential learning model [ 32 ]. Using this framework, students were asked to: 1) select a patient encounter (concrete experience), 2) identify and fill gaps in biomedical science knowledge (reflective observation), 3) reflect on how the new learning impacted the care of their patient (abstract conceptualization), and 4) consider how this process may impact their future clinical practice, and reevaluate their perception of the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to clinical medicine (active experimentation). An essay format for the assignments was selected to facilitate the collection of textual data from all 55 students to provide a deep understanding of students’ perceptions. The assignments were completed by all 55 students as part of the required instructional elements in the clerkship rotation. The assignments were designed to be contributory to the final grade for the clerkship but were not a deciding factor in passing the clerkship.

Prior to beginning the data analysis, participant essays were collected and de-identified. Four members of the research team (B.L.D., J.G., K.A.P.-S. and L.G.), who were not involved in assessing student performance in this clerkship, read through all 55 participants’ essays. Two essays were eliminated from the study because they were not responsive to the pre-clerkship prompt, leaving a total of 53 essays for analysis. An applied thematic analysis of participant essays was conducted following the procedures described by Braun and Clark to identify codes and themes from qualitative data [ 33 ]. Following manual open coding, a codebook was created through consensus discussion during research team meetings. Once the codebook was created, codes were synthesized into themes and all essays were analyzed using ATLAS.ti for data organization and retrieval (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH). Student quotes selected to illustrate themes in the Results section are followed by a tag in parentheses to indicate the rotation block [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] and student (A-Y).

To increase the validity of our findings, the research team used the verification procedures of maintaining an audit trail, discussing our own biases to promote reflexivity, describing in detail how data were collected and analyzed, relating the findings to the existing literature, analyzing the data in a systematic manner, and involving more than one person in the analysis, which included faculty from a range of backgrounds: two biomedical science faculty members (B.L.D. and K.A.P.-S.), a member of the department of medical education (J.G.), three clinician educators (K.G., L.G., and K.V.), and two faculty with expertise in qualitative research (D.D.N. and C.A.R.). Finally, intensity sampling was selected as a purposeful sampling strategy to identify four study participants for a focus group that was held at the conclusion of the clerkship rotations as a method of member checking [ 34 ]. This sampling strategy was selected to gather information-rich perspectives of the phenomenon under study.

To determine whether medical students entering the first year of clerkships perceive an expanded role for their biomedical science knowledge beyond its role in clinical reasoning and decision making, we asked students at the beginning of their family and community medicine and pediatric and adolescent medicine clerkship to reflect on how biomedical science knowledge was relevant to clinical medicine. Open coding identified 10 codes that were synthesized into four themes that described medical students’ perceptions: knowledge to practice medicine, lifelong learning, physician-patient relationship, and learner perception of self (Table  1 ). We next examined students’ responses to prompts in the mid-clerkship reflective writing assignment to identify support for the codes and themes. Specifically, students were asked to: 1) select and briefly describe a patient encounter, 2) think about the patient’s illness or disease process through a basic science lens by accessing, exploring, and extending their biomedical science knowledge, 3) reflect on how the new learning impacted the care of their patient, and 4) consider how this process may impact their future clinical practice, and reevaluate their perception of the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to clinical medicine. Below, we describe the codes and themes and provide representative student quotes.

Theme 1: knowledge to practice medicine

This theme developed from the clustering of four codes: diagnosis, patient management, tolerance of ambiguity, and patient safety (Table 1 ), and addresses the use of biomedical science knowledge to support clinical reasoning and to justify clinical decisions.

Code 1a: diagnosis

This code included many of the physician tasks required to formulate a diagnosis (Table  2 ) and had an overall frequency of 30% (Table  3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “Biomedical science knowledge is relevant to clinical medicine because it allows for a deeper understanding of the disease processes occurring in patients and helps us make more informed decisions for their care. If we have a firm grasp of physiology and pathology, we can conceptualize what is “normal” in our patients and how that normal has been interrupted by disease.” (4 T).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “By thinking about basic science and what mechanisms could be causing the patient’s symptoms, I was better able to come up with possible differential diagnoses.” (1Y).

Code 1b: patient management

This code relates to various physician tasks required for patient management (Table 2 ) and had the highest overall frequency (72%) (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “… understanding the science behind our actions allows us to anticipate the outcomes of our treatment … Without the basic science knowledge to guide our practice, we would just blindly follow clinical guidelines … [it is] important to understand the science behind those guidelines so that we can adjust accordingly, and better treat patients that might not fit in to a defined set of rules.” (3P).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “On initial glance, a rash, abdominal pain, and hypertension seem seemingly unrelated. However, the basic science understanding of Henoch-shönlein purpura helped pull all of these components together. The process of reading about Henoch-shönlein purpura was fundamental to providing the best care possible for our patient.” (1B).

Code 1c: tolerance of ambiguity

Tolerance of ambiguity captured the concept that patients and disease processes are complex, and management requires the application and integration of basic science and clinical science knowledge to provide optimal care (Table 2 ). This code had an overall frequency of 23% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “… clinical medicine is full of patterns and puzzles. Three patients who all come in with a cough can have extremely diverse disease processes and therefore require unique treatments … a thorough history and physical must be combined with basic science knowledge to accurately diagnose a patient.” (1B).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “Incorporating basic science objectives when treating patients allows you to modify your care for situations when treating patients that are not “traditional” patients. You can better adjust your care when patients have multiple active disease processes and medications with potential interactions.” (2 W).

Code 1d: patient safety

This final code within theme 1 focused on the use of biomedical science knowledge to prevent medical errors (Table 2 ) and had a frequency of 17% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “Without biomedical science knowledge, it is possible to misdiagnose patients or continue to make recommendations or prescribe treatments that, at best, don’t work and, at worst, do more harm than good.” (2S).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “… this deeper understanding was critical to ensuring that we were drawing the appropriate labs/imaging and monitoring the necessary vitals to prevent or address any complication.” (1B).

Finally, three students presented minority arguments that disagreed with the theme “knowledge to practice medicine”, and expressed views that biomedical science knowledge has no role in some physician skills, including communication and interpersonal skills:

“… there is very little correlation between biomedical science knowledge and how great someone might be in the clinic... Yes, the baseline knowledge might be important, but clinical knowledge has more to do with your ability to talk to a patient like a human being and help them feel better.” (1R).

Theme 2: lifelong learning

This second theme addressed the need for physicians to continue to expand their biomedical science knowledge throughout their careers. This theme developed from a single code: continue learning throughout practice to understand and apply advances in science and medicine (i.e., evidence-based medicine) (Table 1 ).

Code 2a: continue learning throughout practice

This code reflected the need for physicians to continue to acquire new knowledge by engaging with the research literature to understand and apply advances in science and medicine (Table 2 ). This code had an overall frequency of 55% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “As new research emerges within the medical field, clinicians must rely on the knowledge they gained in medical school to process and understand the literature... Without [a] solid foundation of biomedical education, physicians would not be capable of synthesizing and comprehending the new data.” (4B).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “As I continue in my medical education, I believe that tying basic science concepts into my clinical practice will not only help me to better understand disease processes that I encounter, but it will also allow me to better adapt to new management and treatment approaches, because I will understand the underlying processes being targeted.” (4C).

Theme 3: physician-patient relationship

The third theme of physician-patient relationship described the use of biomedical science knowledge to educate and empower patients. This theme developed from the clustering of three codes: educate patients, empower patients, and develop patient trust (Table 1 ).

Code 3a: educate patients

The ability to educate patients requires the use of biomedical science knowledge to answer patient questions, respond to patient concerns, dispel incorrect medical information, destigmatize misconceptions of disease, and explain disease and treatments in terms that are understandable to patients (Table 2 ). This code had an overall frequency of 28% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “… understanding the basic science behind disease allows the physician to better explain to patients what is happening to them. This leads to a better physician-patient relationship.” (1Y).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “Ultimately, the process of viewing a patient through a basic science lens helps to educate oneself which, in turn, translates into an opportunity to educate the families and [the] rest of the medical team on rounds or presentations.” (1P).

Code 3b: empower patients

Students recognized the use of biomedical science knowledge to empower patients to become actively involved in their own healthcare (Table 2 ) and had a frequency of 19% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “A physician must have the knowledge, and the ability to accurately inform patients of their options, allowing the patient to make an informed decision about the course they choose to take, as well as the potential ramifications of that choice such as drug side effects, and the consequences of not taking a particular medication.” (4D).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “This not only equips me to better manage those conditions, but also to build better relationships with my patients. Furthermore, in educating patients about their conditions, they become more invested in their health and are better able to manage their medical problems as well.” (3P).

Code 3c: develop patient trust

This code captured the concept that patients (and society) expect physicians to have a wealth of biomedical science knowledge, and that this knowledge base contributes to establishing the trust of patients and providing compassionate care (Table 2 ). This code had an overall frequency of 13% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “Patients often want to know what is happening when they suffer from a disease and having the knowledge to explain this to them increases rapport and confirms the trust that they put in the physician. Patients want to feel like they are being cared for by an expert, and there is no better way to show expertise than to describe in detail what is happening, why it is happening, and what we can do to treat it effectively.” (4 T).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “Getting a new diagnosis can be confusing and overwhelming, and it can be reassuring when the doctor explains things. Even if he or she does not know exactly what is wrong, the effort to explain things on a level that the patient can understand can build rapport and be very important.” (2C).

Theme 4: learner perception of self

The final theme, learner perception of self, captured how biomedical science knowledge contributes to the development of a professional identity. This theme developed from the clustering of two codes: develop confidence and competence as a physician and transition from layperson to physician (Table 1 ).

Code 4a: develop confidence and competence as a physician

This code was interpreted from student perceptions that biomedical science knowledge contributes to the development of confidence and competence as a physician and provides a common language in which to engage with colleagues and other members of the healthcare team (Table 2 ). This code had the lowest frequency (8%) (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “When we understand why a certain treatment works, not just that it works, we develop true, long-lasting clinical knowledge that allows us to treat our patients with confidence. What’s more, the biomedical sciences are a language that we use to communicate with each other and with our research science colleagues.” (4S).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “The basic science preparation and reading really helped elevate the level of discussion when presenting to the attending.” (1B).

Code 4b: transition from layperson to physician

This code captured the idea that biomedical science knowledge is expected of oneself, one’s colleagues, and by one’s patients. Students perceived that the application of biomedical science knowledge in a clinical context forms the basis of their emerging identity as a physician (Table 2 ). This code had an overall frequency of 13% (Table 3 ).

Pre-clerkship assignment: “… if our knowledge were limited to asking a list of questions, identifying abnormalities, and prescribing the correct medications off a list of protocols then we would simply be technicians. Those skills can be programmed into a computer algorithm that can diagnose disease and treat patients. The value in doctors is that we are both clinicians and scientists.” (2F).

Mid-clerkship assignment: “And I think that must be a part of medical practice and education, to push those around us to continually fill the gaps in our knowledge, and remember the importance of the basics in leading to what we do.” (1A).

Students’ learning trajectory

In analyzing the students’ essays in response to the pre-clerkship assignment prompt, we observed that the majority of responses reflected simplistic application of their biomedical science knowledge.

“Knowing that a drug only works when functioning beta cells are present allows me to recognize that these medications would not work for a type I diabetic because type 1 diabetics no longer have functioning beta cells.” (1 T).

Students’ responses reflecting a more sophisticated application of biomedical science knowledge were far fewer:

“Rather than memorizing what causes edema, I was able to use my basic science knowledge to not only know what might be causing it but why. This also helped me understand the treatment. For example, in the case of congestive heart failure, I knew that the cause of edema was increased hydrostatic pressure and the way to relieve that is to get rid of fluid. Therefore, I knew that using a diuretic in this case would help this person’s worsening edema.” (2A).

This study examined whether students perceived a role for their biomedical science knowledge beyond its previously articulated role in supporting clinical reasoning and decision making. To address this, we performed an applied thematic analysis of student essays in response to the prompt: How is biomedical science knowledge relevant to clinical medicine? The research team interpreted four themes through qualitative data analysis. Two themes, knowledge to practice medicine and lifelong learning relate to developing the skills and attributes of an expert physician. The remaining themes, physician-patient relationship and learner perception of self relate to the process of assuming an identity aligned with that of a physician. These findings suggest that students perceive a role for their biomedical science knowledge as contributory to the constructs of adaptive expertise and professional identity formation.

Ericsson defines expertise as ‘the characteristics, skills, and knowledge that differentiate experts from novices’ [ 35 ]. In medicine, adaptive expertise requires both efficiency, which is defined as the use of biomedical knowledge to solve routine problems, and innovation, in which knowledge is used to create new solutions to solve novel problems [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Professional identity formation refers to a student’s transformation from lay person to physician, and is recognized as a key transition in medical student training, requiring the student to integrate the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviors of a competent, humanistic physician with his or her own unique identity and core values [ 39 , 40 , 41 ].

The theoretical framework of adaptive expertise emphasizes flexibility and innovation in practice and requires a physician to make efficient use of their previously acquired knowledge to solve routine problems and also to create new knowledge when confronted with novel, non-routine problems [ 42 ]. The first theme, knowledge to practice medicine, suggests that students recognized that biomedical science knowledge is required for them to begin to develop the adaptive expertise that characterizes expert physicians. Student essays robustly addressed the efficiency dimension of adaptive expertise in which biomedical science knowledge was required to perform various aspects of patient care reflected in the first four codes: diagnosis, patient management, tolerance of ambiguity, and patient safety. That students perceived a role for their biomedical science knowledge in these physician tasks associated with the efficiency domain of adaptive expertise, but not the innovation phase, was anticipated; while expert clinicians are able to embrace complexity while acting with simplicity, novice learners struggle to embrace simplicity [ 13 , 43 ]. This observation was also consistent with the finding that medical students in their third and fourth year of training are immersed in the efficiency dimension of adaptive expertise, but do not perceive that they have a role in innovation in practice, a key aspect of the innovation dimension of adaptive expertise [ 37 ].

Student responses also aligned with the first two of four key phases of the master adaptive learner conceptual model, which is a metacognitive approach based on self-regulation that fosters the development of adaptive expertise: the planning phase in which the learner identifies a gap in knowledge, skills or attitudes, and the learning phase in which the learner selects an opportunity for learning and searches for resources [ 38 , 44 ]. Student essays reflected the early phases of the master adaptive learner in which gaps in biomedical science knowledge are identified and filled during patient encounters. The remaining phases of this model characterize more advanced learners: the assessing phase in which the learner tries out the new knowledge and assesses its effectiveness, and the adjusting phase in which new leaning becomes incorporated into everyday practice. Given that our students were in their third year of training, it was not surprising that evidence of these more advanced phases was lacking.

The second theme, lifelong learning, developed from students’ understanding that they must have a solid foundation of biomedical science knowledge to continue to learn throughout practice (the fifth code). Learning new biomedical science knowledge that is advanced through research is required to maintain and improve the physician’s ability to solve routine clinical problems and to begin to solve novel, complex, and unfamiliar problems, thus linking this knowledge as requisite to the development of adaptive expertise.

A key developmental milestone in medical student training is the transformation from lay person to physician through a process termed professional identity formation. Jarvis-Selinger et al. define professional identity formation as ‘An adaptive developmental process that happens simultaneously at two levels: 1) at the level of the individual, which involves the psychological development of the person and 2) at the collective level, which involves the socialization of the person into appropriate roles and forms of participation in the community’s work’ [ 45 ]. Professional identity formation is now viewed as an educational objective of medical education [ 22 , 46 ]. The third and fourth themes identified in this study, physician-patient relationship and learner perception of self, capture key elements of this developmental process. The theme physician-patient relationship developed from three codes that suggest that a physician uses biomedical science knowledge to educate patients about a diagnosis or treatment plan, empowers patients to become active participants in their healthcare, and establishes trusting relationships with patients. These are the skills and behaviors of a competent physician and core elements of a physician’s professional identity. The fourth theme, learner perception of self, directly speaks to the role of biomedical science knowledge in the act of becoming a physician. This theme derived from two codes in which students recognized that their biomedical science knowledge base enables a sense of confidence and competence, and thus contributes to their transition from layperson to physician. The link between these two codes and professional identify formation are succinctly summarized by one of the students: “It is this very knowledge that makes us doctors.”

Professional identity formation is thought to be triggered by experiences of cognitive disequilibrium in relationship to students’ perceptions of self-in-profession, such as the transition from undergraduate student to medical student, early clinical experiences in the preclinical years, exposure to the business of medicine, and exposure to physicians in clinical practice, all of which represent vulnerable periods of training [ 47 ]. Students also expressed that biomedical science knowledge is required to competently communicate with colleagues and other members of the healthcare team, and that this knowledge provides the foundation for building confidence, credibility, and competence as a physician. That a solid foundational knowledge of biomedical science is a professional expectation was recognized by the students is congruent with other studies that identify this as a societal expectation [ 48 , 49 ]. Whether our students’ experience of an integrated curriculum and early clinical experiences contributed to their perceptions to enable us to identify a previously unreported role for biomedical science knowledge in the development of adaptive expertise and professional identity needs further study.

Study limitations

This study had a few limitations. First, the data were collected from an assessed assignment. We attempted to mitigate any potential bias by making the assignment low-stakes and assessed on a pass or fail scale such that it had no significant impact on the students’ overall clerkship grades. To further address this concern, a focus group was convened, and students were asked if they would have responded differently had the assignment been formative in nature. Students indicated that the essays might have less detail, but that the content would have remained the same. Whether or not the students’ responses to the assignment prompts represented their true perceptions or were influenced by the assignment, the students were still able to articulate links between their biomedical science knowledge and the practice and art of medicine without any explicit training in the concepts of adaptive expertise and professional identity formation. A second limitation is that this was a single site study conducted at a private not-for-profit medical school and with a single class of students, which may limit transferability of the study results. However, the composition of the student population aligns demographically with other medical schools in the U.S. and as such may provide transferable information within similar contexts.

The results of this study have significance for medical educators engaged in curricular reform efforts that impact how the biomedical sciences are taught. Specifically, the study reveals new insight into how medical students, who have completed two-years of study of the biomedical sciences within an integrated curriculum, perceived the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to the practice of medicine during the first clerkship year of the undergraduate medical curriculum. The findings suggest that students recognized that their biomedical science knowledge contributed to the development of adaptive expertise and professional identity formation. As the goal of medical education is to equip physicians with the requisite biomedical science knowledge to make clinical decisions and practice evidence-based medicine, and the skills and knowledge to effectively communicate with patients and engage them in shared decision-making, the findings herein suggest caution when revising curricula. Our study supports the notion of others that the loss of clinical expertise deeply grounded in biomedical science and an understanding of the pathologic basis of disease may negatively impact the development of adaptive expertise and professional identity formation [ 50 , 51 ]. Finally, we recommend that future studies identify the contextual factors of the learning environment, including both explicit and tacit elements of the formal, informal, and hidden curriculum, that enable biomedical science knowledge to contribute to these developmental processes so that they can be leveraged rather than lost during curricular reform [ 52 ].

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Change history

13 november 2020.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

de Bruin AB, Schmidt HG, Rikers RM. The role of basic science knowledge and clinical knowledge in diagnostic reasoning: a structural equation modeling approach. Acad Med. 2005;80(8):765–73.

Google Scholar  

Woods NN. Science is fundamental: the role of biomedical knowledge in clinical reasoning. Med Educ. 2007;41(12):1173–7.

Finnerty EP. The Role and Value of the Basic Sciences in Medical Education: An Examination of Flexner’s Legacy. J Int Assoc Med Sci Educ. 2010;20(3):258–60.

Bordage G. Elaborated knowledge: a key to successful diagnostic thinking. Acad Med. 1994;69(11):883–5.

Woods NN, Brooks LR, Norman GR. The role of biomedical knowledge in diagnosis of difficult clinical cases. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2007;12(4):417–26.

Schmidt HG, Rikers RM. How expertise develops in medicine: knowledge encapsulation and illness script formation. Med Educ. 2007;41(12):1133–9.

Grande JP. Training of physicians for the twenty-first century: role of the basic sciences. Med Teach. 2009;31(9):802–6.

Norman G. Teaching basic science to optimize transfer. Med Teach. 2009;31(9):807–11.

Schwartz D, DL B, Sears D. In: Mestre J, editor. Transfer of learning from a modern multidisciplinary perspective. Greenwich: Information Age Publishing; 2005.

Dawson-Saunders B, Feltovich PJ, Coulson RL, Steward DE. A survey of medical school teachers to identify basic biomedical concepts medical students should understand. Acad Med. 1990;65(7):448–54.

Finnerty EP, Chauvin S, Bonaminio G, Andrews M, Carroll RG, Pangaro LN. Flexner revisited: the role and value of the basic sciences in medical education. Acad Med. 2010;85(2):349–55.

Knoop FC, Biel A, Larson KA. Abraham Flexner: The Value of Medical Microbiology and Immunology as Foundation Sciences in Medical Education. J Int Assoc Med Sci Educ. 2010;20(3):260–75.

Pangaro L. The Role and Value of the Basic Sciences in Medical Education: The Perspective of Clinical Education -Students’ Progress from Understanding to Action. J Int Assoc Med Sci Educ. 2010;20(3):307–13.

Weatherall D. Science and medical education: is it time to revisit Flexner? Med Educ. 2011;45(1):44–50.

Rikers RM, Schmidt HG, Boshuizen HP, Linssen GC, Wesseling G, Paas FG. The robustness of medical expertise: clinical case processing by medical experts and subexperts. Am J Psychol. 2002;115(4):609–29.

Rikers RMJP, Schmidt HG, Boshuizen HPA. On the constraints of encapsulated knowledge: clinical case representations by medical experts and subexperts. Cogn Instruct. 2002;20(1):27–45.

Patel VL, Groen GJ, Scott HM. Biomedical knowledge in explanations of clinical problems by medical students. Med Educ. 1988;22(5):398–406.

Eyal L, Cohen R. Preparation for clinical practice: a survey of medical students' and graduates' perceptions of the effectiveness of their medical school curriculum. Med Teach. 2006;28(6):e162–70.

Koens F, Custers EJ, ten Cate OT. Clinical and basic science teachers' opinions about the required depth of biomedical knowledge for medical students. Med Teach. 2006;28(3):234–8.

Cangiarella J, Cohen E, Rivera R, Gillespie C, Abramson S. Evolution of an accelerated 3-year pathway to the MD degree: the experience of New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Acad Med. 2020;95(4):534–9.

Schwartz CC, Ajjarapu AS, Stamy CD, Schwinn DA. Comprehensive history of 3-year and accelerated US medical school programs: a century in review. Med Educ Online. 2018;23(1):1530557.

Irby DM, Cooke M, O'Brien BC. Calls for reform of medical education by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: 1910 and 2010. Acad Med. 2010;85(2):220–7.

American Medical Association. Creating a Community of Innovation. Chicago: American Medical Association; 2017. https://www.ama-assn.org/sites/ama-assn.org/files/corp/media-browser/public/about-ama/ace-monograph-interactive_0.pdf .

Pock AR, Durning SJ, Gilliland WR, Pangaro LN. Post-Carnegie II curricular reform: a north American survey of emerging trends & challenges. BMC Med Educ. 2019;19(1):260.

Green MM, Welty L, Thomas JX Jr, Curry RH. Academic performance of students in an accelerated baccalaureate/MD program: implications for alternative physician education pathways. Acad Med. 2016;91(2):256–61.

Kirch DG, Gusic ME, Ast C. Undergraduate medical education and the foundation of physician professionalism. JAMA. 2015;313(18):1797–8.

Custers EJ, Ten Cate OT. Medical clerks' attitudes towards the basic sciences: a longitudinal and a cross-sectional comparison between students in a conventional and an innovative curriculum. Med Teach. 2007;29(8):772–7.

Diane Kenwright EW, Dai W. Rebecca Grainger Utility Value Theory Underlies Students’ Attitudes to Biomedical Sciences Curricula. Med Sci Educ. 2019;29:647–57.

Guest G, MacQueen KM, Namey EE. Applied thematic analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.; 2012.

Bauler TJSB, Van Enk R, Lutwick L, Dickinson BL. Design and implementation of an integrated course to teach immunology and infectious disease to first year medical students. Med Sci Educ. 2016;26(4):701–7.

Michaelsen L, Watson W, Cragin J, Fink L. Team-based learning: a potential solution to the problems of large classes. Exchange. 1982;7:18–33.

Kolb D. Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 1984.

Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol. 2006;3:77–101.

MQ P. Qualitative research and evaluation methods. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications; 2002.

Ericsson KA. An introduction to Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance: its development, organization, and content. Camb Handb Expertise Expert Perform. 2006:3–19.

Mylopoulos M, Regehr G. Cognitive metaphors of expertise and knowledge: prospects and limitations for medical education. Med Educ. 2007;41(12):1159–65.

Mylopoulos M, Regehr G. How student models of expertise and innovation impact the development of adaptive expertise in medicine. Med Educ. 2009;43(2):127–32.

Cutrer WB, Miller B, Pusic MV, Mejicano G, Mangrulkar RS, Gruppen LD, et al. Fostering the development of master adaptive learners: a conceptual model to guide skill Acquisition in Medical Education. Acad Med. 2017;92(1):70–5.

Holden M, Buck E, Clark M, Szauter K, Trumble J. Professional identity formation in medical education: the convergence of multiple domains. HEC Forum. 2012;24(4):245–55.

Holden MD, Buck E, Luk J, Ambriz F, Boisaubin EV, Clark MA, et al. Professional identity formation: creating a longitudinal framework through TIME (transformation in medical education). Acad Med. 2015;90(6):761–7.

Cooke M, Irby DM, O'Brien BC. Educating physicians: a call for reform of medical school and residency. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2010.

Schwartz DL, Bransford JD, Sears D. Efficiency and innovation in transfer. In: Mestre J, editor. Transfer of Learning for a Modern Multidisciplinary Perspective. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing; 2005. p. 1–51.

van de Wiel M, Boshuizen H, Schmidt HG, Schaper N. The explanation of clinical concepts by expert physicians, clerks, and advanced students. Teach Learn Med. 1999;11(3):153–63.

Cutrer WB, Atkinson HG, Friedman E, Deiorio N, Gruppen LD, Dekhtyar M, et al. Exploring the characteristics and context that allow master adaptive learners to thrive. Med Teach. 2018:1–6.

Jarvis-Selinger S, Pratt DD, Regehr G. Competency is not enough: integrating identity formation into the medical education discourse. Acad Med. 2012;87(9):1185–90.

Cruess SR, Cruess RL, Steinert Y. Supporting the development of a professional identity: general principles. Med Teach. 2019;41(6):641–9.

Kay D, Berry A, Coles NA. What experiences in medical school trigger professional identity development? Teach Learn Med. 2018:1–9.

Wong A, Trollope-Kumar K. Reflections: an inquiry into medical students' professional identity formation. Med Educ. 2014;48(5):489–501.

Schei E, Johnsrud RE, Mildestvedt T, Pedersen R, Hjorleifsson S. Trustingly bewildered. How first-year medical students make sense of their learning experience in a traditional, preclinical curriculum. Med Educ Online. 2018;23(1):1500344.

Stevens CD. Repeal and replace? A note of caution for medical school curriculum reformers. Acad Med. 2018;93(10):1425–7.

Buja LM. Medical education today: all that glitters is not gold. BMC Med Educ. 2019;19(1):110.

Hafferty FW. Beyond curriculum reform: confronting medicine's hidden curriculum. Acad Med. 1998;73(4):403–7.

Download references

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA, USA

Bonny L. Dickinson & Lisa E. Graves

Department of Family and Community Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Kristine Gibson, Kristi VanDerKolk & Jeffrey Greene

Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA

Claudia A. Rosu

Massachusetts General Hospital, Learning Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Deborah D. Navedo

Department of Biomedical Sciences, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA

Kirsten A. Porter-Stransky

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

BLD conceived of the work, made substantial contributions to the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data, drafted the work, and revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. KG, KV, JG, CAR, DDN, KP-S, and LEG made substantial contributions the design of the work and to the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data, and revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Authors’ information

B.L. Dickinson is Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Director of Medical Education Research, and Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine. Macon, Georgia. ORCID: 000-0003-2418-0141

K. Gibson is Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for Clinical Applications. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

K. VanDerKolk is Assistant Professor and Family Medicine Clerkship Director. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

J. Greene is Assistant Professor of Medical Education, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

C.A. Rosu is Adjunct Faculty in the Master of Science in Health Professions Education in the Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts.

D.D. Navedo is Education Resource Specialist, Massachusetts General Hospital Learning Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.

K.A. Porter-Stransky is Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan. ORCID: 0000-0002-9895-8641

L.E. Graves is Professor, Family and Community Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bonny L. Dickinson .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

The Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine Institutional Review Board determined this study to be exempt under 45 CFR 46.101(b), 1.

Consent for publication

Competing interests.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Additional file 1., rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Dickinson, B.L., Gibson, K., VanDerKolk, K. et al. “It is this very knowledge that makes us doctors”: an applied thematic analysis of how medical students perceive the relevance of biomedical science knowledge to clinical medicine. BMC Med Educ 20 , 356 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02251-w

Download citation

Received : 23 October 2019

Accepted : 23 September 2020

Published : 12 October 2020

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02251-w

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Adaptive expertise
• Professional identity formation
• Biomedical science knowledge
• Applied thematic analysis
• Medical students
• Undergraduate medical education
• Basic science knowledge
• Lifelong learning

BMC Medical Education

ISSN: 1472-6920

• Submission enquiries: [email protected]
• General enquiries: [email protected]

For IEEE Members

Ieee spectrum, follow ieee spectrum, support ieee spectrum, enjoy more free content and benefits by creating an account, saving articles to read later requires an ieee spectrum account, the institute content is only available for members, downloading full pdf issues is exclusive for ieee members, downloading this e-book is exclusive for ieee members, access to spectrum 's digital edition is exclusive for ieee members, following topics is a feature exclusive for ieee members, adding your response to an article requires an ieee spectrum account, create an account to access more content and features on ieee spectrum , including the ability to save articles to read later, download spectrum collections, and participate in conversations with readers and editors. for more exclusive content and features, consider joining ieee ., join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to all of spectrum’s articles, archives, pdf downloads, and other benefits. learn more →, join the world’s largest professional organization devoted to engineering and applied sciences and get access to this e-book plus all of ieee spectrum’s articles, archives, pdf downloads, and other benefits. learn more →, access thousands of articles — completely free, create an account and get exclusive content and features: save articles, download collections, and talk to tech insiders — all free for full access and benefits, join ieee as a paying member., why so many medical advances never make it to mainstream medicine, eric topol on why promising technologies like smartphone ultrasound struggle to achieve widespread adoption.

Emily Waltz is the power and energy editor at IEEE Spectrum.

For more than a decade, engineers have been innovating their way through the nascent field of digital medicine: creating pills with sensors on them, disease-detecting facial recognition software, tiny robots that swim through the body to perform tasks, smartphone-based imaging and diagnostics, and sensors that track our vitals. But for all that creativity, only a small portion of these inventions get widely adopted in health care. In an essay published today in Science Translational Medicine , Eric Topol , a cardiologist, geneticist, digital medicine researcher, and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute , discusses the state of digital medicine, ten years in. IEEE Spectrum caught up with Topol to ask a few questions for our readers.

Eric Topol on: 

• Why innovative tech isn't always adopted in medicine
• How to improve the chances that a new advance will actually be used healthcare
• Why mapping the human genome wasn't enough
• Why the world needs voice medical coaches
• His biggest concern about the future of digital medicine

IEEE Spectrum : What’s lacking in digital medicine?

Eric Topol: There’s lots of promise but we’re short on proof. Over the last ten years, we’ve developed sensors for monitoring things like heart rhythm, glucose, and sleep apnea, and we’ve shown that they work well and can make a difference. But now what we’re trying to accomplish is much more intricate, because we’re talking about using deep learning algorithms that diagnose common, non-life threatening conditions like ear infections and urinary tract infections and skin rashes, and algorithms that can read radiology scans. These algorithms will help people avoid going to the doctor, but they have to be validated so that we know they’re not making mistakes. So we’ve got to do the rigorous research—ideally randomized, controlled clinical trials—and so far, we haven’t had enough of that. Generally, the trials that have been done are not large enough, long enough, randomized, or targeting the right patient population.

Back to top

Spectrum: We might be short on validation, but we’re certainly not short on innovation. Engineers come up with new stuff all the time. 

Topol: The engineers are out front but the medical community has lagged. That’s partly because the proof points are needed, but also because there’s resistance to change. I always get concerned when we have a remarkable innovation and it just doesn’t get the use that it deserves. 

Spectrum: What’s an example of a great innovation that hasn’t been widely adopted? 

Topol: The smartphone ultrasound, like the Philips Lumify . It’s a brilliant engineering advance. You can connect a probe to your smartphone and have this exquisite imaging—equivalent to a US $400,000 ultrasound machine that hospitals use—and yet it’s hardly used at all. 

Spectrum: Why isn’t it used?

Topol: Challenges with reimbursement is the main reason, and other factors such as expense and training. Five of these devices have been approved by the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration].

Spectrum: Is there something engineers can do to increase the likelihood that their innovations will be accepted in health care? 

Topol: Ideally engineers should work in tandem—symbiotically—with medical researchers and people caring for patients. That way, they’ll better understand unmet medical needs, and can help plan the proof or validation to help promote acceptance.

Spectrum: In your essay, you said “it was naïve to expect that having a map of the genome alone would transform the future of medicine.” Tell me about that. 

Topol: If you think back to the year 2000 when President Clinton and Francis Collins and Craig Venter stood on the White House lawn and said they had decoded the secret of life with the sequencing of the human genome, the expectations, at that time—of having that [information]—were extraordinary. But a genome can only get you so far. And what we’ve learned in the almost 20 years since then is that the genome is just one dimension that explains our uniqueness and individuality. You can learn a lot about a person from other layers of information, like physiology, anatomy, gut microbiome, and environment. Sensors and digital medicine tools are a vital way to track and understand some of those layers. But to date, there’s been little convergence between digital medicine and genomics, leaving us with a very narrow view of a person that is grossly insufficient. 

Spectrum: You write in your essay that you expect to see voice assistant technology, like Alexa or Siri, evolve into voice medical coaches. That sounds both exciting and terrifying. How do you envision such technology being used?  

Topol: The opportunity is extraordinary. No one doctor could take all of one’s data and continually process it and give you feedback. With a voice medical coach, ultimately, in the future, all of your data is being assimilated, and it could get back to you with up-to-date medical literature. I wrote a chapter about it in the book Deep Medicine . One scenario I gave was using voice medical coaches to determine how frequently you need to be screened for a particular disease, based on your specific data. Recommendations for that sort of thing now are dumbed down and are the same for everybody. But we’ve got to prove that this sort of technology actually helps people. And that takes big clinical trials.

Spectrum: You concluded your essay by saying that many serious concerns about digital medicine still loom, including algorithmic bias, black box issues, health inequities, and privacy and security. Which of those concerns you most, and why? 

Topol: Privacy and security is the one we’re doing the least about, and has major ramifications and could destroy the progress of the whole field. If enough people are scared to used digital tools or AI analytics, then we have nothing.

Emily Waltz  is a features editor at Spectrum covering power and energy. Prior to joining the staff in January 2024, Emily spent 18 years as a freelance journalist covering biotechnology, primarily for the  Nature  research journals and Spectrum . Her work has also appeared in Scientific American , Discover , Outside , and the New York Times . Emily has a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. With every word she writes, Emily strives to say something true and useful. She posts on Twitter/X  @EmWaltz  and her portfolio can be found on her  website .

1-bit LLMs Could Solve AI’s Energy Demands

New techniques emerge to stop audio deepfakes, build long-range iot applications fast with meshtastic, related stories, pressure-relief eye tech advances toward approval, prototype sensors sniff out seizures before they occur, no more invasive surgery—this pacemaker dissolves instead.

Which program are you applying to?

Medical school personal statement examples.

Get accepted to your top choice medical school with your compelling essay.

THE TOP 10 MEDICAL SCHOOLS

HAVE AN AVERAGE ACCEPTANCE RATE OF 5.3%

A GREAT MEDICAL SCHOOL PERSONAL STATEMENT IS KEY IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS

If you want to get into the best school, you need to stand out from other applicants.  

U.S. News   reports the average medical school acceptance rate at the top 100 med schools at 6.35% , but our med school clients enjoy an 85% ACCEPTANCE RATE .

How can you separate yourself from the competition successfully? By creating a great personal statement.

body:nth-child(2) > div.body-wrapper > main:nth-child(3) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div.row-fluid-wrapper.row-depth-1.row-number-6 > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > div.row-fluid-wrapper.row-depth-1.row-number-7 > div:nth-child(1) > div:nth-child(1) > #hs_cos_wrapper_dnd_area-module-12 > #hs_cos_wrapper_dnd_area-module-12_ > h2:nth-child(2)">Medical School Sample Personal Statements and Essays

Here we present medical school personal statement examples to give you ideas for your own essay.

Pay close attention to the consistent format of these effective personal statements:

ENGAGING INTRODUCTION / UNIFYING THEME / COMPELLING CONCLUSION

Give the admissions committee readers a clear picture of you as an individual, a student, and a future medical professional. Make them want to meet you after they finish reading your essay.

Here's what you'll find on this page:

• How Sample Med School Essays Can Help You
• Before you Start Writing
• Writing Your Opening Paragraph
• Writing Your Body Paragraphs
• Writing Transitions
• Writing Your Conclusion
• Common Elements Between Personal Statements

Five Don'ts for Your Medical School Personal Statement

• Personal Statement Examples & Analysis
• Frequently Asked Questions

How can these sample med school essays help you?

You plan to become a physician, a highly respected professional who will have great responsibility over the health and well being of your future patients. How can you prove to the admissions committee that you have the intelligence, the maturity, the compassion, and the dedication needed to succeed in your goal? 

The medical school personal statement examples below are all arguments in favor of top med schools accepting these applicants. And they worked. The applicants who wrote these essays were all accepted to top medical schools - most to multiple schools. They show a variety of experiences and thought processes that all led to the same outcome. However, while the paths to this decision point vary widely, these winning essays share several things in common. 

As you read them, take note of how the stories are built sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, adding to the evidence that the writer is worthy of acceptance. This evidence includes showing a sustained focus, mature self-reflection, and professional and educational experiences that have helped prepare the applicant to succeed. 

As you write your medical school personal statement , include your most compelling, memorable and meaningful experiences that are relevant to your decision to become a doctor. Each sentence should add to the reader’s understanding of who you are, what your strengths are, and why you will make an outstanding physician. Your resulting essay will help the adcom appreciate your intellectual and psychological strengths as well as your motivations, and conclude that you are worthy of acceptance into a top medical school. 

Techniques for creating successful medical school personal statements

Before you start writing your med school personal statement.

Before you start writing your medical school personal statement you will need to choose a topic that will reflect who you are and engage the reader. There are a few strong ways to proceed. Try freewriting with a few of the following topic ideas.

Why medicine? Do you have a personal experience that made you certain about being a physician? How, when, did you know this was the right career for you? Is there a doctor you know (or knew) who emulates an altruistic moral character, someone who won your deepest respect? Can you show this person in action or describe them as they model inherent qualities, those for which you will strive as a physician?

How has a clinical experience been a real growth moment for you? Can you tell that story? Sometimes a clinical experience is deeply personal, something experienced by you or by someone in your family. Sometimes a clinical experience is about a patient whose situation taught you something deeply valuable, something honestly insightful about what good care means, about humanity, about empathy, about compassion, about community, about advantage and disadvantage, about equity and inclusion. 

Choose an experience outside the comfort of your own community, an experience where you were the outsider (uncertain, facing ambiguity) and this experience brought about a fresh, resonant understanding of yourself and others, an understanding that made you grow as a person, and perhaps brought about humility or joy in light of this geographical or cultural dislocation. Often this prompt includes traveling to other countries. Yet, it could work just as beautifully discovering people in close places that were previously unfamiliar to you – the shelter in the next town over, a foster home for medically unstable children, the day you witnessed food insecurity firsthand at a local church and decided to do something about disparity.

Read other successful personal statements in guides and publications. You can read sample personal statements that work here: medical school personal statement examples

The prompts above have great possibilities to be successful because they locate experiences that require better than average human understanding and insight. When we re-convey a moving human experience well, we tell a story that aims to bring us together, unite us in our common humanity. Telling powerful stories about humanity, in the end, presents your deeper attributes to others and demonstrates your capacity to feel deeply about the human condition. 

Be careful how often you use the first person pronoun, though you may use it. Revise for clarity many more times than you might do in other writing moments. Choose precise vocabulary that sounds like you, and, of course, revise so that you present to your readers the most pristinely grammatical you. 

Once you’ve looked at the sample medical school personal statements in the link above, try freewriting again according to one of the themes listed that applies to you. For instance, perhaps your prior freewriting aimed to describe a moment in your life that seeded your interest in medicine. Great. Save that file. Now, start again with a different topic, perhaps one from the linked page of sample personal statements. For instance, let your freewriting explore the time you traveled to another country to participate in a public health mission. What person immediately comes to mind? Hopefully this person is quite different from you in identity and culture. Make sure this comes across. Describe the scene when you first encountered this person. What happened? Tell that story. Why do you think you remember this person so vividly? Did the experience challenge you? Did you learn something deeper and perhaps more complex about humanity, about culture, about your own assumptions about humanity? Hopefully, you grew from this experience. How did you grow? What do you now understand that you did not understand before having had this experience? Hindsight may very well bring about perspective that demonstrates that you now understand the value of that human encounter. 

Here is a cautionary bit of advice about writing about childhood. Yes, it is relatively common to have had a formidable experience in childhood about illness, health, healthcare, medicine or doctors. Right? Most of us have had at least one critical health issue in our own family when still a child. Sometimes it is absolutely true that a moment in childhood began your interest in healthcare. 

One may have had a diagnosis as a child that turned one’s life path toward being health-aware. For instance, are you a juvenile-onset, Type I diabetic? Do you have a cognitive or physical disability? Were you raised in a home with someone who had a critical illness or disability? Did a sibling, parent or grandparent get gravely sick when you were young? 

Upon writing-up any of these situations for your personal statement, there is a catch-22. For medical school application activities, the rule of thumb is “nothing from high school.” So why then is it sometimes a good idea to write about a childhood situation in a personal statement? The answer has to do with the uniqueness of your story and the quality of hindsight through which you narrate it.

Let us slow down for a moment on the issue of writing about childhood. Typically, traditional applicants to medical school are steadfastly dedicated to their academic and pre-professional aims. Science curriculum, especially pre-med curriculum, is demanding and rigorous, and it trains science students to excel in empirical thinking and assessment. 

Sometimes, when asked to write a personal essay, hard core science students feel the rug pulled out from under them. Are you more confident and meticulous about action steps and future plans than you are confident about being a sage looking back on your life? Chances are your answer is “yes.” 

Of course you can write; you’re a smart person and a very good student. Yet, writing a heartfelt, perceptive essay about yourself or an aspect of your life for an application to medical school is unnerving even as you understand why your application might benefit from story-telling. Yes, your application should benefit from your engaging, authorial presence in the essay. An application that lacks this is wholly at a disadvantage. 

Perhaps you are gravitating to the choice to share a story about your childhood. 

For instance, what if you sat down to free-write the following prompt:

Draft an essay about a childhood experience that ingrained medicine as one of your inherent interests. Do so in a manner that demonstrates the value of hindsight while telling it.

Is it hard to stay calm about this prompt right now even though this prompt is precisely what could make your personal statement successful? The idea of this prompt is what many successful applicants have written well, and you can too. Why not seek professional guidance for your personal essay? Accepted has consultants who advise applicants through this process. We advise you on the whole process of developing a successful idea for an essay, help you mine your experiences, outline your strongest ideas, and after you’ve written them up, edit your drafts. You can view these personal statement services here: Essay Package

Back to tips. The key to writing a personal statement that frames a moment in childhood well is to stand firmly in the present and stay descriptive and perceptive. Write up that experience trusting you have insight. Quite a bit of time has passed since then, and that distance has given you the opportunity to see things a little differently now. 

Let’s presume you want to write about how as a child you had an older sibling with a cognitive impairment. You and your family witnessed time and again doors being shut, so to speak, on his ability to be included in school events or community events.

Free writing A: My older brother, G, had moderate cognitive impairment. He was never given field time in soccer games. When this happened, G cried. When this happened, I cried and felt hurt by how much time my parents spent trying to calm him down, eventually leaving the field, holding him close and bringing us back home, another Saturday wrecked. 

Example A has no benefit of hindsight.

Free writing B (with some hindsight): My older brother, G, had moderate cognitive impairment. Most of the time, kids were kind to him. “Hey G, how are you, man?,” they would say and high-five him. Most kids greeted him, offered him snacks and a seat on the sideline blanket. It was touching to see him included and seen at soccer games.

Further hindsight: G was rarely played in the game. 

Reflective comment: No harm would have been done in letting him play. It’s clear to me now how much more work we each need to do about inclusion. Community-based team sports are pretty good about extending kindness at the sidelines, but that is not the same thing as letting all kids play in the game. I am still grateful for every kindness extended to my brother, but perhaps letting him play in the game would have demonstrated to kids and parents alike a deeper message about the importance of inclusion over winning. The coaches meant no harm, but that is precisely how unconscious bias plays. Afterall, community by its very definition is about inclusion.

Standing tall on this matter brings out a maturity and vocabulary to master this kind of personal writing that Free Writing A lacks. You don’t want to go back in time and join your younger self and narrate from that perspective. The “return” to your former child typically results in replicating a childlike emotional capacity – and chances are, that’s not you anymore. You’ve seen more. You’ve grown more. You’re now formally educated. You’re more skilled at making connections between ideas and experiences. You can narrate a scene or circumstance and attach awareness of what you realize now it means – like the over-narratives of documentaries where the author sheds true insight about the meaning of past events. 

Most traditional applicants to medical school are just a few years older than teenagers. 

When hindsight brings great clarity and insight to the significance of an experience, we demonstrate a keener maturity and an understanding that in authoring an experience we have a responsibility to demonstrate how a personal experience becomes a valuable portal to understanding the situation of others. Hindsight done well can be a stunningly beautiful and engaging narrative skill.

Perhaps you would rather write about a clinical experience? If you write about patients, change names, change gender, change some context to assure anonymity. Nearly all healthcare workers are concerned about telling patient stories because we worry about appropriating someone else’s experience, or feel we may not have the right, literally since HIPAA set rules on patients’ privacy rights in 1996. We should be concerned about telling patients’ stories; however, how we tell them is key in honoring them. When we honor patients and convey their stories to others we demonstrate the reciprocity of the professional relationship. Physicians no longer have a prescriptive, patrician role. Physicians are no longer sole authorities. Physicians and patients establish a reciprocal relationship, a two way street wherein a physician steps into a space of illness with the patient and walks with them, with the goal of healing, curing and advocating for them. When doctors tell stories, they establish that patients matter, that these encounters matter, that doctors think about patients and often learn from them. 

How we write patient stories is best done humbly, of course. We can narrate a story that becomes exemplary for its insight and empathy – after all, insight and empathy are desirable traits of a physician. Be sure to show rather than tell, most of the time. Be sure to capture the sensory detail of people and place. For instance, is the patient sitting on a blue plastic chair under ultraviolet lights in the waiting room of a free clinic? Is a woman with her gray hair twisted in a bun wearing a cotton hospital gown, waiting against a concrete wall in a tiny examination room with the door open? (Setting makes a character more real.) 

Finally, your story perspective, what you see and understand, becomes another way of revealing who you are. 

How to write your opening paragraph:

A strong opening paragraph for a story begins “several pages in.” A strong story begins with you, the narrator, already standing in the ocean with water splashing at your knees. This is called a hook: “D began to bleed after the second attempt to start an intravenous line.” 

Then, get the basic narrative facts down, the 5 W’s, the who, what, where, when and why, so your readers will not be confused: “She was a patient in the infusion clinic in the cancer pavilion of a major Boston hospital. She came to the clinic for her first round of chemotherapy.”

What else about this moment engaged you? Did D come to her appointment alone via an Uber ride? Why wasn’t anyone with her? How did that make you feel? Did the two of you hold a conversation while you were trying to start an IV? Why do you think she started to bleed? How did she respond when she saw you were having trouble starting this IV? Why didn’t she have a Medi-port yet? Here, you are building fuller context for her story. Don’t race through the scene; rather, build it, slowing down time, using images and sensory details to “paint” with your words. Smaller details, necessary ones, help you portray D as an individual. 

“Semper Fidelis was tattooed on her forearm. ‘Thank you for your service,’ I said.” 

“‘This cancer thing,’ she said, ‘this is nothing.’”

“D’s comment set me back. She had triple-negative breast cancer. She had blood running down her arm to her hand, between her fingers and onto a stiff, white pillow case on which she rested her arm. Triple-negative breast cancer was much more than nothing. In fact, it was very serious.” 

What questions came to mind that provide several ways of reading this moment? Write them down. For instance,

• Did D not know about the gravity of her diagnosis?
• Was she steely and tough yet informed?
• Did she live through something much worse while enlisted as a Marine?

The questions themselves may wander too much to serve your personal statement as a succinct essay, which it needs to be. However, the answers to those questions may be exactly the additional content you need to develop this story’s acumen and perception as you demonstrate how getting to know the patient is a critical skill in order to help her. And now a theme is starting to come through: a doctor treats a patient, not a diagnosis. Voilà!

Moving forward: How does a doctor reframe clinical assumptions in this instance? What does a future doctor learn from a circumstance like this? 

Notice in the example above that the writing is active, uses details, and vivid language.

This writer has a palpable connection to the moment. One key to choosing one experience over another for your personal statement is how visual and vivid your recollection is. Often, moments worth mining for meaning are easy to recollect because they still have unresolved messages that need to be understood. Writing experiences helps us find their meaning, their sense. 

Notice as well, the scene above captures a moment of ambiguity, a concept particularly difficult for many health science professionals to embrace because there are multiple ways of looking at and understanding something. Stories send empiricism into the wind. People are not solely empirical. There is the self that is the body, which can be understood empirically, but there’s also the self that inhabits the body, the thinking/feeling/being and perceiving self. Stories are not about right answers. Stories attend to sentience and explore humanity. Patients’ lives are rife with uncertain moments, uncertain decisions, uncertain treatments, uncertain consequences, and uncertain outcomes. How does a physician engage with health uncertainty, understand it, and navigate it through pathways of humanity rather than pathways of diagnosis?

How does health care challenge you to grow in humanistic ways?

How to write your body paragraphs:

Once you have written a compelling scene, it might be a good idea to reflect upon why you were drawn to write about this experience in particular before your proceed. How does this scene illustrate meaningfully something worth explaining about becoming a physician? For instance, D’s scene was illustrative of an unexpected shift in perception that mattered when treating a patient with a serious cancer diagnosis. This unexpected shift happened to you, not to her. D’s been living with herself aplenty. Her point of view surprised you, not her, and reveals an incongruence between her perspective on her illness and yours.

Brief moments of ambiguity like this one can make us talk to each other, make us want to do something, can bring us to explore some further niche, specialty or research. Perhaps D brought you to peruse PubMed to research “Issues in Clinical Practice when Caring for Veterans” to see if you could find articles to help you help D and other veterans. Perhaps D’s comment was so truthful that you now volunteer with a veterans’ organization to scribe their stories for a war history museum? This “call to action” is a worthy story in a personal statement. Tell D’s story and conclude it with empathy and action. (Taking action to help is a demonstration of empathy.) Mindfully showing the experience with D as a catalyst to a path of action to help those under duress -- in distress, in crisis, or adrift in inequity -- matters.

Perhaps, follow this conclusion with a brief explanation of what principles now guide your humanistic path to medical school as long as they are principles that matter to your choice schools. 

Here are a few things to avoid in writing your medical school personal statement. Avoid talking about your scholastic path in preparation for medical school in your essay. The essay is not a place to reiterate scholastic achievements, for instance, a high GPA, academic honors, academic awards, publications, or MCAT scores because they’re front and center in other areas of your application. 

Instead, frame your medical school personal statement around a formidable experience that directly or indirectly led you to pursue medicine. This could be a struggle that you’ve overcome that demonstrates your fortitude (the story of a sociocultural disadvantage or disability), the first time you deeply understood the ramifications of health care disparities you will not forget. Likely, this would be a personal story about yourself or a family member, a clinical story or a mission trip, or a story about a patient from some other volunteer work that you’ve done. 

Additional topic ideas for your personal statement: What is a successful doctor? What does a successful life as a doctor look like? What happens to your understanding of best practices when a patient’s situation makes a best practice unrealistic, and what is the remedy? What epiphany, small or large, resides in you now since having mined a critical, clinical experience? Do you see a difference in the way you respond to patients since having had this experience? How has clinical experience matured you, deepened your awareness of living? If a patient experience became a catalyst for you to branch out or deepen your healthcare exposure opportunities, talk about that too. What opportunities? Why?

Writing effective transitions:

You are now ready to proceed to a conclusion that leaves your readers, the admissions committee, with a lasting impression of you – your life, your mind, your character -- as a 21 st century physician. 

Chances are, you’ll need to transition from the previous discussion of a time in the past to squarely speak about yourself here and now or in a comment toward the future. 

Can you sum up your main idea for the past experience? Consider the benefit of using a word or phrase -- thus, just as, hence, accordingly, in the same way, correspondingly -- and present your central idea again but only in a few repetitive words (called parallelism) or with synonymous words, creating internal unity in the essay. 

Be careful how you do this. The phrasing should feel necessary and fluid rather than reductive or even worse, phrasing that sounds like filler. 

The shift you’re making is from then to now, or from then to now and to the future as in “all this is to say.” Would you benefit from a fact, a quote, a statistic, or an informed prediction on the state of medicine, public health, or the future of medicine? 

Grammar tips: 

Transitional words can indicate:

• a process: first, second, next, finally…
• time: by lunch time, that evening, two weeks later…
• spatial sequences: down the block, two miles west, one bed over…
• logic sequences: likewise, however, evidently, in other words…
• meta-thought: as I say this, looking back, I have nothing left to say…

If grammar and idea flow are a concern, have a look at Accepted’s editing services: Med School Essay Package

A consultant will walk you through the inception of an essay, an outline, and editing from first through final drafts, including suggestions for idea development and transitions from one idea to another.

How to write your conclusion:

A strong conclusion for your medical school personal statement can highlight the relevance of a timely issue (for instance, the physician shortage in the U.S.), make broader inferences about something you’ve already discussed (for instance, the broader implications of a particular health care disparity), or a call to action that you now embrace (for instance, community-based work that you did during the pandemic that now has become a central interest). Altruism, or understanding another’s disadvantaged situation, should not be represented in your conclusion as “ideas alone.” Commitment to serve others is not solely aspirational (“As physicians, we must do everything we can about inequity"), but a strong conclusion puts ideals into action (“I have joined Dr. T’s research team to conduct qualitative research about how social strata paradigms impact health care inequity”). Action in the conclusion should be associated with an experience shown earlier in the essay and culminate as a demonstration that you have already begun shaping your path in medicine. You are not waiting to begin but have already begun facing the challenges and responsibilities of future physicians. This kind of conclusion shows vision, maturity, commitment and character.

If the story in the body of your personal statement is about an experience, the conclusion should show your growth since then and keep in alignment how you’ve grown with the medical school values and missions of the majority of schools on your list. So, if you’re applying to top-tier allopathic schools, your growth may be in the depth and orientation of your recent research, or in having established a tighter link between your clinical experience and research. 

If you’re applying to osteopathic schools, your growth should be in keeping with the osteopathic schools’ values and missions on your list and include recent hands-on experience, something with specific tasks and responsibilities, rather than shadowing, since shadowing is often seen as passive experience. It may be that you’ve become a licensed EMT and will work as an EMT in a relevant region or state during the gap year. It may be that you’ve been certified and now work as a harm reduction specialist for a particular organization in a particular city or county. 

If you’re applying to both allopathic and osteopathic schools, each personal statement should align with the academic orientation of each pathway. Using the same personal statement for both AMCAS and AACOMAS applications is rarely a good idea. 

Accepted offers help with the whole application process: Primary Application Package

Other elements that each essay below have in common:

Accepted provides sample medical school personal statements with titles classifying types of narratives that have potential for success. Applicants do have some freedom of choice in what topic will serve their essay best. Why only “some” freedom in topic for this personal essay? Because this essay is one tool you will use to reach a professional goal. 

Not all essays help us reach professional goals. Writers of effective essays must take into account who will read them. Think about who your audience is. In this case, it’s a medical school admissions committee – not a friend, not a parent, not a peer. How will you write an essay on the same topic, let’s say a lab experience that went from bad to revelatory? You’d tell this story quite differently to your lab mates than you would to your professor, than you would to the president of your university, than you would in a grant application. 

Here’s what can happen when the “audience” isn’t considered sufficiently when writing about a passion. Let’s say you love playing soccer, and played on a Division 3 team as an undergraduate. Let’s say it didn’t matter to you that the team was Division 3 as long as it meant you could get on the field and play through your undergraduate years. It’s quite possible that one can write well about playing soccer, but one must do so in such a way that the reader really believes and understands the parallel between doing what you love and a future in medicine. Otherwise, the writer may very well convey that they love soccer. However, when written without the focus that medical school admissions committees will be readers, the essay could end up conveying that the narrator really wants to be a soccer coach, not a doctor. 

So, there’s only some freedom in topic and some freedom in writing approach - and the two must make sense together in order to facilitate accomplishing your goal. 

There is no “one-size-fits-all” to writing a successful medical school personal statement. There are, however, aspects to the sample essays on this site that stand out. 

First, each personal statement example is authored by someone who knows exactly what story they’re telling. No matter what their first draft looked like, by the time the final draft is ready to go, all fuzzy draft moments have been made lucid and engaging. All sections of the essay should have the polish and the same goals. 

• Why am I telling this in this way? 
• To what ends does each scene or moment speak?
• Have I revised enough to make every sentence demonstrate strong writing skills?

Each sample personal statement emphasizes narrative control, engages with a direct voice, has conclusive things to show and say, demonstrates logical steps in idea development, and presents effective framing of the composition as a well-written form that displays strong writing skills. 

Even when an essay includes a “bookend” structure (a narrative structure that begins and ends with X, with middle content about Y), the story of Y (i.e. a mission trip in Mexico) is the primary story framed by the X bookend story (i.e. the love of running) to give ballast to the context in which this writer wants us to understand the mission trip as well, as a parallel story of challenge, commitment, exhilaration, exhaustion and necessity.

The same is true for stories that contain contrasts. If you’ve traveled ten mile or ten thousand miles, it is quite possible you’ve encountered different assumptions than your own about health care, health care access, trust, understanding of middle-class or first-world beliefs about health, understanding beliefs from poor and disadvantaged communities, illness, health care in contrast with a different cultural standard than what you’re used to, different beliefs about health care access, and a lack of or cautious trust in deference to doctors. (See the “Nontraditional Applicant” and “The Traveler.”) The key to this kind of essay is first demonstrating the contrasts between the two realities (yours and the patient’s reality) and their relative assumptions. Second, demonstrate an understanding of beliefs amid the two experiences and aim to reconcile their adverse assumptions.

However you proceed with the paragraph by paragraph progression of your medical school personal statement, be sure to see how there’s deeper intuition or knowledge associated with how the ideas progress. Do not repeat yourself, or reiterate a statement or idea unless you are clearly doing so for rhetorical emphasis.

Then, kiss your draft goodnight. Let it sit for two or three days, and return to it time and again with fresh eyes – to trim, tighten, clarify, improve tone and intention, and importantly, to make sure you have direct regard for your audience, who it is, what they’re looking for, and how you are the person whom they seek, as you maintain a tone and direction consistent with your goals and what you’re seeking from an admissions committee. 

Many students focus on their own or family members’ medical conditions in their personal statements. The essay sometimes reads like a medical history. Taking this approach can hurt your application for several reasons: It may alert them to conditions that could impact your ability to perform in medical school,   indicate that you lack boundaries by oversharing , or suggest a lack of maturity in focusing only on yourself and family – rather than on helping others or serving the community.

Anything you share in your personal statement can be brought up in your interview. If you share details of painful events, losses, or failures that you have not yet processed or come to terms with, that disclosure could come across as an invitation for the reader to pity you. Accepting long-term changes in our lives transforms us; we are constantly evolving through our experiences. Until you have integrated this information into your identity, depending on how impactful it was, you may not be able to use the experience to shed insight on yourself quite yet. Use negative experiences that are at least a year or older depending on how long it takes you to process and reflect. Most importantly,   use them to show growth and resilience , not to create pity.

• DON’T demonstrate a lack of compassion or empathy. One of the creepiest essays I’ve ever read – it still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it – was a student’s description of how much she enjoyed anesthetizing and removing the brains of mice. Her intention was to share her love of science, research, and learning but the feverish glee with which she described these procedures lacked compassion for the creatures that lost their lives for her research project. This lack of respect for the sacredness of life made it an easy decision to reject her application. Research was probably a better path for her, especially since she wasn’t able to gauge the reaction her statements would have on her audience.
• DON’T bargain. The least fun essays to read are those that contain more promises than a politician’s speech. They include statements like, “If accepted into this program, I will….” The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. If you really want to demonstrate what you are capable of achieving during your medical education,  give examples of what you have already accomplished . This approach is far stronger than making hollow promises.
• DON’T complain. Criticizing or pointing out the failures of healthcare professionals who have treated you or whom you have observed in the past will only reflect negatively on you. Since your application will be reviewed by doctors, as well as admissions professionals, it’s critical that you do not insult those from whom you are seeking acceptance. While it is true that medical mistakes and lack of access to care have devastating consequences for patients, their families and communities, identifying ways to improve in these areas without pointing any fingers would be more effective. By demonstrating your realistic knowledge of patient needs and sharing potential solutions, you can present yourself as an asset to their team.

Be careful what you write. Create a personal statement that is honest (not bitter), reveals your personality (not your medical history), and delivers a compelling explanation for your motivations for entering medicine (not empty promises). 

Do you want our expert advice on your medical school personal statement?

Med School Personal Statement Consultant Dr. Mary Mahoney

Med School Personal Statement Examples and Analysis

Now let’s explore what you can learn from some of these outstanding sample med school essays.

Medical school personal statement example  #1: Emergency 911 

“Call 911!” I shouted to my friend as I sprinted down the street. The young Caucasian male had been thrown fifteen yards from the site of impact and surprisingly was still conscious upon my arrival. “My name is Michael. Can you tell me your name?” In his late twenties, he gasped in response as his eyes searched desperately in every direction for help, for comfort, for assurance, for loved ones, for death, until his eyes met mine. “Flail chest,” I thought to myself as I unbuttoned his shirt and placed my backpack upon his right side. “Pulse 98, respiration 28 short and quick. Help is on the way. Hang in there, buddy,” I urged.

After assessing the patient, the gravity of the situation struck me into sobriety. The adrenaline was no longer running through my veins — this was real. His right leg was mangled with a compound fracture; his left leg was also obviously broken. The tow-truck that had hit him looked as though it had run into a telephone pole. Traffic had ceased on the six-lane road, and a large crowd had gathered. However, no one was by my side to help. “Get me some blankets from that motel!” I yelled to a bystander and three people immediately fled. I was in charge.

But my patient was no longer conscious; his pulse was faint and respiration was low. “Stay with me, man!” I yelled. “15 to 1, 15 to 1,” I thought as I rehearsed CPR in my mind. Suddenly he stopped breathing. Without hesitation, I removed my T-shirt and created a makeshift barrier between his mouth and mine through which I proceeded to administer two breaths. No response. And furthermore, there was no pulse. I began CPR. I continued for approximately five minutes until the paramedics arrived, but it was too late. I had lost my first patient.

Medicine. I had always imagined it as saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pain, overall making life better for everyone. However, as I watched the paramedics pull the sheets over the victim’s head, I began to tremble. I had learned my first lesson of medicine: for all its power, medicine cannot always prevail. I had experienced one of the most disheartening and demoralizing aspects of medicine and faced it. I also demonstrated then that I know how to cope with a life-and-death emergency with confidence, a confidence instilled in me by my certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, a confidence that I had the ability to take charge of a desperate situation and help someone in critical need. This pivotal incident confirmed my decision to pursue medicine as a career. 

Of course healing, curing, and saving is much more rewarding than trying and failing. As an EMT I was exposed to these satisfying aspects of medicine in a setting very new to me — urban medicine. I spent most of a summer doing ride-alongs with the Ambulance Company in Houston. Every call we received dealt with Latino patients either speaking only Spanish or very little broken English. I suddenly realized the importance of understanding a foreign culture and language in the practice of medicine, particularly when serving an underserved majority. In transporting patients from the field to the hospitals I saw the community’s reduced access to medical care due to a lack of physicians able to communicate with and understand their patients. I decided to minor in Spanish. Having almost completed my minor, I have not only expanded my academic horizons, I have gained a cultural awareness I feel is indispensable in today’s diverse society.

Throughout my undergraduate years at Berkeley I have combined my scientific interests with my passion for the Hispanic culture and language. I have even blended the two with my interests in medicine. During my sophomore year I volunteered at a medical clinic in the rural town of Chacala, Mexico. In Mexico for one month, I shadowed a doctor in the clinic and was concurrently enrolled in classes for medical Spanish. It was in Chacala, hundreds of miles away from home, that I witnessed medicine practiced as I imagined it should be. Seeing the doctor treat his patients with skill and compassion as fellow human beings rather than simply diseases to be outsmarted, I realized he was truly helping the people of Chacala in a manner unique to medicine. Fascinated by this exposure to clinical medicine, I saw medicine’s ability to make a difference in people’s lives. For me the disciplines of Spanish and science have become inseparable, and I plan to pursue a career in urban medicine that allows me to integrate them.

Having seen medicine’s different sides, I view this as a multifaceted profession. I have witnessed its power as a healing agent in rural Chacala, and I have seen its weakness when I met death face-to-face as an EMT. Inspired by the Latino community of Houston, I realize the benefits of viewing it from a holistic, culturally aware perspective. And whatever the outcome of the cry "Call 911!" I look forward as a physician to experiencing the satisfaction of saving lives, curing ailments, alleviating pain, and overall making life better for my patients.

Lessons From Med School Sample Essay #1: Emergency 911

This essay is one of our favorites. The applicant tells a story and weaves a lot of information into it about his background and interests. Note how the lead grabs one’s attention and the conclusion ties everything together.

What makes this essay work?

• A dramatic opening paragraph

This essay has an unusually long opener, but not only is it dramatic, it also lays out the high-stakes situation of the writer desperately trying to save the life of a young man. As an EMT, the writer is safe in sharing so much detail, because they establish their bona fides as medically knowledgeable. With the urgent opening sentence (“Call 911!”) and the sad final sentence (“I had lost my first patient.”), the writer bookends a particularly transformative experience, one that confirmed their goal of becoming a doctor.  

• A consistent theme

The theme of a med school essay in which the applicant first deals with the inevitable reality of seeing a patient die can become hackneyed through overuse. This essay is saved from that fate because after acknowledging the pain of this reality check, the writer reports that they immediately committed to expanding his knowledge and skills to better serve the local Hispanic community. While not an extraordinary story for an EMT, the substance, self-awareness, and focus the writer brings to the topic makes it a compelling read.

• Evidence supporting the stated goal

This applicant is already a certified EMT, which serves as evidence of their serious interest in a medical career. In going on ambulance ride-alongs, the writer realized the barrier in communication between many doctors and their Spanish-speaking patients, which inspired the writer to take steps to both learn medical Spanish and shadow a doctor in a Mexican clinic. These concrete steps affirm that the applicant has serious intent.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #2: The Traveler

"On the first day that I walked into the Church Nursing Home, I was unsure of what to expect. A jumble of questions ran through my mind simultaneously: Is this the right job for me? Will I be capable of aiding the elderly residents? Will I enjoy what I do? A couple of hours later, these questions were largely forgotten as I slowly cut chicken pieces and fed them to Frau Meyer. Soon afterwards, I was strolling through the garden with Herr Schmidt, listening to him tell of his tour of duty in World War II. By the end of the day, I realized how much I enjoyed the whole experience and at the same time smiled at the irony of it all. I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany, to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.

Experiences like my volunteer work in the German nursing home illustrate the decisive role travel has played in my life. For instance, I had volunteered at a local hospital in New York but was not satisfied. Dreams of watching doctors in the ER or obstetricians in the maternity ward were soon replaced with the reality of carrying urine and feces samples to the lab. With virtually no patient contact, my exposure to clinical medicine in this setting was unenlightening and uninspiring. However, in Heidelberg, despite the fact that I frequently change diapers for the incontinent and deal with occasionally cantankerous elderly, I love my twice-weekly visits to the nursing home. Here, I feel that I am needed and wanted. That rewarding feeling of fulfillment attracts me to the practice of medicine.

My year abroad in Germany also enriched and diversified my experience with research. Although I had a tremendously valuable exposure to research as a summer intern investigating chemotherapeutic resistance in human carcinomas, I found disconcerting the constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research. In contrast, my work at the University of Heidelberg gave me a broader view of basic research and demonstrated how it can expand knowledge – even without the promise of immediate profit. I am currently attempting to characterize the role of an enzyme during neural development. Even though the benefit of such research is not yet apparent, it will ultimately contribute to a vast body of information which will further medical science.

My different reactions to research and medicine just exemplify the intrinsically broadening impact of travel. For example, on a recent trip to Egypt, I visited a small village on the banks of the Nile. This impoverished hamlet boasted a large textile factory in its center where many children worked in clean, bright, and cheerful conditions weaving carpets and rugs. After a discussion with the foreman of the plant, I discovered that the children of the village learned trades at a young age to prepare them to enter the job market and to support their families. If I had just heard about this factory, I would have recoiled in horror with visions of sweatshops running through my head. However, watching the skill and precision each child displayed, in addition to his or her endless creativity, soon made me realize that it is impossible to judge this country’s attempts to deal with its poverty using American standards and experience.

Travel has not only had a formative and decisive impact on my decision to pursue a career in medicine, it has also broadened my horizons – whether in a prosperous city on the Rhine or an impoverished village on the Nile. In dealing with patients or addressing research puzzles, I intend to bring the inquiring mind fostered in school, lab, and volunteer experiences. But above all, I intend to bring the open mind formed through travel.

Lessons From Medical School Sample Essay #2: The Traveler

No boring repetition of itinerary from this seasoned traveler! This student ties their travels to their medical ambitions through the effective use of short anecdotes and vivid images. Can you sense the writer’s youthful disappointment during early clinical experiences and mature satisfaction working in the retirement home?

This applicant effectively links the expansive benefits of travel to their medical ambitions. By sharing vivid anecdotes from and reflections on these experiences, the writer enables the reader to easily imagine them as a talented physician in the future.

• An engaging opening that frames the storyline Many fine application essays open with imagery so vibrant that the writing could be mistaken for fiction. This essay is no different. We meet the writer in the setting of a nursing home overseas, where they question whether their volunteer experiences there will help them determine their career path. Notice how the first sentence reflects a worry, “I was unsure of what to expect,” but by the final sentence, the writer concludes with satisfaction, “I needed to travel to Heidelberg, Germany, to confirm my interest in clinical medicine.” With this framing, we appreciate the essay’s theme.
• Reflections on and contrasts about varied experiences in medicine The writer’s reactions to various encounters reveal a maturing mind-set: the “unenlightening and uninspiring” experience volunteering in a New York hospital versus the feeling of being “needed and wanted” in the nursing home in Heidelberg; the “disconcerting . . . constant cost-benefit analysis required in applied biomedical research” versus the “broader view of basic research and . . . how it can expand knowledge – even without the promise of immediate profit” at the University of Heidelberg. These reflections demonstrate a thoughtfulness born of experience.
• How traveling has expanded his potential as a physician Of the five tightly constructed paragraphs in this substantial essay, the final two paragraphs home in on how travel has had an “intrinsically broadening impact” and stimulated an “open mind” to people and situations. This kind of sophisticated view is a desirable trait to adcoms.
• Out-of-the-box theme Although this essay’s foundation is built on the writer’s sincere and dedicated aspirations for a medical career, they allowed themselves the space to write about the broadening intellectual benefits of travel, linking those benefits to professional potential. Even when writing about children working in a factory in Egypt, this applicant brings an expanded mind-set and greater cross-cultural understanding that will no doubt benefit them in their career.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #3: The Non-Traditional Applicant

"Modest one-room houses lay scattered across the desert landscape, their rooftops a seemingly helpless shield against the intense heat generated by the mid-July sun. The steel security bars that guarded the windows and doors of every house seemed to belie the large welcome sign at the entrance to the ABC Indian Reservation. As a young civil engineer employed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I was far removed from my cubicle in downtown Los Angeles.

However, I felt I was well-prepared to conduct my first project proposal. The project involved a $500,000 repair of an earthen levee surrounding an active Native American burial site. A fairly inexpensive and straightforward job by federal standards, but nonetheless, I could hardly contain my excitement. Strict federal construction guidelines laden with a generous portion of technical jargon danced through my head as I stepped up to the podium to greet the twelve tribal council members. My premature confidence quickly disappeared as they confronted me with a troubled ancient gaze. Their faces revealed centuries of distrust and broken government promises.

Suddenly, from a design based solely upon abstract engineering principles, an additional human dimension emerged – one for which I had not prepared. The calculations I had crunched over the past several months and the abstract engineering principles simply no longer applied. Their potential impact on this community was clearly evident in the faces before me. With perspiration forming on my brow, I decided I would need to take a new approach to salvage this meeting. So I discarded my rehearsed speech, stepped out from behind the safety of the podium, and began to solicit the council members’ questions and concerns. By the end of the afternoon, our efforts to establish a cooperative working relationship had resulted in a distinct shift in the mood of the meeting. Although I am not saying we erased centuries of mistrust in a single day, I feel certain our steps towards improved relations and trust produced a successful project.

I found this opportunity to humanize my engineering project both personally and professionally rewarding. Unfortunately, experiences like it were not common. I realized early in my career that I needed a profession where I could more frequently incorporate human interaction and my interests in science. After two years of working as a civil engineer, I enrolled in night school to explore a medical career and test my aptitude for pre-medical classes. I found my classes fascinating and became a more effective student. Today, I am proud of the 3.7 GPA I have achieved in competitive post-baccalaureate courses such as organic chemistry, biochemistry, and genetics.

Confident of my ability to succeed in the classroom, I proceeded to volunteer in the Preceptorship Program at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. I acquired an understanding of the emotional demands and time commitment required of physicians by watching them schedule their personal lives around the needs of their patients. I also soon observed that the rewards of medicine stem from serving the needs of these same patients. I too found it personally gratifying to provide individuals with emotional support by holding an elderly woman’s hand as a physician drew a blood sample or befriending frightened patients with a smile and conversation.

To test my aptitude for a medical career further, I began a research project under the supervision of Dr. John Doe from the Orthopedic Department at Big University. The focus of my study was to determine the fate of abstracts presented at the American Society for Surgery of the Hand annual meeting. As primary author, I reported the results in an article for the Journal of Hand Surgery, a peer-reviewed publication. My contribution to medicine, albeit small, gave me much satisfaction. In the future, I would like to pursue an active role in scientific research.

My preparation for a career as a medical doctor started with my work as a professional engineer. From my experiences at the ABC Indian Reservation, I realized I need more direct personal interaction than engineering offers. The rewarding experiences I have had in my research, my volunteer work at the Los Angeles County Hospital, and my post-bac studies have focused my energies and prepared me for the new challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead in medicine."

Lessons From Med School Sample Essay #3: The Non-Traditional Applicant

Here, an older applicant takes advantage of their experience and maturity. Note how this engineer demonstrates their sensitivity and addresses possible stereotypes about engineers’ lack of communications skills.

What works well in this essay?

• A compelling lead This story begins in a hot desert landscape, an unexpected and dramatic starting point. Can’t you just feel the heat and sense the loneliness of the remote Indian reservation? Equally powerful in this first paragraph is when the writer faces the need to suddenly and completely rethink their carefully planned approach to address the tribal leaders. Their excitement is dashed. Their confidence has plummeted. They are totally unprepared for the mistrust facing them and their plan, and they need to improvise –quickly. Who wouldn’t want to read on to see how they resolve this dramatic turn of events?
• Solid storytelling that leads to a satisfying conclusion This nontraditional med school applicant reinvents themself in this essay. After realizing that they want more human involvement and interaction in their work, they take this self-knowledge and show us the steps they took to achieve their new goal. The steps are logical and well thought out, so the writer’s conclusion that they are well prepared in every way for med school makes perfect sense.
• Evidence to support their theme Through taking prerequisite courses in medicine (and achieving high grades) to bedside hospital volunteering (which provides emotional satisfaction) to helping write a medical research paper (which provides a feeling that they are making a meaningful contribution), the writer offers evidence that they are well suited for their new goal of a career in medicine. Each experience shared is relevant to the writer’s story. Any reader will agree that the applicant’s future as a physician is promising.
• A thoughtful perspective From the opening paragraph, the writer shows their ability to adapt to new situations and realities with quick thinking and psychological openness. They assess each stage of their journey, testing it for intellectual value and emotional satisfaction. Journeys of reflective self-discovery are something adcoms value.

Medical School Personal Statement Example #4: The Anthropology Student

"Crayfish tails in tarragon butter, galantine of rabbit with foie gras, oxtail in red wine, and apple tartelettes. The patient had this rich meal and complained of “liver upset” (crise de foie). Why a liver ache? I always associate indigestion with a stomach ache. In studying French culture in my Evolutionary Psychology class, I learned that when experiencing discomfort after a rich meal, the French assume their liver is the culprit. Understanding and dealing with the minor – sometimes major – cultural differences is a necessity in our shrinking world and diverse American society. Anthropology has prepared me to effectively communicate with an ethnically diverse population. My science classes, research, and clinical experience have prepared me to meet the demands of medical school.

I first became aware of the valuable service that physicians provide when I observed my father, a surgeon, working in his office. I gained practical experience assisting him and his staff perform various procedures in his outpatient center. This exposure increased my admiration for the restorative, technological, and artistic aspects of surgery. I also saw that the application of medical knowledge was most effective when combined with compassion and empathy from the health care provider.

While admiring my father’s role as a head and neck surgeon helping people after severe accidents, I also found a way to help those suffering from debilitating ailments. Working as a certified physical trainer, I became aware of the powerful recuperative effects of exercise. I was able to apply this knowledge in the case of Sharon, a 43-year-old client suffering from lupus. She reported a 200% increase in her strength tests after I trained her. This meant she could once again perform simple tasks like carrying groceries into her house. Unfortunately, this glimpse of improvement was followed by a further deterioration in her condition. On one occasion, she broke down and cried about her declining health and growing fears. It was then that I learned no physical prowess or application of kinesiology would alleviate her pain. I helped reduce her anxiety with a comforting embrace. Compassion and understanding were the only remedies available, temporary though they were.

To confirm that medicine is the best way for me to help others, I assisted a research team in the Emergency Room at University Medical Center (UMC). This experience brought me in direct contact with clinical care and provided me with the opportunity to witness and participate in the “behind-the-scenes” hospital operations. Specifically, we analyzed the therapeutic effects of two new drugs – Drug A and Drug B – in patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke. The purpose of this trial was to determine the efficacy and safety of these agents in improving functional outcome in patients who had sustained an acute cerebral infarction. My duties centered around the role of patient-physician liaison, determining patients’ eligibility, monitoring their conditions, and conducting patient histories.

I continued to advance my research experience at the VA Non-Human Primate Center. During the past year, I have been conducting independent research in endocrinology and biological aspects of anthropology. For this project, I am examining the correlation between captive vervet monkeys’ adrenal and androgen levels with age, gender, and various behavioral measures across different stress-level environments. I enjoy the discipline and responsibility which research requires, and I hope to incorporate it into my career.

Anthropology is the study of humans; medicine is the science and art of dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease in humans. From my work at UMC and my observation of my father’s practice, I know medicine will allow me to pursue an art and science that is tremendously gratifying and contributes to the welfare of those around me. My anthropology classes have taught me to appreciate cross-cultural perspectives and their relationship to pathology and its etiology. Firsthand experience with exercise therapy and nutrition has taught me the invaluable role of prevention. Medical school will now provide me with the technical knowledge to alleviate a crise de foie."

[ Click here to view an excerpt from the original draft of this essay. ]

Lessons From Medical School Sample Essay #4: The Anthropology Student

With a diverse background that includes anthropology studies, work as a certified physical trainer, and experience in clinical medical research, this applicant builds a strong case for their logical and dedicated choice of a medical career.

• An engaging opening that frames the storyline This writer cleverly uses an example from anthropology class, linking the description of a heavy, gourmet French meal to an appreciation for cross-cultural understanding that will be an asset during their medical career. Notice that the writer is not describing their own personal experience here but piggybacked on a class lesson to create a colorful, engaging opening.
• A solid variety of relevant experiences In this six-paragraph essay, the writer links their lessons from anthropology studies to a firsthand understanding based on observing how their surgeon-father related to patients, to becoming a physical trainer directly helping others, and then to two different kinds of medical research. Each experience builds logically and chronologically on what came before, adding to the substance of the applicant’s preparation for medical school.
• A powerful personal experience with a client In the third paragraph, the writer’s experience working with a patient with lupus is particularly strong and memorable. Their initial success with Sharon is followed by an almost immediate and radical decline in her condition. This is a moving anecdote that shows the applicant’s understanding of the limitations of medicine – and the power of compassion.
• An excellent summary paragraph that ties everything together The final paragraph isn’t the place to offer new information, and this one doesn’t. Instead, it reminds the reader about the strong foundation the writer built from academics to career and medical research. Readers will be persuaded that after these experiences and reflections, the applicant truly appreciates “cross-cultural perspectives and their relationship to pathology and its etiology,” as well as the “firsthand experience with exercise therapy and nutrition teaching the invaluable role of prevention.”

Don’t Write Like This!

As the time approached for me to set my personal and professional goals, I made a conscientious decision to enter a field which would provide me with a sense of achievement and, at the same time, produce a positive impact on mankind. It became apparent to me that the practice of medicine would fulfill these objectives. In retrospect, my ever-growing commitment to medicine has been crystallizing for years. My intense interest in social issues, education, and athletics seems particularly appropriate to this field and has prepared me well for such a critical choice...

I’ve been asked many times why I wish to become a physician. Upon considerable reflection, the thought of possessing the ability to help others provides me with tremendous internal gratification and offers the feeling that my life’s efforts have been focused in a positive direction. Becoming a physician is the culmination of a lifelong dream, and I am prepared to dedicate myself, as I have in the past, to achieving this goal.

Lessons from Don’t Write Like This

This is an excerpt from the original draft of the Anthropology Student’s AMCAS essay. We are not including the whole thing because you can get the idea all too rapidly from just this brief portion. Note the abundant use of generalities that apply to the overwhelming majority of medical school applicants. Observe how the colorless platitudes and pomposity hide any personality. Can you imagine reading essays like this all day long? If so, then imagine your reaction to a good essay.

More sample essays

The Dental School Applicant Sample Essay >>

The Physician Assistant Sample Application Essay >>

What's next?

You’ve just made a smart investment of time by studying these successful sample essays. Now you’re one step closer to writing essays that can lead to acceptance at a top medical school.

Why not make the next smart investment and team up with an experienced admissions expert ? We have helped thousands of qualified applicants get accepted to their dream schools and look forward to helping you too. 

Get Expert Help With Your Medical School Application

Our world-class team helps you stand out from the competition and get accepted.

APPLICATION STRATEGY / PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ESSAY REVIEW / INTERVIEW PREP

Med school personal statement FAQs

1. when should i start writing my personal statement for medical school.

Typically, traditional applicants who have a goal of submitting their AMCAS or AACOMAS application in June write their personal statement after they take the MCAT in March. Starting the prewriting for the personal statement earlier than that is fine too; however, if an applicant plans to sit for the MCAT in the early spring, writing a compelling personal narrative while preparing for the MCAT can often be too much. Both require very different kinds of thinking. The intensity of studying for the MCAT, and the empirical thinking it requires, can interfere with the imaginative brainstorming needed to find your topic and develop it.  

Before focusing on the personal statement, look at all the elements of the primary application. As a whole, the personal statement, activities, MMEs, MCAT, transcript, biographical information and letters, will portray you. One element alone is not enough to bring out the whole you. It might help to strategize about how (and where) to highlight different elements of your background, experience, and character in the different parts of the primary application. Then work on the personal statement knowing what aspects of you are already represented in the other sections of the application. This way, each element adds value to the application and contributes to a more complete picture of you.

It makes sense to compartmentalize completing different parts of the application. Many applicants take the time they need to focus on one application component at a time, which seems to help them be thorough. 

Don’t underestimate how much time it takes to write well. Exploring ideas in writing, developing those ideas, showing rather than telling a story, staying clear, writing fluidly, surmising maturely and insightfully, takes much more time than most people anticipate. So, don’t wait until Memorial Day to write your essay and intend to submit on June 1. Give yourself the churn time writing well needs. Also, give yourself time to put a draft down for a day or two and return to it when you’re able to read it afresh. Sometimes, we revise over and over again in one sitting to the point that we can no longer hear the story or its sense because we have been rehearsing and revising a draft to beat the clock. Doing this is a risky way to go about the personal statement. Remember, this essay should be a very impressive part of your application, not merely one more part of the application to finish. At the end of the day, the medical school personal statement is a window that allows others to see you, know you as a person, know you better and beyond your achievements.

2. How do I find the perfect personal statement topic? Does one exist?

Certainly, some ideas are better than others, and one idea might work better for one person and not so well for someone else. However, there is no “perfect” topic. In fact, writing an essay with the approach of trying to out-psych this important application requirement is likely not the strongest way to find your best topic, nor is it the best way to engage your readers. 

Instead, consider the following approach. What is an experience you’ve had that matters greatly in helping others understand who you are as a future physician? Why medicine, not in general, but for you, demonstrated by way of a story about an experience that directly ties to being a physician or indirectly demonstrates your sound character as it corresponds with human qualities medical schools desire. When we read what kinds of people medical schools seek, it’s easy enough to identify quite a few character traits that appeal to many schools: compassion, resiliency, adaptability, selflessness, inclusivity, and altruism among them. What experience, when written with key details and description, reveals who you really are?

3. How do you choose the right amount of personal qualities to list?

A strong medical school personal statement should not replicate other parts of the application, with the exception of it being a specific story that stems from a particular experience associated with one of your activities. Otherwise, there’s no listing in this essay. Unfortunately, some applicants do treat the personal statement as an opportunity to list awards, accolades, and experiences, paragraph by paragraph. Meanwhile, medical school admissions officers can see these awards and experiences in the Experiences section of the application. Rarely, if ever, does this kind of writing bring out voice, vision and identity. Instead, tell a true story, revised with care and precision, that shines with voice, vision and identity.

4. Are there any topics I should avoid for my medical school personal statement?

Certainly, one idea might work better for one person and not so well for someone else. So, there’s a subjectivity in what to write and what not to write. Generally, however, there are some topics to avoid. Don’t write about a time you felt cheated, inconvenienced, frustrated or angry. Sometimes, secondary essay prompts will ask you about a struggle or a mistake, and for these answers, it’s best to show how you turned the situation around or keenly learned from it. Don’t get too caught in childhood. Many applicants do write about a time when they were not yet grown; however, don’t get swallowed by it. Write the scene and then stay in the present to demonstrate your maturity and worthwhile hindsight.

Remember -- no matter what the topic, tone matters. 

5. What kind of experience should I include in my personal statement?

6. can the experience i use on my med school personal statement be from outside of college.

Absolutely. It is relatively common for applicants to only portray themselves as students, and this can be a problem. Sometimes, when applicants write about themselves as excellent students the tone of such a personal statement can sound boastful or pleading. Neither quality is advantageous. 

Seeing oneself in any other light can result in a stronger “snapshot” of who you are, as long as the theme or topic of your personal statement still suits the intention of the application in the first place – demonstrating who you are as an appealing candidate for medical school. When we consider the writing task for the personal statement to be much more story-driven, readers go on a descriptive journey. What journey would you like to share?

7. Should I talk about challenges I’ve faced?

If other parts of your medical school application suggest a struggle – whether a lower MCAT score or a notable weak semester on a transcript – it might be advantageous to explain what happened and how you turned that situation around. Whether writing about a challenge in the personal statement or secondaries, the key is to demonstrate resilience. Applicants with physical or cognitive disabilities may choose to write about seeking assistance -- whether a doctor, therapist or a tutor -- and how learning alternative strategies helped them figure out how to attain higher academic achievement. 

Sometimes challenges are circumstantial. Sometimes families face financial hardship (did the family breadwinner become unemployed and therefore everyone else had to work more hours, including you?), emotional stress (due to an ongoing illness, Covid-19, or a divorce?) or trauma (a death of a loved one, a house fire, a veteran/sibling returning home with PTSD). Sometimes an applicant has been a caregiver for someone in the family. Sometimes an applicant has taken a leave from school because of someone else’s struggles, or the emotional fallout on the applicant from someone else’s struggle – the loss of a childhood friend, for instance. Self-care is reasonable. We might need to share a life moment in order to frame the context of a life struggle, showing it in the context of responsibility rather than recklessness or immaturity. Showing how you stepped up in a challenging time can show that you are accountable and caring, as long as the story is told to these ends, rather than suggesting resentment or self-pity. Again, neither of these tones is advantageous, nor is blame. 

Occasionally applicants have been challenged by a course or by a professor, a classmate or teammate and feel unduly subjected to bias. If there’s discrimination involved, that might be a story to tell. If there’s a personality clash, that might not be a good story to tell. 

Finally, as any story of challenge moves along, it’s important to demonstrate what you did, what you learned, how you adapted, or what you now value from having had this life experience that you did not understand before. 

Being a doctor is rife with challenges. In the end, your readers may come to understand how you are an insightful leader with great resilience or a compassionate, problem-solver.

8. How do I focus my personal statement to show that I want to go into medicine and not another field in healthcare?

Great question. On the one hand, it’s a good idea to demonstrate your compassion for others and empathy for people suffering from illness. On the other hand, these are favorable attributes for nearly all healthcare workers -- not only doctors -- but for physician assistants, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers and psychologists too. Since most applicants have done some shadowing of physicians, it’s not unusual for these experiences to contain moments of learning about being a physician through shadowing or through work in a clinic. However, the more clinical the story, the better especially if you’re applying to osteopathic schools of medicine. If you’re applying to allopathic schools of medicine, it’s possible you have some interest in being a researcher, so telling a story about working in a physician’s lab might demonstrate your insights into the value of research in light of disease or patient care. If you already have an affinity for a specialty, telling how you came to know this could be the way to go.

9. Do I introduce my desired field of healthcare in my personal statement?

Maybe. If you’re very committed and have demonstrated a trend in your activities from general volunteer work (older listings) to more specialized experience in a field of medicine (more recent listings), it may be a good idea to write up how you came to know one field of medicine was really your passion. 

Bear in mind that announcing a deep interest in a particular field of medicine may make you “a good fit” or “not a good fit” for some schools. So, if you do write up a story about your desired field of medicine for your personal statement, be sure your list of schools corresponds with this. For instance, if you want to be an obstetrician and you convey this in your personal statement, be certain your schools have clinical exposure or better yet offer specializations in obstetrics, or a required rotation through a hospital for women, for instance.

Lastly, by no means must you announce a desired field of healthcare in your personal statement. You may be asked about your specialized interests in medicine in a secondary or in an interview, so it’s a good idea to think this through, but no, you don’t have to tackle this in the personal statement.

10. What should my character limit be? 

The AMCAS and AACOMAS character limit for the personal statement is 5,300 characters with spaces. The TMDSAS character limit for the personal statement is 5,000 characters with spaces. It’s a good idea to use most if not all of this space for your personal statement. Also, try to avoid the temptation to use the same personal statement for AMCAS and AACOMAS. The osteopathic schools seek applicants who know and prefer an osteopathic orientation to medicine, so the AACOMAS personal statement should demonstrate your fit with osteopathic medicine, based on what story you choose to tell and how you tell it, or at the very least, in the conclusion.

11. How do I know when I’m ready to submit my med school personal statement?

I highly recommend getting feedback about this from a strong mentor, advisor or consultant. Accepted offers comprehensive consultation for every part of the writing process, from brainstorming, to outlining, to mentoring on ideas, and editing until a client has a solid final draft in hand, ready for submission. You can review these services here: Initial Essay Package

Generally speaking, when you’ve accomplished FAQ #2 and #3, avoided the pitfalls in #4, revised for clarity and quality of ideas, developed ideas engagingly, and meticulously revised for quality of writing, then, you may be done.

12. What if I don’t have enough space to discuss everything?

Then your topic is too large or unfocused, in which case you need to focus and narrow the scope of your essays. Or you have a bit of editing to do to eliminate wordiness, digressions, or overstatement Ultimately, you want your essay to be focused, clear, and engaging.

13. Should I personalize my personal statement to the med school I am applying to?

Only if you’re applying to one medical school. Otherwise, your personal statement will reach all schools listed in your AMCAS application or AACOMAS application. It is okay, however, to speak toward the ideals of your first choice, aspirational schools on your list. Other times, applicants choose to write toward the schools that are their safest bets. 

Your secondary/supplemental essays will give you plenty of opportunity to show you belong at an individual school.

14.  Can I talk about mental or physical health in my statement?

15. should i address any bad grades that i got in school.

Generally yes, as long as bad grades are truly bad grades. It’s likely that you do not need to address a rogue grade of B on a transcript. If you had a bad semester or two, the question becomes how and where to address them. The answer is an individual one dependent on the context. The one certainty: You definitely don’t want your entire application to be a rationalization of those bad grades. 

See FAQ #7. 

Accepted has been helping medical school applicants gain acceptance to top programs since 1994. Our staff consists of former deans, admissions directors, and experienced consultants. 

Get Accepted! Sign up for a free consultation today!

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Indian J Dermatol
• v.65(5); Sep-Oct 2020

Artificial Intelligence: How is It Changing Medical Sciences and Its Future?

Kanadpriya basu.

From the Covisus Inc, Monrovia, CA, USA

Ritwik Sinha

1 Adobe Research, San Jose, CA, USA

2 Whistle Labs, San Francisco, CA, USA

Treena Basu

3 Department of Mathematics, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Associated Data

The first step towards building an artificially intelligent system (after problem selection and development of solutions strategy) is data collection. The creation of well performing models relies on the availability of large quantities of high quality data. The issue of data collection is shrouded in controversy due to patient privacy and due to recent incidents of data breaches by major corporations. Advances in technology have resulted in increased computational and analytic power as well as the ability to store vast amounts of data. Technology such as facial recognition and gene analysis provides a path for an individual to be identified from a pool of people. Patients and the public in general have a right to privacy and the right to choose what data, if any, they would like to share. Data breaches now make it possible for patient data to fall into the hands of the insurance companies resulting in a denial of medical insurance because a patient is deemed more expensive by the insurance provider due to their genetic composition. Patient privacy leads to restricted availability of data, which leads to limited model training and therefore the full potential of a model is not explored.

Artificially intelligent computer systems are used extensively in medical sciences. Common applications include diagnosing patients, end-to-end drug discovery and development, improving communication between physician and patient, transcribing medical documents, such as prescriptions, and remotely treating patients. While computer systems often execute tasks more efficiently than humans, more recently, state-of-the-art computer algorithms have achieved accuracies which are at par with human experts in the field of medical sciences. Some speculate that it is only a matter of time before humans are completely replaced in certain roles within the medical sciences. The motivation of this article is to discuss the ways in which artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of medical science and to separate hype from reality.

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) in varying forms and degrees has been used to develop and advance a wide spectrum of fields, such as banking and financial markets, education, supply chains, manufacturing, retail and e-commerce, and healthcare. Within the technology industry, AI has been an important enabler for many new business innovations. These include web search (e.g., Google), content recommendations (e.g., Netflix), product recommendations (e.g., Amazon), targeted advertising (e.g., Facebook), and autonomous vehicles (e.g., Tesla).

Humans reap the benefits of artificially intelligent systems every day. Starting from the spam free emails that we receive in our inboxes, to smart watches that use inputs from accelerometer sensors to distinguish between mundane activities and aerobic activity, to buying products on online shopping sites, like Amazon that recommend products based on our previous purchase records. These examples represent the use of AI in a variety of fields, such as technology and retail. AI has transformed our everyday lives, with an effect on the way we perceive and process information.

This article aims to present various aspects of AI as it pertains to the medical sciences. The article will focus on past and present day applications in the medical sciences and showcase companies that currently use artificially intelligent systems in the healthcare industry. Furthermore, this article will conclude by highlighting the critical importance of interdisciplinary collaboration resulting in the creation of ethical, unbiased artificially intelligent systems.

What is AI?

AI is a wide-ranging branch of computer science concerned with building smart machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. Some applications of AI include automated interfaces for visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. AI is an interdisciplinary science.[ 1 ]

It is widely accepted that the term AI was first coined in 1956 when American computer scientist John McCarthy et al . organized the Dartmouth Conference.[ 2 ] Prior to that, work in the field of AI included the Turing test proposed by Alan Turing[ 3 ] as a measure of machine intelligence and a chess-playing program written by Dietrich Prinz.[ 4 ]

Artificially intelligent systems in healthcare have the following typical pattern. Such a system starts with a large amount of data, on these data machine-learning algorithms are employed to gain information, this information is then used to generate a useful output to solve a well-defined problem in the medical system. Figure 1 captures the typical workflow of an AI solution. Applications of AI in the field of medical sciences include matching patient symptoms to appropriate physician,[ 5 ] patient diagnosis,[ 6 ] patient prognosis,[ 7 ] drug discovery,[ 8 , 9 ] bot assistant that can translate languages,[ 10 ] transcribe notes, and organize images and files.[ 11 ]

Illustration outlining the development of an artificially intelligent model

History of AI in Medical Field

Great advances have been made in using artificially intelligent systems in case of patient diagnosis. For example, in the field of visually oriented specialties, such as dermatology,[ 12 , 13 ] clinical imaging data has been used by Esteva et al .[ 6 ] and Hekler et al .[ 14 ] to develop classification models to aid physicians in the diagnosis of skin cancer, skin lesions, and psoriasis. In particular, Esteva et al .,[ 6 ] trained a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model using 129,450 images to classify images into one of two categories (also known as binary classification problem in machine learning) as either keratinocyte carcinoma or seborrheic keratosis; and malignant melanoma or benign nevus. They further established that the DCNN achieved performance at par to that of 21 board-certified dermatologists. Their research demonstrated that AI systems were capable of classifying skin cancers with a level of competence comparable to dermatologists and required only a fraction of the time to train the model in comparison to physicians who spend years in medical school and also relied on experience they developed through patient diagnosis over decades.

Much work has also been done in the realm of AI and patient prognosis. For instance, researchers at Google[ 7 ] developed and trained a DCNN using 128,175 retinal fundus images to classify images as diabetic retinopathy and macular edema for adults with diabetes. There are several advantages of the existence of such an artificially intelligent model, such as:

• Automated grading of diabetic retinopathy leading to increased efficiency in diagnosing many patients in shorter time;
• Serving as a second opinion opthalmologists;
• Detection of diabetic retinopathy in early stages due to capability of the model to study images at the granular level-something impossible for a human opthalmologist to do;
• Vast coverage of screening programs reducing barriers to access.

Huge strides have been made in application of AI systems to drug discovery[ 15 ] and providing personalized treatment options.[ 16 ] Companies, such as Verge Genomics, focus on the application of machine-learning algorithms to analyze human genomic data and identify drugs to combat neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a cost-effective way.

Artificially intelligent systems are also being applied in the healthcare sector to enhance patient experience, patient care, and provide support to physicians through the use of AI assistants. Companies, such as BotMD have built systems that can help 24 h with clinical related issues regarding:

• Instantly finding which physicians are on call and scheduling the next available appointment; the AI system can also search multiple scheduling systems across different hospitals
• Answering prescription related questions, like drug availability and cost-effective alternative drugs
• Assisting doctors search hospital protocol, list of available clinical tools, and available drugs all through the use of a mobile application, thus improving workflow in the hospital.

Companies Using AI in Medical Sciences

Table 1 below lists just a few of hundreds of companies in the field of technology, healthcare, and pharmacies that conduct research on artificially intelligent systems and their applications in the healthcare industry. Additionally, applications of artificially intelligent systems in healthcare can be broadly classified into three categories[ 17 ] (for the companies in Table 1 , the type of AI system is also noted):

Some major companies around the world using artificial intelligence in medical sciences

• Patient-oriented AI
• Clinician-oriented AI and
• Administrative and Operational-oriented AI.

Present Day Use of AI

The most recent application of AI in global healthcare is the prediction of emerging hotspots using contact tracing, and flight traveler data to fight off the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Contact tracing is a disease control measure used by government authorities to limit spread of a disease. Contact tracing works by contacting and informing individuals that have been exposed to a person who has contracted the disease and instructing them to quarantine to prevent further spread of the disease. As reported by Apple Newsroom,[ 18 ] tech giants like Google and Apple have joined forces to create a contact tracing platform that will use artificial intelligent systems through the use of application programming interfaces commonly referred to as API's on smartphones. The platform will enable users who choose to enroll to report their lab results. Location services will then allow the platform to contact people who may have been in the vicinity of the infected person.

Canadian company BlueDot creates outbreak risk software that mitigates exposure to infectious diseases.[ 19 ] BlueDot published the first scientific paper[ 20 ] on COVID-19 that accurately predicted the global spread of the virus. The company uses techniques such as natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), along with automated infectious disease surveillance by analyzing approximately 100,000 articles from over 65 countries every day, travel itinerary information and flight paths, an area's climate, temperature and even local livestock to help predict future outbreaks.

Myth Versus Reality in AI

There is a lot of hope that AI will be able to advance the healthcare sector in a variety of ways, not just for patient diagnosis, patient prognosis, drug discovery, but also to serve as an assistant for physician and provide a better and more personalized experience for patients. This hope has been fueled by some successful applications of AI in healthcare. Side-by-side however, there are unrealistic expectations of what AI can do and what the landscape of the healthcare industry will look like in the future.

Dr. Anthony Chang was one of 2019's invited speakers for the Society for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIME) conference held in Poznan, Poland, where he presented a lecture entitled: Common Misconceptions and Future Directions for AI in Medicine: A Physician-Data Scientist Perspective. Below we list two of the more common myths regarding the application of artificially intelligent systems in healthcare.

While nobody can entirely predict the future, the fact is that physicians who understand the role of AI in healthcare will likely have an advantage in their career. For instance, the American College of Radiology (ACR) posted a job advertisement for a Radiologist:

https://jobs.acr.org/job/radiologist-for-teleradiology- ai-practice/50217408/

listing two requirements for the job:

• Must be American Board of Radiology Certified
• Must be enthusiastic, well-trained radiologist excited about a future where radiologists are supported by world-class AI and machine learning.

The use of AI in any field of study consists of many components and programming is just one of them. For the continued growth, development and success of AI applications in healthcare, physicians and data scientists need to continue collaboration to build meaningful AI systems. Physicians need to understand what AI is capable of achieving and need to evaluate how their role can be improved with AI. Physicians need to communicate this information to data scientists who can then build an AI system. The collaboration does not end here. Together physicians and data scientists must figure out what kind of data they have available to use for model training and, further, once the model is built its performance must be analyzed and interpreted, both of which require collaboration between physicians and data scientists. A further trend is the significant commoditization of AI software. For instance, today it is possible to use a visual tool (requiring no coding) to build a visual classifier. An example of such a tool is Teachable Machine by Google.

Limitations and Challenges in the Application of Artificially Intelligent Systems in Medical Science

The application of artificially intelligent systems in any field including healthcare comes with its share of limitations and challenges. The time has come to change our mindset from being reactive to being proactive with regard to downfalls of new technology. Here we discuss those challenges focusing more on those that pertain particularly to healthcare.

Availability of data

Creating biased models.

Biased data

Artificially intelligent systems are then trained with a portion of the data that was collected (also known as training data set) with the remaining data reserved for testing (also known as testing data set). Thus, if the data collected is biased, that is, it targets a particular race, a particular gender, a specific age group then the resulting model will be biased. Thus the data collected must be a true representation of the population for which its use is intended.

Data preprocessing

Even after unbiased data has been collected, it is still possible to create a biased model. The collected data must be preprocessed before it can be used to train an algorithm. The raw data that has been collected often contains errors due to manual entry of data or a variety of other reasons. These entries are sometimes modified through mathematical justification or are simply removed. Care should be taken that data preprocessing does not result in a biased pool of data.

Model selection

With the existence of several algorithms and models to choose from, one must select the algorithm that is best suited for the task at hand. Thus, the process of model selection is extremely important. Bias models are ones that are overly simple and fail to capture the trends present in the dataset.

Presenting biased models

It is important for a user of an artificially intelligent system to have a basic understanding of how such models are built. This way a user can better interpret the output of the model and decide how to make use of the output. For instance, there are many metrics that one could use to evaluate the performance of a model, such as accuracy, precision, recall, F 1 score , and AUC score .[ 21 ] However, not every metric is appropriate for every problem. When the user of an artificially intelligent system is presented with performance metrics of a model, they need to make sure that the metrics appropriate to the problem are being presented and not just the metrics with the highest scores.

Fragmented data

Another limitation of the application of AI is that models that one organization spends time and effort to design and deploy for a specific task (regression, classification, clustering, NLP, etc) cannot be seamlessly transitioned for immediate use to another organization without recalibration. Due to privacy concerns, data sharing is often inaccessible or limited between healthcare organizations resulting in fragmented data limiting the reliability of a model.

Artificial Intelligent systems have a reputation of being blackboxes due to the complexity of the mathematical algorithms involved. There is a need to make models more accessible and interpretable. While there is some recent work in this direction, there is still some progress to be made.[ 23 ]

Conclusion: The Future of AI in Medical Sciences

Despite the above limitations, AI looks well positioned to revolutionize the healthcare industry. AI systems can help free up the time for busy doctors by transcribing notes, entering and organizing patient data into portals (such as EPIC) and diagnosing patients, potentially serving as a means for providing a second opinion for physicians. Artificially intelligent systems can also help patients with follow-up care and availability of prescription drug alternatives. AI also has the capability of remotely diagnosing patients, thus extending medical services to remote areas, beyond the major urban centers of the world. The future of AI in healthcare is bright and promising, and yet much remains to be done.

The application of artificially intelligent systems in healthcare for use by the general public is relatively unexplored. Only recently the FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration) approved AliveCor's Kardiaband (in 2017) and Apple's smartwatch series 4 (in 2018) to detect atrial fibrillation. The use of a smartwatch is a first step toward empowering people to collect personal health data, and enable rapid interventions from the patient's medical support teams.

There are many negative effects of modern technology on mental health. However, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) in collaboration with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Army found that people suffering from post-traumatic stress and other forms of mental anguish are more open to discussing their concerns with virtual humans than actual humans for fear of judgment. This research[ 23 ] has promising results for the role of virtual assistants resulting in the collection of honest answers from patients that could help doctors diagnose and treat their patients more appropriately and with better information.

Most global pharmaceutical companies have invested their time and money on using AI for drug development of major diseases, such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. However, development of models for diagnosing neglected tropical diseases (malaria and tuberculosis) and rare diseases remains largely unexplored. The FDA now incentivizes companies to develop new treatments for these diseases through priority vouchers.[ 24 ]

Given the impact that AI and machine learning is having on our wider world, it is important for AI to be a part of the curriculum for a range of domain experts. This is particularly true for the medical profession, where the cost of a wrong decision can be fatal. As identified here, there is a lot of nuance in how an AI system is built. Understanding this process and the choices it entails are important for appropriate usage of this automated system. The data used to learn from and the optimization strategy used has a deep impact on the applicability of the AI system to solve a particular problem. An understanding and appreciation of these design decisions is important for medical profession.

AI has the potential to help fix many of healthcare's biggest problems but we are still far from making this a reality. One big problem and barrier from making this a reality is data. We can invent all the promising technologies and machine learning algorithms but without sufficient and well represented data, we cannot realize the full potential of AI in healthcare. The healthcare industry needs to digitize medical records, it needs to come together to agree on the standardization of the data infrastructure, it needs to create an iron-clad system to protect the confidentiality and handle consent of data from patients. Without these radical changes and collaboration in the healthcare industry, it would be challenging to achieve the true promise of AI to help human health.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

• Customer Reviews
• Extended Essays
• IB Internal Assessment
• Theory of Knowledge
• Literature Review
• Dissertations
• Essay Writing
• Research Writing
• Assignment Help
• Capstone Projects
• College Application
• Online Class

30+ Medical Argumentative Essay Topics for College Students

by  Antony W

April 21, 2023

Medical argumentative essay topics give you some brilliant ideas that you can explore and defend depending on the research you’ve conducted.

As with any argumentative essay topic ,  a medical related essay also requires you to take a stance and use objective, verifiable, and reasonable evidence to defend your position.

However, the kinds of topics many students pick to explore in the medical field are often quite too common.

Think of type II diabetes, cardiovascular illness, breast cancer, and cirrhosis. These are topics you don’t want to cover for the simple reason that they are too common.

In this post, we give you a list of 30+ medical argumentative essay topics that aren’t too obvious.

These topic ideas should enable you to add a new spin to your work, so that you can write a medical essay that focuses on an issue that will capture the attention of your audience (reader) almost instantly.

30+ Medical Argumentative Essay Topics  

Below is a list of 30+ essay topics that you may find interesting for your medical argumentative essay assignment :

Controversial Medical Argumentative Essay Topics 

• The cost of healthcare in the United States of America is not justifiable
• Do homeless people deserve free healthcare simply because they don’t have money to pay medical bills?
• Unconventional medication should not be part of a state’s healthcare system
• There’s a strong link between poor health and poverty
• People should not turn to homeopathy because it isn’t more effective compared to seeking medical advice
• People with no health insurance cover deserve to get equal treatment at medical healthcare facilities
• Should the government take action against unexpected errors in medical settings?
• Doctors should not have the right to endorse medical products until verified for safety and effectiveness
• Healthcare institutions should provide opt-out and opt-in donor system
• There’s no true justification for the rising cost of healthcare in the United States of America

In theory, areas such as genetic engineering, diagnostics, and medical research can be interesting to explore within the medical field.

However, the assignment requires hours of intensive research, proper structuring, writing, and editing.

If you don’t have the time for all that, you can get argumentative assignment help from one of our team of writers.

Health Practices Argumentative Essay Topics 

• The marijuana drug should be made legal worldwide
• TV shows on diet and weight loss don’t motivate people to improve their body image and self-esteem
• Is the state responsible for teaching people how to lead a healthy lifestyle?
• Communication authorities should impose an indefinite ban on TV shows that promote cosmetic surgery
• TV commercials that promote fast foods and alcohol should not be banned.
• It’s a waste of time to impose state regulation on fast food chains and alcohol sales as it undermines people’s freewill to food choices.
• Should we allow and encourage teenagers to use birth control pills?
• The state should not encourage the use of products manufactured at the cost of another person’s well-being.
• Exercise alone can’t improve your health
• Doctors should not ask for medical consent if they know they can save a patient from a particular illness

Medical Laws and Policies Argumentative Essay Topics 

• Should the government declare euthanasia illegal?
• Doctors should not insist on providing medical treatment to minors if their parents are against such treatments.
• The vaccination of children against illnesses should be voluntary
• An organ transplantation committee should not consider an individual’s accomplishment to determine if they can receive an organ
• Patients should decide if they would like to use surrogate pregnancy for health reasons or on demand
• Is doctor-patient confidentially necessary anymore?
• There’s no concrete evidence that living a sedentary and lavish lifestyle is the number one cause of weight gain
• Should we support the legalization of abortion?
• Should patients with mental health conditions receive treatment in or outside of their community?
• People should not accept organ transplantation because of leading an unhealthy life

You may click here to place your order , and one of our writers who has experience in writing medical related essays will help you get the paper completed on time. Since we focus on custom writing, you don’t have to worry about plagiarism at all.

Argumentative Essay Topics on Medical Research 

• Genetic engineering is humanly unethical and morally wrong and should therefore not be allowed
• Are there effective means to mitigate threats posed by medical research?
• There is no reasonable evidence that the Covid-19 global pandemic originated from a lab I Wuhan, China
• Medics should not use animals to test the effective of drugs on humans
• Computers used in medical research and diagnostic cannot replace doctors no matter how sophisticated they become.
• Should human beings be subject to mandatory medical testing without their consent?
• Should the federal government and health organizations, such as the UN and CDC, finance practical medical research?
• Do we need to have limits when subjecting human beings to absolutely necessary medical tests?
• The Corona virus is a biochemical weapon built in the lab to wipe out the human race
• There’s no sufficient evidence to prove that pills that delay aging can make the human race immortal

Medical Argumentative Essay Topics on Healthcare Management 

• Is healthcare management doing enough to maintain the right standards in healthcare facilities?
• Are privately owned hospitals managed better than public hospitals?
• Registered nurses should not assume the role of a physician even in the event of a serious medical emergency
• Human Resource Management (HR) isn’t doing enough to improve and protect the quality of healthcare
• Do surgeons play an important role outside their medical capacities?
• Are healthcare institutions responsible for the protection of the environment?
• The relationship between and among medical staff can affect the quality of patients of different illnesses.
• There’s no relationship between a patient’s medical results and a hospital’s revenue.
• It’s easy to improve the relationship among staff members in a healthcare facility
• Should medical management allow and encourage intimate relationships among the staff members?

General Medical Argumentative Essay Topics 

• Has the American government invested enough funds to improve healthcare service for its residents?
• There should be as many male nurses as there are female nurses
• Are data management systems in hospitals accurate and safe against breach?
• Do prisoners have the right to access quality healthcare?
• Electronic health record systems have more limitations than benefits.

related resources

• Argumentative Essay Topics on Racism
• Argumentative Essay Topics About Animals
• Music Argumentative Essay Topics
• Social Media Argumentative Essay Topics
• Technology Argumentative Essay Topics

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

Help | Advanced Search

Electrical Engineering and Systems Science > Image and Video Processing

Title: fast-ddpm: fast denoising diffusion probabilistic models for medical image-to-image generation.

Abstract: Denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs) have achieved unprecedented success in computer vision. However, they remain underutilized in medical imaging, a field crucial for disease diagnosis and treatment planning. This is primarily due to the high computational cost associated with (1) the use of large number of time steps (e.g., 1,000) in diffusion processes and (2) the increased dimensionality of medical images, which are often 3D or 4D. Training a diffusion model on medical images typically takes days to weeks, while sampling each image volume takes minutes to hours. To address this challenge, we introduce Fast-DDPM, a simple yet effective approach capable of improving training speed, sampling speed, and generation quality simultaneously. Unlike DDPM, which trains the image denoiser across 1,000 time steps, Fast-DDPM trains and samples using only 10 time steps. The key to our method lies in aligning the training and sampling procedures to optimize time-step utilization. Specifically, we introduced two efficient noise schedulers with 10 time steps: one with uniform time step sampling and another with non-uniform sampling. We evaluated Fast-DDPM across three medical image-to-image generation tasks: multi-image super-resolution, image denoising, and image-to-image translation. Fast-DDPM outperformed DDPM and current state-of-the-art methods based on convolutional networks and generative adversarial networks in all tasks. Additionally, Fast-DDPM reduced the training time to 0.2x and the sampling time to 0.01x compared to DDPM. Our code is publicly available at: this https URL .

Submission history

Access paper:.

• HTML (experimental)
• Other Formats

References & Citations

• Google Scholar
• Semantic Scholar

BibTeX formatted citation

Bibliographic and Citation Tools

Code, data and media associated with this article, recommenders and search tools.

• Institution

arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs .

• College of Arts and Sciences
• Location Location
• Contact Contact
• Colleges and Schools
• 2024 News Archive

Arts and Sciences boasts trio of MIRA winners

Earning the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award is a rare accomplishment. The MIRA is a prestigious honor bestowed annually by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, and only those researchers at the cutting edge of their field are considered.

But at the College of Arts and Sciences, where all incoming faculty are paired with skilled mentors and college leadership is highly supportive throughout the grant process, three researchers have secured MIRAs to fund their innovative lab research into fundamental sciences.

Caryn Outten, professor of chemistry, is in her eighth year of receiving funds through the award for established investigators, while professor of evolution and plant biology, Carolyn Wessinger, and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Jie Li, are in the third and second year, respectively, of funding for early-stage investigators.

Caryn Outten, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Established Investigator MIRA

In Caryn Outten’s lab, baker’s yeast can be found in abundance, but Outten isn’t studying food. She’s interested in how biological systems use essential metals — iron, zinc and copper — to perform a variety of different life functions.

Outten’s research unites her expertise in how microbes sense and regulate iron levels with the complexities of yeast genetics. As it turns out, the fungi responsible for leavening bread are also ideal models to study cellular function, and Outten’s senior MIRA award is allowing her to do just that. More recently, she has been studying pathogenic fungi that cause human infections.

At the cellular level, battles take place every day within our bodies between microorganisms found in the environment and our immune systems. Our cells need iron to function, but so do the invading pathogens, from the yeast that causes thrush to mold spores inhaled from decaying matter in soil that cause lung infections. While our immune systems rush to stow away essential metals in inaccessible proteins and cells, invading pathogens send out their own molecules that tightly bind and retrieve iron from the bloodstream.

“Our role is to understand how they do that,” Outten says. “What are the mechanisms at the molecular level for controlling iron in the organism?”

The MIRA grant has been invaluable in Outten’s work, funding her lab and students as they culture cells and yeast, study their growth rates and purify the proteins whose structures and functions they hope to analyze.

“These organisms [yeast] can cause infections,” Outten says. “If we can better understand how they acquire and regulate iron and the roles of individual proteins, we can exploit this information to develop compounds that target those proteins. The goal is to limit their access to this essential nutrient to prevent infections from happening.”

Jie Li, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Early-Stage Investigator MIRA

Jie Li is a pharmaceutical scientist by training. With his early investigator MIRA and additional expertise in biochemistry, Li is working to mine the genomes of microbes for molecules that can be used for drug discovery, much like the penicillin molecules naturally produced by fungi.

By looking at the sequence of genes in different microbes, Li and his team are hoping to pinpoint specific enzymes and biological responses that offer promising results for pharmaceutical development.

“We use genome sequence information to unlock the hidden chemistry there,” Li says. “Different sequences mean they will encode enzymes that will do different types of chemical reactions. By looking at the gene sequences, we can predict what compounds could be made.”

Two years into the grant, Li has already identified two major molecules with implications in the world of medicine: a lipid molecule produced by bacteria in the gut whose anti-inflammatory qualities could combat IBS, and a class of molecules called lanthipeptides that has anti-microbial properties. He also has several patent applications in the works.

Li is quick to emphasize the multidisciplinary, collaborative nature of his research, which involves big data analysis, genomics, molecular biology, microbiology and enzymology. The questions he wants to pursue stretch far beyond biochemistry, and Li credits the scale of his success to the robust partnerships he’s developed with peers across campus.

“I collaborate a lot with my colleagues in biological sciences and the School of Medicine. They have been so supportive and helpful for my research to go forward,” Li says. “I really appreciate their help.”

Carrie Wessinger, Department of Biological Sciences, Early-Stage Investigator MIRA

Understanding convergent evolution — how the same traits evolve across separate lineages, such as the development of wings in both birds and bats — is a key factor in unlocking the secrets of evolutionary biology. For Carrie Wessinger, the search for answers finds a natural outlet in perennial wildflowers.

“Plants are a really convenient system for studying the genetics of adaptive evolution,” Wessinger says. “They’re easy to raise, they stay in one place, and it’s easy to do controlled mating between them by crossing.”

With her MIRA grant, Wessinger has been working with her team to better understand how flowers have repeatedly evolved over time to develop traits adapted to hummingbird pollination: bright red flowers, narrow tubular shapes, large amount of nectar, and elongated stamens and styles that brush the foreheads of hummingbirds as they drink nectar.

Wessinger’s lab group frequents high-elevation areas in the southwest and Rocky Mountains, collecting specimens for DNA extraction and sequencing genetic data to identify patterns in how genes are expressed. Relying on information about the current set of species in the group of plants they study, Wessinger’s team is able to infer the evolutionary history of the flowers, capturing a clearer understanding of how they have selectively adapted over time to pollination by hummingbirds.

Yet the answer remains complicated.

“Are the same types of genes responsible for these separate shifts in different types of hummingbird-pollinated flowers? We’ve found cases of yes and no,” Wessinger says. “We have some traits that tend to involve similar mutations to the same exact gene.”

The potential implications of Wessinger’s research provide extra incentive to continue seeking answers. “Why are some genetic changes predictable whereas others involve really idiosyncratic changes? That’s what we’re working on at this point,” she says. “I believe that what we find can be extrapolated to any kind of complex adaptation.”

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.