Originally from India, a mother, and a doctor who is now a US citizen, after finishing medical school, I began a residency program in Internal Medicine at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit, MI in July of 2011. This was the high point of my professional life for the first six months, until January 2012, when I was forced by circumstances to resign from my residency position to protect my children. Unfortunately, as my medical career made progress and was filling my professional life like never before, my marriage descended into a bitter and sometimes violent struggle over our children—police were called on numerous occasions and charges brought. Sinai Grace offered me a three-month leave, but I felt that this would not be long enough since I found myself at the mercy of the legal system which does not move very quickly.
I made two critical mistakes in my life that had nothing to do with medicine but caused great damage to my career as a doctor. First, I married a man from a fundamentalist religious family with strict expectations concerning the religious education of his children. Secondly, and even worse, I agreed at first, in our initial divorce agreement, to allow the children to be educated back in India at the religious school in question. I honored my agreement, and they went; both got sick, both were abused, and both were extremely unhappy. So, as their mother, when they came back to the USA on school vacation, and that vacation ended and it was time to board the plane to go back to India, I basically kidnapped my own children and put myself in violation of the law of the land in what was still a strange country to which I was only becoming adjusted little by little at that time. I won; my children did not return to India, and they are now happy and healthy with a shared custody arrangement and increasingly self-sufficient living here and going to school in America. Thus, I want to return to Internal Medicine and redeem myself. Nothing means as much to me as practicing medicine.
I ask you to take these most difficult of circumstances into account and give me a second chance, especially considering the strides that I have made in the medical field since that time. I will soon be finishing my MPH Degree and I am employed by the XXXX Department of Public Health working in emergency preparedness. I wish very much to be given a second chance to perform and excel in a residency position in internal medicine and I feel strongly that the experience that I have now gained in public health will make me an even better internist than I was before, with even more to offer to your program. I have learned a great deal as an MPH student concerning the challenges of practicing medicine in America.
The last couple of years has helped me to become a much better person through continuous self-growth on multiple levels. I feel more knowledgeable about and empathetic to my fellow human beings. Upon being accepted to your program and returning to the practice of Internal Medicine, I will be better at what I do than I was before because I have learned to appreciate the importance of treating the patient holistically, with compassion and wisdom that considers a variety of factors from psychological to socio-economic. I can identify with many diverse cultures and languages and relate well to people from all diverse backgrounds. Since I am from India, I pride myself on my compassion for the poor and underserved, growing up in a country where I was a constant witness to the misery associated with lack of access to adequate medical attention for the lower economic and social echelons of our society.
In addition to working as an intern at the XXXX Department of Public Health, I also practice as a holistic wellness coach with a focus on integrative energy. I am ready to hit the ground running and never falter in the face of long hours of service giving my all to your program. Once re-established in medicine, I plan to devote as much time as possible to our underserved communities with an eye toward creative public health initiatives.
I look forward to joining a residency program that provides me with an intense immersion in internal medicine that will give me exposure to diversity with respect to both patients and medical conditions. I have a great drive, energy, and passion for healing that comes with a heart fully devoted to medicine. I look forward to growing as a doctor in your organization's service and learning how to push further and think in terms of the global and local community. I look forward to working with you in my residency training and I thank you for considering my application.
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