I was born and raised in Uzbekistan and now reside in California. I hold an M.D. degree awarded by Tashkent Medical University in 1992 and later earned a Ph.D. from the Scientific Research Institute of Pulmonology and Physiology both in Uzbekistan. I am a highly experienced physician and researcher, and I now seek the opportunity to practice family medicine in the U.S.
My early goals were: to become a highly qualified physician so that I could help people, especially the poor, or to become a medical scientist so that I could advance medical knowledge assisting many people, as did my hero, the Persian physician Avicenna, and, finally, to become the Minister of Health of Uzbekistan so that I could oversee an improvement in the availability of health services. I qualified as a physician and became involved in successful medical research. While it is most unlikely that I will ever be selected to serve as Uzbekistan's Minister of Health, I could share some thoughts about sinology with the Minister of Health in Uzbekistan. So, my childhood dreams are becoming reality.
I have acquired vast experience in various branches of medicine and research since finishing medical school and have served in several settings. I am also published in several areas. However, I can best apply my talents and satisfy my vocational aspirations most fully by treating patients directly and especially as a family doctor.
I love dealing directly with patients and treating patients of every generation and of different social backgrounds. My goal is to become a family practitioner in a rural area of the United States. As a newly qualified physician, I treated country people in my homeland and admired their honesty, kindness, and openness; I have always felt a particular affinity with rural people. I am wary of physicians who regard patients as ‘bundles of symptoms' rather than as individuals who have been committed to their care. I will always seek to develop positive and friendly relationships with patients, which is often easier in rural communities. I am also aware that such communities sometimes lack the facilities and expertise available in the cities, and I would hope to be part of the solution to the gap in rural health services.
As the population ages, there is a growing need for physicians interested in the medical problems of aging. This has always been my passion; I have worked with elderly patients and have enjoyed doing so. I come from a culture where the aged are well-respected and cherished, and specializing in family medicine will allow me to care for patients in this age group.
I did most of my medical studies in St. Petersburg, Russia. I have also lived in Canada and the United States and have traveled to various parts of Europe. I have happily studied, worked, and socialized with people from many cultural and social backgrounds. I enjoy sharing knowledge about my own culture and acquiring such knowledge from others. I know the importance of exercising cultural sensitivity in family medicine and will always seek to do so.
I am aware that family medicine residency programs attract many well-qualified applicants. However, I am an exceptional candidate; I am highly qualified, I have undertaken significant amounts of both practice and research that relates directly to the area of family medicine, and I am enthusiastically committed to a lifetime career in this specialty.
Residency Personal Statement in Family Medicine