Now thirty-one, I came to America from my native India at the age of fifteen, first completed high school, then college, and finally medical school in the Caribbean, going on to pass all three steps of my USMLE on the first attempt. Even before I finished medical school, I found myself reading in my spare time about Cardiology and I have known for a long time that it is to this area of medicine that I want to give my all for the balance of my professional life - as both a doctor caring for patients and as a physician heavily engaged in research. I keenly look forward to a lifetime of investigation on the forefront of study in Cardiology, new techniques, technological advancements, etc.
I was persistent and confident in my career choice of medicine, and I consistently received honors for my academic excellence as a medical student at Ross University on the island of Dominica, especially in physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. For these reasons, I hope to be given the opportunity to prove myself and to give my all to the advancement of Cardiology in your distinguished Fellowship Program.
After graduating from medical school, I completed a clerkship at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, where I encountered a wide array of diseases and pathologies that compelled and fascinated me to no end. I have always been grateful for the opportunity that I had to work closely with Dr. XXXX, a Cardiologist. Standing alongside Dr. XXXX was a defining moment in my career development; he stands among my foremost role models and is someone who I deeply admire and find enormously inspiring.
Another of my foremost mentors in medicine who has inspired me greatly and encouraged me along the way was Dr. XXXX, a gifted cardiologist, and my mentor at XXXX University Medical Center, where I completed my residency in internal medicine (07/2012 - 06/2015). We worked together on several poster presentations and, in particular, collaborated on a study of the quality improvements that were needed for our Department of Cardiology.
In July of 2015, I became the Chief Resident of the XXXX Telemetry Unit at the XXXX Center and served in this position for one year – providing me with the opportunity to practice clinically while I stay heavily engaged with research.
My primary responsibilities included making the rounds to get to know the new patients admitted to Telemetry and CCU, working closely with attending Cardiology faculty. I also collaborated with the cardiology outpatient and congestive heart failure clinic, working with patients with everything from acute coronary syndrome to arrhythmia and advanced heart failure. I covered the other rotating cardiology fellows as needed, helping with consults, echocardiograms, stress tests, cardiac catheterizations, electrophysiology studies, pacemaker/ICD implants, and the interpretation of nuclear stress tests.
Outside of these clinical duties, I conduct studies in basic science and clinical research with Dr. XXXX, Chief of Cardiology at the XXXX. Our current research focus involves studying neonatal rat ventricular myocyte monolayer as a viable model for in vivo physiology. Running the lab and carrying out experiments on a weekly basis, we are also trying to create new methods using stem cells in monolayer optical mapping.
I have worked on several research projects with Dr. El-Sherif and Dr. Natarajan, who is on the research faculty of NYU School of Medicine. My position as telemetry chief resident position has enabled me to grow rapidly professionally and come to a much fuller understanding of the complexity of cardiac patient management in outpatient as well as inpatient settings.
Born and raised in a small village in India, the specter of suffering was a constant. As I went to school each day, I could not help but notice the thin, slight, elderly men and women, on their sunbaked stoops, wracked in pain. As I entered adolescence, my life was upended with no warning when my father suddenly died.
My mother became our emotional rock, which is why the devastation was beyond words when I learned, at 19, of her diagnosis with advanced stage cancer. Beyond the overwhelming fears, there was the reality of family need. I was pursuing my undergraduate studies and working full-time as a pharmacy technician. Having come to the United States, I was working as I never had before. After earning my BS in Biochemistry from Temple University, I started working as chemist. Yet, deep within, I began questioning myself, wondering if I could do more.
Later that year, inspired by the plight of the underserved, especially in my country of origin, India, my mother’s illness, and my growing passion for scientific research, I decided to attempt a career in medicine. I scored a 90th percentile overall on the MCAT, which would have been higher if it had not been for my subpar performance on verbal reasoning - since English is for me a second language. This helps to explain why I ended up going to medical school outside of the USA. Since then, my English has continued to improve.
I feel incredibly lucky to be able to practice in a profession that allows me to explore my fascination with the human heart while getting the satisfaction of helping people to live longer, more fulfilling lives. Currently serving as a hospitalist in the Department of Cardiology at XXXX Hospital in Connecticut, I learn increasingly about Cardiology every day, attending to patients with a wide variety of cardiac pathologies and gaining additional valuable experience in cardiac management.
I have also volunteered as a fellow in heart failure and transplantation to learn how to manage advanced heart failure patients more effectively, especially with the support of mechanical circulatory devices. Now, I hope to become a transplant fellow for the upcoming academic year. I look forward to being a part of your cardiology fellowship program and fully demonstrating my determination, hard work, and commitment to patient well-being as a member of your distinguished team.
Thank you for considering my application.
Sample Cardiology Fellowship Personal Statement
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