Application for medicine studies Motivational

Medicine as a discipline is predominantly rooted in science, particularly biology and chemistry. My strong performance in and enjoyment of sciences makes me an ideal candidate for medical school. Nevertheless, my greatest motivation to pursue the field comes from my passion for serving people. Right from elementary school through to college, I have always been passionate about serving people in a direct way. I have participated in numerous volunteer and community initiatives, which have further strengthened my desire to serve people. Serving people gives me satisfaction more than anything else.

Medicine is one field that offers the opportunity to serve humanity. It is not only a job, but also a career. It enables one to practically apply the knowledge acquired in class in helping people. Dissimilar to most courses, medicine is a vocational course in the sense that one gets practical training in a specific job. Students do not just grapple with lots of class work; they get an opportunity to see how doctors work in the real world.

Indeed, the importance of hands-on experience in the field of medicine cannot be overemphasised (Sacks, 2006). Hands-on experience introduces students to the real world of medicine. They become familiar with the practical complexities associated with a career in the field while still training. I also love the variety of subjects that the medical field covers. Medicine covers not only science, but also subjects such as ethics and philosophy. As a result, one always has something to get their teeth into.

This aspect is true not only at the training level, but also during the course of practice. Throughout a career in the medical field, one is constantly studying and enhancing their skills and knowledge. In fact, medicine is arguably the most dynamic career. Accordingly, practitioners have to remain up to date with innovations and medical advancements as what worked a few years or decades ago may not be relevant today. For example, bacteria keep on evolving and becoming immune to medication, meaning stronger treatment interventions have to be found.

I find this aspect quite appealing as I desire something that challenges me to get out of my comfort zone. However, some people may find it challenging, in large part due to the long hours involved. In fact, most people are reluctant to undertake medicine studies due to the challenge of work-life balance. Nonetheless, I strongly believe that by the time one is through with school training, the hours become pretty manageable.

Furthermore, even if the hours are usually long, one goes home with the satisfaction of contributing to the wellbeing of other people. The breadth of subjects covered by medicine means one has a wide variety of choices in terms of specialisation. These include oncology, cardiology, nephrology, dermatology, paediatrics, urology, gynaecology, obstetrics, pathology, surgery, emergency medicine, orthopaedics, and so on (Sacks, 2006). Besides the usual specialties, one can choose the context of practice. One may decide to be a hospital-based doctor, a general practitioner, a prison doctor, or a military doctor.

This further makes medicine an exciting field for me. An even more interesting aspect about medicine is that one never stops doing what they trained for as they move up the professional ladder. In most fields, one's work is increasingly restricted to paperwork as they climb the career ladder. For instance, when one becomes a manager, they leave much of the hands-on work to their juniors. With medicine, it is quite different as hands-on work is involved in virtually every level of seniority.

As a person, fond of getting involved in doing the actual work, I find this aspect extremely appealing. My idea of a career is not a life of paperwork, but participating directly in the creation of that paperwork. For me, hands-on work is a rich source of fulfilment. It is always a rewarding experience when my involvement in doing the job makes a difference. Direct involvement in work means endless opportunities for team work.

Whereas other careers claim to value team work, I think there is no career where team work is more evident than in medicine. Every day, doctors work with one another and other practitioners (such as nurses) to deliver treatment interventions. Whether it is in the surgery room or interacting with patients and their families, working alongside others is important in medicine. This blends strongly with my passion for serving people. Without a doubt, a person that loves serving people tends to be fond of collaborating with others in resolving problems.

More fundamentally, medicine is a career where integrity is more important than in any other career. As the career revolves around people's health, integrity is a core requirement. Lack of integrity on the part of medical practitioners can have disastrous consequences on the public. It may cause severe injuries, deaths, as well as psychological and economic burden. I desire a career where integrity is essential. Though completely unrelated to medicine studies, my educational background makes me a more ideal candidate for medical school.

In my undergraduate, I pursued international business, and international marketing for my Master's. The world of business has important implications for medicine in the real world. As a discipline, business is generally concerned with efficient utilisation of resources with the aim of achieving the most possible return on investment. A business manager decides which products to offer to which markets, and the best way of delivering the products.

They utilise a combination of human, technical, and financial resources to ensure the product is delivered to the target market whenever and wherever needed, thereby facilitating the realisation of the maximum profit possible. This knowledge has endless applications in the field of medicine. Indeed, the application of business skills can immensely benefit health care organisations. It can revolutionise how healthcare is designed and delivered. An important application of business knowledge to medicine relates to the economics of running an organisation.

Hospitals and other health care providers ought to be run economically. Limited resources, in terms of funds, equipment, and personnel, must be efficiently allocated to a wide range of needs to achieve the most optimal outcomes. As doctors, double up as both administrators and practitioners, the hospital must clearly understand what areas require more resources and those that require little attention. They must be knowledgeable in budgeting, capacity management, customer satisfaction, and other business aspects.

Indeed, individuals with knowledge in both medicine and business tend to have an edge in hospital administration compared to those with business or medical training only (Viswanathan, 2014). Historically, hospital administration has been restricted to individuals with a business background, with medical practitioners mainly being assigned middle management jobs. Whereas business skills can be replicated across a range of organisational contexts, it is arguably more prudent when a hospital administrator has first-hand experience in the medical field.

An individual that has been directly involved in delivering care to patients has a better understanding of the everyday complexities associated with health care delivery, hence a better administrator. Equally, delegating administrative duties to an individual with no business training presents a recipe for disaster. It is only in medicine where administrators have no business knowledge.

In essence, having both business and medical knowledge places one in a better position to serve as a medical practitioner, while at the same time influencing policy and decision making at the organisational level and beyond. As Christiansen (2014) puts it, medical practice is more successful when founded on business principles. Like any other career, medicine requires planning and organising, aspects mainly learned in business. My background in business is, therefore, an added advantage as far as my desire to pursue medicine is concerned.

Once done with my medical studies, my business skills will be of great value.