Why do I want to be a doctor? It's a question that I've had to ask myself many times and a question I get asked. After all the road to a career in the medical field is a long and difficult one, so I have to be sure that I am certain in my decision. I think the medical field is a career that calls for a certain type of person and I think it's my path in life....here's why.
1. I Want to Help People This is something that most of us pre-meds say first and for me it really is true. When I think of becoming a physician I don't think about the title, or myself, or the salary, or anything else other then the people....the people who I could help and who's lives I could save. This is a career in which I will be able to selfless every single day and impact people in one of the most important ways.
2. I Was Inspired by my Great-Grandmother
One of my goals is to live a meaningful life, one in which I touch others. I was really inspired by my Great-grandmother, I remember the year of her 90th birthday when she was knighted by the French government for her service to the people of Saint Martin. My great-grandma was a mid-wife and she gave birth to many healthy babies on the island. She saw a need on the island, there were too many unsuccessful births, and so she travelled to another island to go to school and came back to St. Martin to make a difference.
I may not have any physicians in my family, but I have some really amazing role models and I've learned so many qualities from them that has led me to pursue a career in medicine. My great-grandma always told me how important education was and she showed me what selflessness looked like, she was always giving to those in need. While I wanted to highlight my great-grandma there are many other family members who have inspired me as well. They showed me the kind of life that I wanted to live: one that was meaningful, selfless, and filled with kindness.
3. I Love Science, Research, and the Human Body
There are many ways in life to help people and live a selfless life other than being a doctor, so again why do I want to be a doctor? I think that there are a lot of factors that all come together that led me to this path. Another factor is my love for science. I think this really started in high school as I started taking more advanced science classes. Biology and chemistry just excited me and I always wanted to learn more. Now as I am in college I am so excited to keep taking my science courses, even though it is hard work I love learning about it!
I am fascinated with the human body! We all wake up everyday and live our life, meanwhile the body is always active doing things we don't even think about, down to every little cell.
There is also still so much we don't know, such as all the mechanisms of the human brain and that's where research comes in. I've learned how research can have such an impact of many people! I have a lot of research ideas that I am excited to pursue in the future.
4. I Am Up for the Challenge
The path to becoming a doctor is certainly no easy one, right now I'm focused on being the best pre-med student I can do be so that I'm able to get into medical school. Then I need to be successful in medical school, then comes a residency program, and maybe a fellowship afterwards. All in all the journey will be 12-15 years of hard work. But I am up for the challenge, I believe in my abilities and won't give up on myself. Due to this self-confidence I decided that I could do anything I put my mind to!
5. There's a Need for Me
African-American women make up 2% of physicians in America. Yep, you read that right...only 2%. Throughout my research I've seen that on the other side African-American women face higher risks than women of other races when it comes to maternal morality, pre-term births, and more so I really feel that there needs to be more advocacy for black women in health care.
Also as a Caribbean women I will be in an even smaller demographic in the medical field, rather than let those statistics discourage me they actually encourage me! I come from a very very small island but I don't let that stop my very big dreams and I want to encourage more young people to dream big and achieve their goals.
My upbringing also exposed me to different types of healthcare: the European and West-Indian way. I grew up with a lot of natural remedies that really work and these were what we turned to first, helping the body heal itself, before medication. As a doctor I want to take these perspectives that I have when treating my patients so that they get the best care possible.
6. I Am Very Passionate
I am extremely passionate about health-care! I once had a conversation about universal healthcare in which the person asked "Well what if you'll make less money as a doctor" to which I replied "I. don't. care." Money has no worth compared to someone's life.
I am always putting myself in other's shoes and realizing the fortunes that I have everyday such as my access to care and the health that I have. The truth is that we don't know what tomorrow will bring so when I look at someone who is sick or suffering I see them as if that was me; both our lives are matter. Everyone's lives matter. And therefore there should be quality care for every person.
7. Why an OB/GYN?
Usually when I mention that I want to be an Ob/Gyn I get this "ew" facial reaction that they can't help because people automatically picture my hand up someone's vagina. LOL! Then they usually say "well someone's gotta do it" and I laugh along with them because yes while my job would involve being between women's legs it's much more than that. I can't really pinpoint the moment that I wanted to be an Ob/Gyn but I can say that the more I looked into the field and did research, the more passionate I felt about it. First, I was interested only really in the obstetrician side of it which focuses on pregnancy and childbirth. When I look back now, I see that I was always really interested in pregnancy...to me it was magical and amazing! My mom had this big pregnancy book that I would read throughout each of my brother's pregnancies, I loved reading about how the baby was developing and how the mom's body was changing to accommodate the baby. As an Ob/Gyn I am this new human's first doctor and one of my goals is to bring healthy new life into this world.
In the last year or two my interest in the entire field grew tremendously as I learned the importance of it. Women's health is so important and I think there's a lot that people don't know. Like the fact that the United States of America has one of the highest maternal mortality (women dying during childbirth) rates of developed countries in the world. Or how risky childbirth and pregnancies can be to women. There are many issues that I not only want to address but I also want to conduct research and create solutions that will improve women's health.
This is why I want to be a Doctor.
I think the question "why do you want to be a doctor" is a very loaded question, as you see it took me many many paragraphs to explain all my personal reasons and I think that's because there are several factors that all come together to create an interest in the medical field.
That includes wanting to help others and being of service to others, being a smart person that will be able to withstand the longevity and challenge of medical school, being interested in science, and a true personal motivation in your heart that will never stop.
If you're a Pre-med student, what specialty are you considering? What made you choose medicine? I'm always happy to chat!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my personal reasons for pursuing a career in the medical field. I'll definitely keep you all updated throughout my whole journey.
xoxo,
Kye