Experience in Veterinary Medicine - Personal Statement Example

My childhood spent as an immigrant in a small country town in Ohio was very different from the Iranian background to which I belonged. My relatives were involved in animal farming and that inspired me to learn about their welfare care. With age and time, the sense of responsibility to take care of these vulnerable creatures grew. So in accord with my parents, I brought sick stray animals home to the nurse and after healing, I would make sure to find suitable homes for them.

At the young age of eight, I decided to be a vegetarian and went against the grain to protect animals. My desire spawned to become a veterinarian when I witnessed an animal violence incident on a family trip abroad. My family and I were on a horse carriage admiring ancient Egyptian monuments. Suddenly the horseman whipped the poor creature so brutally that I started weeping and demanded him to hand his whip to me to prevent further cruelty.
This particular incident made the yearning to be a veterinarian more apparent. My compassion for animals and enthusiasm to learn veterinary medicine increased over time as I witnessed more examples of insensitivity and cruelty in South America, East Asia, and the Middle East. My family background as a healthcare professional aspired me persistently to peruse my ambition in veterinary medicine. My father, as a role model, set his priority to seeing unprivileged patients at a free clinic before going to his clinic for earning purposes.

My mother, as a pharmacist, perused her doctorate diligently to begin a career in pharmacy. Living with such dedicated healthcare professionals, I was able to determine my aim and would opt to learn more about it through higher education. My eagerness to explore the veterinary field further flourished when I began volunteering at animal hospitals to have a closer look at the challenges involved, which intrigued me more. The whole experience of working towards the betterment of animals made me learn the importance of the responsibility for handling life-threatening problems.
Initially, I learned how to restrain them during normal procedures, stitching cuts, simple check-ups, and monitoring an animal under anesthesia. However, one of my memorable experiences was counting the babies of a pregnant dog on an X-ray sheet. This image represented the miracle of life that strengthened my aim in supporting it. Volunteer work enabled me to monitor and learn a variety of veterinary care that improved animal health and quality of life.

I observed peculiarly while veterinarians briefed the animal owner on preventive care, performed various surgical procedures such as spays and neuters, placed catheters, and administered vaccinations. I observed with wonder as life was sustained against the odds, and also as it tragically ended out of necessity. My rewarding experiences convinced me that veterinary medicine was the ideal field for me.
I am confident that I have the intellectual aptitude, awareness of work ethic, physical capability, personal strength in pressurizing moments, and motivating intentions to excel in veterinary medicine. As a former top-performing competitive gymnast, I am a disciplined, strong-willed individual, who can face the hurdles and bottlenecks of education and career. Due to my passion for veterinary medicine, I have been steadfast in my career choice despite years of family pressure to become a physician.
Furthermore, extensive experience in medical settings, including six years at a cosmetic surgery office, has developed my interpersonal and communication skills. I have also demonstrated strong organizational and leadership skills through my efforts for the Persian American Society for Health Advancement (PASHA) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where I coordinated and planned events such as campus-wide blood drives. In addition to it, I am an accomplished player of tombak, and the Persian goblet drum, and have performed in many concerts. My dedication to continuing the practice of tombak for 18 years is an example of how I will devote myself unremittingly to veterinary medicine until I attain excellence in it.

I consider it my perpetual mission to advance my studies in animal health and welfare by applying my veterinary knowledge and skills to the fullest. To implement my aim to provide help and assistance to animals in deprived states everywhere, I plan to work with organizations such as Veterinarians without Borders to facilitate defenseless creatures and to provide expertise and care in underserved regions in and outside the U.S.

Working with fellow medical scientists, I hope to proceed with a less anthropocentric worldview that recognizes and acts upon the interdependency of animal and human health and welfare. I firmly believe that how we treat and care for animals reflects our human sensibilities and our commitment to a better world. Read More