Veterinary Background

Changing the bandage on an angry bulldog’s paw or trimming the hooves of a 2000-pound draft horse can be an intimidating venture. Curing animals requires compassion, precision, and confidence; it is also an excellent way to learn about practicing medicine and to feel the satisfaction of helping someone in need. Due to my rural background, knowledge of animals, and love of science, I began working for a local veterinarian at a young age. Later in life, when I decided to become a physician, I saw that my veterinary experiences had prepared me well for a career in health care.

When I started volunteering in an emergency room, I learned that humans really aren't so different from other animals -- I needed to show my compassion in order to earn their trust before I could heal or comfort them. When a child or widow brought me their dying pet and pleaded for me to cure it, I had to soothe the person as well as the animal. I used this calm compassion in the emergency room when comforting the family of a father who had just suffered a heart attack, or when talking with a husband frantic about his wife’s car accident. I saw further similarities between human and animal medicine when I shadowed Dr. Harry Williams in his family practice. I saw that his close relationship with his patients led him to keep thinking of them long after his office closed for the day. Likewise, as a veterinary technician, I had often carefully considered how to help each animal. Compassion is truly a prerequisite for any career in health care.

In my work with animals, I learned that perseverance is key to successful treatment. Interruption of that treatment can lead to disastrous results. In many rural communities near my home, I witnessed the consequences of the absence of consistent medical care. As a farrier, I have worked in many old-order Mennonite communities whose needs aren’t being met: when one client's daughter injured her hand in a corn sheller, she was unable to get medical care because facilities were far away and no doctors could come to their farm. The girl’s hand was infected and not healing well. I did what I could, but I was troubled that I didn’t have the expertise to treat the injury. On my next visit, I saw that her hand had grown deformed. Had she been able to see a physician more frequently, her hand might have healed correctly. Encounters of this kind have revealed to me the consequences of medically underserved communities. I look forward to working toward a solution to this problem when I am a physician.

A good veterinarian operates with precision. I have applied the careful, exacting skills I learned with animals to my lab work. I am currently involved in research on corneal endothelium with Dr. Carson Kennedy. In the lab, we study mammalian corneal cells; eventually, we would like to describe and prevent ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma. Through this work, I have honed my scientific skills and sharpened my analytical mind. It is exhilarating to catch a glimpse of valuable knowledge, not yet known by anyone, which has the potential to help many people. It is also very rewarding to know that I have contributed to the advancement of medicine by providing research results that will improve people’s health.

Perhaps the most important quality required to practice human or animal medicine is confidence. In the lab, in the emergency room, and in the field, I have had many opportunities to observe the importance of confident leadership to a medical practice. Over the years, I have observed that the best veterinarians and physicians handle each issue swiftly and appropriately, delegating tasks to others with self-assurance. In every medical situation, someone must take the lead role while working to manage the team. Leadership roles have always come naturally to me -- I spent twelve years working toward becoming an Eagle Scout and helping my younger brother to do the same. The composure I gained as a troop leader helped me to excel in my role as supervisor at a large walking horse farm. Since then, I have grown into leadership roles that required more significant responsibilities. I am comfortable as a leader because I am confident in my ability to ensure the health and safety of others. The leadership skills I have developed will be a vital part of my work as a physician.

When I began working as a veterinary technician, I did not fully realize that the skills I gained would be so applicable to my eventual career as a physician. Yet my experiences with animals have provided me with an excellent foundation to continue my studies of human health and well-being. I am eager to develop the medical knowledge I have gained thus far in order to become the kind of physician my community will be able to rely on.

點評：

這是一篇申請醫學的文章是很成功的。說實話我是很喜歡的。

我們看一下這篇文章的結構：

第一部分，開頭。在這部分開門見山的點中了題目，獸醫的經歷。

第二部分，延伸引入。光看了開頭讓人很迷惑，怎么獸醫的來申請醫學了呢。所以這里解釋引入一下，高速別人，我之前的經歷和和現在的申請有關系的。

第三部分，主體。這里主要是在講自己的醫學上的經歷，跟老師做實驗也好，還是之前的社會活動，結合這些事情來說自己在醫學上的認識，非常的真實也令人信服。而且作者的邏輯性很強，由潛到深的敘述，一切都顯得那么自然。雖然很多東西都是專業的東西，但是結合他所說的東西并不顯得枯燥。

第四部分，升華。通過對主體部分的總結，寫出了自己對專業的一些看法，領導能力對于外科醫生非常重要。并且詳細的寫出了自己的觀點。

第五部分，結尾。在升華的基礎上，點名了自己的目的，說出了自己的目標。

可以說這篇文章的格式是相當的標準的，一共是6段，分為很標準的5個部分。結構清晰，讓人可以很清晰的知道作者要表達的思想和內容。不像很多作者在做文章的時候太散太亂。這篇文章中我最喜歡的就是這點。而且這篇文章的中心很明確，并且用獸醫的經歷把整個文章串了起來。可以說獸醫的經歷就好像是一根繩子，牢牢的把各個部分有機的連接起來，讓人看到文章的時候第一個感覺就是整體感好。

文字方面我也是比較喜歡的，那就是作者駕馭文字的能力，他并沒有選擇賣弄他的文字工地，而是很準確的使用了文字。很多詞都用的恰到好處，這是值得我們學習的。因為有很多申請者一味的注意文字的絢麗，并且在這方面追求的有點走火入魔，最終撿了芝麻丟了西瓜。再有，這篇文章的另外一個優點就是邏輯思維好。

我認為這篇文章最大的劣勢是，在這里過多的描述了專業方面的興趣。作者通過很多的事例，由淺入深的來描述他對于專業的興趣。為什么他要選擇這個專業，這個專業有什么意義。他對于這個專業的看法，他的一些真實的想法。但是這些東西畢竟有些空。在這里我相信更重要一些的是他的專業能力，也就是說他作為一個醫生來講的能力。必須要展示一下。我相信有很多人都能在認識上達到作者的這個高度，但是專業上呢？這里應該有專業的展示。但是很可惜我在文章里沒有找到。

譯文：

獸醫背景

給一個憤怒的牛頭犬的爪子或者是一個2000磅重的大馬的蹄子換繃帶是一件冒險的事情。 給動物做治療是需要愛心，細心和自信的。這也同樣是一種出眾的方式來學習醫學的實踐和會讓人在幫助你需要幫助的人或動物的時候感覺到滿足。 由于我鄉下背景，對動物的愛，以及對科學的熱情，當我還很小的時候我就為一個當地的獸醫工作了。 稍后，當我決定成為一個醫師的時候，我發現我的獸醫經歷已經很好的在醫療方面為我提供了寶貴的經歷。

當我開始在一個急診室中當志愿者的時候，我發現人類和其他的動物真是石油很大的不同 -- 在我治療和安慰他們之前，我必須要以我的熱情讓他們信任我。 當一個孩子或寡婦帶給我他們的垂死的寵物而且希望我救治他們, 我必須讓人和動物同時平靜下來。

當安慰一個心臟病發作父親的家庭的時候，我在急診室中用了這一招, 或當一個出車禍的女人的丈夫說話的時候。 當我跟著Dr. Harry Williams做家庭練習的時候，我發現人類和動物更為相似的一面。 正工作了一天之后，他還很關心他的病人，一直在想并考慮病人的相關問題。 同樣地，當做一個獸醫的技術人員時，我時常小心地考慮該如何幫助每只動物。 醫德對于作為醫生來說最重要的。

在我和動物的工作中，我了解了毅力是成功的治療關鍵。治療的中斷能導致損失慘重的結果。 在我的家附近的許多的社區，我目擊了缺少一致醫療的結果。 身為一個獸醫，我已經為old-order Mennonite communities里的一些有一些需要但是沒有被實現的人工作了很多： 因為沒有設備，而且沒有醫生可以到達他們的農場，所以當一個客戶的女兒在一個玉米剝殼器中傷了她手的時候，她不能夠得到應有的醫療照護。 女孩的手被感染而且痊愈得不好。 我做了所有我能做的，但是我沒有任何處理這樣事情的經驗。 當我第二次取看她的時候，我看見有的那只手長成了畸形。如果她能及時的找到一個醫生，她的手會恢復像她沒受傷前一樣。 像這類遭遇顯示了社區醫學服務不周到的結果。如果我能成為一個醫生，我想我會解決這樣的問題了。

一個好獸醫在做手術的時候一定要下手準確。 我已經在現在的實驗室里的試驗中用到了我在做獸醫的時候學習到的小心又精確的技術。 我現在正在和Dr. Carson Kennedy一起做角膜移植方面的研究。 在實驗室中，我們研究哺乳動物的角膜細胞; 最后，我們可以理解和預防一些眼科疾病比如說白內障。 通過這樣的工作，我已經磨練了我的專業技能和分析能力。 發現有價值的知識是令人欣喜的, 尤其是那些還沒有被很多人知道, 并且有可能幫助到很多人。我已經知道可能會改善人的健康的研究結果成為醫學的進步。

也許最重要的一點是必需的提升人類或者動物對醫療的信心。 在實驗室中，在急診室中, 和在這個領域中，我已經有許多機會觀察一個自信領導對于醫學聯系的影響。 數年以來，我觀察過很多優秀的獸醫和外科醫生很快速很恰當的處理了很多病人, 對病人充分的展示了自己的信心在各種醫療情況下，有個人比如要但當起領導的角色必須有人要有效的管理和領導這個團隊。 領導角色對我來說是很自然地—我為了成為Eagle Scout用了我12年的時間并且我也在幫助我弟弟做同樣的事情。 在我通過在一群人中的領導地位得倒了冷靜，幫助了我在養馬的農場里像一個導師。之后，我已經發展成了更多的重要工作的領導。 因為我確信我有能力可以保障其他人的安全和健康，所以我當我是領袖的時候很滿足。 我的領導才能是我作為一個醫師的重要部份。

當我開始擔任一個獸醫的技術人員的時候，我不完全了解我得到的技術會對我作為一個醫師有很大的幫助。我和動物的經驗為我提供一個優良的基礎讓我繼續我的人類健康的研究。 我熱切于研究醫學知識，這是建立在我能夠被信任的基礎上的。