From Labor Relations to Medicine

Mr. Crawford, an aging teamster, limped into the office where I worked as a field examiner intern for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). As he collapsed into the swivel chair facing my desk, his momentum swung him halfway around before he could stop himself. Weary and partially disabled after 42 years of work as a die maker, he sought my help in a final attempt to get his job back.

Righting himself, he looked me in the eye.

“They’re gettin’ rid of me, ” he said, looking down at his worn, arthritic hands. “Say I ain’t no good with the machines no more.”

I quickly pored over his file, which clearly indicated that his firing had nothing to do with his union membership. Because firings fall outside the mandate of the NLRB, I could do nothing to change the situation. Regretfully, I began to explain my limitations and looked up at him. Still examining his hands with a piercing but somewhat perplexed gaze, Mr. Crawford seemed to be wondering how his body had betrayed him.

As an intern with the NLRB, I investigated unfair practices by employers as well as by unions. Often, I helped those who had been maltreated by their union or discriminated against by an employer. Unfortunately, in cases such as Mr. Crawford’s, I could do nothing to assist the claimant.

Medicine parallels labor law in this respect. While medical science can be applied to ameliorate the lives of those in distress, it does not offer a remedy for every ailment. After Mr. Crawford left my office, I recalled how I witnessed both frustration and satisfaction in medicine through my experience as a volunteer in the Emergency Department of South Shore Hospital and in my training as an emergency medical technician. I had studied industrial and labor relations as an undergraduate, and I later went to work at the NLRB because I was drawn to the issues facing the working class. During my tenure at the NLRB, I encountered many who had occupational health issues like Mr. Crawford's. Each time, the mechanism of the particular injury fascinated me, but my inability to help the individual proved disappointing. I have decided to pursue a career in medicine, focusing on the field of occupational health, in the hopes that I can help working people.

After completing my NLRB internship, I took a position at Massachusetts General Hospital to broaden my practical skills while finishing my pre-medical requirements. Although I had thrived in the investigative environment of the NLRB, I did not know quite what to expect in a scientific research milieu.

As a research technician in the Endocrine Unit, I observe the development of new technologies, which may help conquer diseases that are today only partially manageable. While I work on a project to clone the cPTH receptor, in the hope that gene therapy might prevent osteoporosis, I experience both excitement and frustration, yet I also recognize that what sets medicine apart is the progress inherent in scientific discovery. The advances in medical science allow the practitioner of today’s healthcare to cure people who would have gone untreated just a few years ago -- and the future potential is limitless.

I remain committed to a career that benefits the working-class individual. As a physician, I will continue to confront their concerns in my medical practice. At the same time, I am determined to persevere into the unique form of investigation that is medical research. Both endeavors provide the outlet to impact the lives of others and fulfill my personal and professional ambitions.

點評：

文章開頭的故事很有感染力，但用在這篇文章上作用不大。總的來說，這不是一篇很能說服人的文書。

文章的結構分析：

1.前五段敘述一段在NLRB實習的經(jīng)歷；

2.第六段通過說明藥物和勞工法律有一定的聯(lián)系，表明自己從勞資關系工作者轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)獒t(yī)務者。

3.最后三段就通過講述自己在內(nèi)分泌研究部門工作的經(jīng)歷，而得出感興趣的研究方向和職業(yè)目標。

從大體上說，作者用5段的篇幅寫了自己在NLRB實習的經(jīng)歷，故事雖然很吸引人，但這個故事與醫(yī)藥方面的聯(lián)系不大，所以用過多筆墨描寫這件事會有喧賓奪主之嫌。

然后，第六段是轉(zhuǎn)折段，作者的思想就有了一個很大的轉(zhuǎn)折，由從事勞資關系工作向醫(yī)學轉(zhuǎn)型。但就因為“處理身體傷殘這種機制很感興趣，但因為我無法向這些人提供幫助，令我對自己很失望”而想轉(zhuǎn)向?qū)W醫(yī)，轉(zhuǎn)折有點牽強，讀者很難將勞資關系和醫(yī)藥扯上關系。

最后，作者在講述在內(nèi)分泌研究部門工作時，是完全可以再深入的描寫自己在工作過程中所遇到的解決不了的問題，而萌生要繼續(xù)學習的念頭這一段經(jīng)歷，而不是簡單帶過。

所以這篇文章還有值得修改的地方。

譯文：

從勞工關系到藥物

我在國家勞工關系委員會工作的時候，主要是作為一名勞資關系現(xiàn)場檢查實習生。一次，克勞福德先生，一位年老的卡車駕駛員，一撅一拐地走進了我的辦公室。當他重重地倒在我桌前的旋椅上時，那股沖力使椅子轉(zhuǎn)了半個圈才停下來。42年的制模工作導致他身心疲憊，還造成了肢體的部分傷殘。這次是他的最后一擊，希望通過我的幫助，使他恢復工作。

整理了一下衣服，他就看著我。

 “他們正準備解雇我。”他的目光移到了自己蒼老，有關節(jié)炎的手上。“我不再像以前那樣能干了。”我快速翻開他的檔案，上面清楚地表明他的這次解雇與工會成員沒有任何關系。因為這些不在NLRB（國家勞資關系委員會）的管理范圍內(nèi)，我實在是無能為力。我只能非常抱歉地看著他，向他解釋我能力有限，無法向他提供幫助。而Crawford先生目光呆滯，茫然地刺著他的手，像在責備自己的身體背叛了自己似的。

在NLRB實習時，我從調(diào)查中發(fā)現(xiàn)雇主和工會對員工所做出的不公平對待。我通常都會幫助這些被工會組織虐待或被雇主歧視的員工平反。但不幸的是，類似于Crawford先生這種案件，我都是無能為力的。

在這點上，藥物和勞工法律是并行的。因為醫(yī)學可以幫助舒緩病人的痛苦癥狀，但卻無法治療每個人。當Crawford先生離開我的辦公室后，回想起我在南海岸醫(yī)院的急診所當志愿者時和作為急救醫(yī)務員時的情景，那一幕幕我親眼看見的藥物既能讓人沮喪也能讓人滿足的情形出現(xiàn)在我的腦海里。在本科階段我的主修是勞資關系，隨后因為我想了解工人階級所遇到的問題，所以就去了NLRB工作。我在NLRB工作期間碰到了許多像Crawford先生那樣有健康問題的人。每一次，我對處理身體傷殘這種機制很感興趣，但因為我無法向這些人提供幫助，令我對自己很失望。我決定從事醫(yī)藥方面的工作，并會側重職業(yè)保健這個領域，希望能向勞動人民提供幫助。

在NLRB實習完后，我進入了馬薩諸塞州的綜合醫(yī)院。在那我完成了醫(yī)學院預科要求。同時也大開眼界并提高了我的實踐技能。盡管我在NLRB這個調(diào)查環(huán)境中成長得很快，但我卻無法預料在科學研究領域我會遇到什么，得到什么。

作為一位在內(nèi)分泌研究部門里的技術員，我發(fā)現(xiàn)新技術的發(fā)展可能有助于戰(zhàn)勝在目前為止只能克制的疾病。當我研究克隆cPTH受體這個項目時，希望通過基因治療可以預防骨質(zhì)疏松。研究過程中我經(jīng)歷了收獲過成功也遇到過挫折，我也意識到把醫(yī)學分開的是科學發(fā)現(xiàn)的固有進程。在醫(yī)學領域取得的這些先進的成果使當今衛(wèi)生保健的開業(yè)醫(yī)生有可能治療那些幾年前無法得到治療的病患。在將來這種潛力也是無限的。

我一心想從事這種能幫助工人階級的職業(yè)。作為一名醫(yī)師，我會通過醫(yī)療實踐繼續(xù)解決他們所關心的問題。同時，我下定決心要進行獨特的調(diào)查形式－醫(yī)療研究，盡全力為其他人創(chuàng)造幸福的生活，實現(xiàn)我個人和專業(yè)上的抱負。