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

評語：

經過簡單的翻譯過后,可以看出這是一篇藥學專業的ESSAY,文章以倒敘的手法從親身經歷過的故事入手,來一步一步表明自己堅定學藝藥學的信念.理念.從第一段的故事描述中你可以看到作者悉心的觀察了克勞福德患病的雙手,而且對克勞福德所說的:”藥物已經對我失去了作用,病魔想徹底搞垮我”,這使得作者更加堅定了要學習藥學的信心,期間還展現出了作者通過為被虐待的員工服務過程中,作為一名醫師很強的責任感,正義感.可以顯示出作者的人格品德,而良好的人格道德對于醫務工作者來說是非常重要的,我想作者這點表現的很充分.以申請的角度看來文章寫的很有代表性.

譯文：

從勞工關系到醫學

克勞福德先生是一個收斂的駕駛員。他是以進入我的辦公室，當時我正作為國際勞力聯席委員會的領域研究實習教師。他癱陷在我面前的椅子里的時候，椅子被他的沖力向后推出很大一截。在干了42年“死亡制造者”之后，他已經疲憊不堪、力不從心了，于是來我這里尋求幫助來找回他的工作。

坐端正了之后，他直勾勾的看著我的眼睛。

“它們正在一步步的搞垮我。”他邊說邊看著他那雙受傷了的得了關節炎的手，“藥物對我已經沒有多大的作用了。”

我快速的看了一下他的檔案，很明顯他的解雇與他的我們組織的相關工作沒有任何關系。因此，我也無能為力。我很抱歉的和他解釋了我權利的有限并看著他。我還迷茫的，不只所措的仔細看了看他的手，而克勞福德則對身體的背叛很是苦惱。

作為一個NLRB的實習教師，我檢查顧主門以及工會等對工人的不公平待遇。我經常幫助那些被顧主虐待的人們，但是對于克勞福德的情況我真的是無能為力。

介紹自己的經歷，大學本科所學的東西，以及在NLRB實習階段對工人階級在健康方面存在的不同的問題的認識，就象克勞福德的情況一樣。為了幫助這些工人階級我決定從事研究職業健康方面的工作。

于是在結束了我的實習階段，我在馬薩州的一個醫院就職，完成我的我的醫學研究并增加我的實踐經驗，因為我在NLRB實習時了解到的東西還很有限而且我更想到一個有良好的研究環境的工作崗位。

自己在新工作中的心得和以后在藥學方面前景的估量和今后研究計劃。

我還在力求從事一項對工人個體有利的工作。作為一個內科醫師，我將勇于面對他們的困難。并有意繼續在自己的領域干出一番事業。