Special Needs Pediatrics

The first time I met Carla, she was sitting on the floor alone in the middle of the lunchroom while the rest of her cabin played outside. Carla was a frizzy-haired 11-year-old girl with autism. It was her first time away from home, and she was struggling to adjust to the new patterns, people, and places. At the same time, as her camp counselor, I was trying desperately to figure out her needs. Carla could not communicate spontaneously, and she responded to my questions only by repeating them. It was difficult helping her transition from one activity to the next, because whenever a game ended, Carla would just flop down on the ground and refuse to budge. I tried singing songs, dancing, and playing "follow the leader, " but nothing uprooted Carla. Then suddenly, after a few days of working with her, I noticed that Carla was fascinated with hands. Although she would not hold people’s hands, she liked to touch them and look at them, and I soon discovered that I could use her interest to motivate her to participate in life around her. For the next two weeks, I transformed my hands into butterfly wings, and the two of us flew around camp together. Although we could not communicate verbally, we found a connection more powerful than conversation, and I discovered how deeply satisfying it is to help other people, particularly those who cannot speak for themselves.

I have dreamed of becoming a physician since childhood, because medicine offers the rare opportunity to combine science and humanism to make a real difference in other people’s lives. I have a longstanding love of science, which led me to major in engineering in college because I enjoyed working on applied scientific questions. Most of my course work and extracurricular activities were science-related, but my interest in medicine solidified, ironically, during the summer when I took my first break from science. During the fall semester of my junior year, I began to feel overwhelmed by conflicting responsibilities in my course work, part-time employment, and various extracurricular activities. I realized that I had spent most of the previous decade enrolled in academic, research, and community service projects to prepare myself for the challenge of medical school, but I had not yet confirmed that aspiration. I tried to focus on what made me happy at the time, and I realized my most beloved experiences occurred while I volunteered at a pre-school with disabled children. Whether I spent my time helping the children swim, reading to them, or simply chasing after them, I always left with the feeling that I had made a small impact on their lives.

I researched camps for children with special needs, and after talking with directors and former counselors at numerous programs, I chose to become a counselor at the Frost Valley YMCA Mainstreaming at Camp program. I started that summer both excited and daunted by what lay ahead. The counselors and directors warned me that the job would be emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting, but I had no idea what I would encounter. That summer became the hardest and most rewarding time of my life. Every two weeks a new group of children with a wide range of developmental disabilities entered my life and became dependent upon me for almost all of their care. I quickly realized how different each child was and tried to adjust my counseling style to fit their individual needs. Motivating and communicating with children who cannot -- or will not -- reciprocate your efforts requires a great deal of patience and creativity. Working with this special group of children tested me greatly, but I found that the hardest part was saying goodbye at the end of each two-week session.

During my last weeks at Frost Valley, one of my campers, a 19-year-old girl with mental retardation, began having seizures. I recognized her symptoms, but one night her seizures became continuous. We called an ambulance, and I jumped on board so that I could spend the night with her, holding her hand and acting as her medical advocate. Because she looked quite “normal, ” it was difficult for the medical staff to understand that she had the communication skills of a 9-year-old. After I explained her condition several times, however, the staff realized that although Jackie looked “normal, ” she required special care. After a long and scary night, Jackie was released from the hospital and sent back to camp. Fortunately, she recovered completely and was happy and healthy for the rest of her time at camp.

I am sure she will never remember how frightened she was that night -- or even my holding her hand -- but I know I will never forget it. That summer, particularly that night, reaffirmed my desire to become a doctor. I realized how critical it is for medical professional to understand the needs of special populations, to work directly with them and their families. I also understood that I could join my two loves by working as a pediatrician for children with special needs. Caring for a child who cannot tell you what is wrong requires a person with patience, skill, and compassion; it is my dream to become one of those people.

點評：

這是一篇醫學類PS，涉及轉專業。文章段落銜接緊密，思路清晰，內容感人，是一篇很好的PS。

文章可以分為四部分：

一、生動的經歷作為開頭，設置懸念

二、轉專業的原因

三、大三當夏令營的營隊輔導員的經歷

四、總結和升華自己想成為醫生的堅定信念

從文章的內容上來看，作者先通過一個生動具體的經歷作鋪墊，設置一個懸念，順利地引出第二段自己由一名理科生轉而申請兒科學的原因。然后帶出自己在大三暑假時當夏令營營隊輔導員的經歷。通過對這段經歷中具體案例的敘述，刻畫出自己在此期間的感受和收獲。三、四兩段在素材的選用上做得非常好，既有整體概括性的敘述，又有具體案例的使用，很有說服力。最后一段先總結上段的描寫，然后呼應第一段設置的懸念，突出自己成為兒科醫生的堅定決心。

因為是轉專業，專業背景的不足，最大的亮點就是對專業的興趣和自己所具有的素質特點了。但是作者在整篇文章中沒有空喊口號，而是通過具體事例的敘述，讓讀者能夠強烈感受到作者對病人的熱愛，心地的善良，效果非常好。

美中不足的就是作者在三四兩段經歷的描寫中沒有將自己的專業認識體現出來。應該通過具有專業性的語言表現出自己除了興趣之外，在專業上能力也有成為一名優秀兒科醫生的優秀素質。

譯文：

特別需求的兒科

當其他小朋友在外面歡快的嬉戲時，我發現一個11歲左右卷發的小姑娘獨自一人孤獨的坐在餐廳中間的地板上，非常的孤獨。她就是卡拉，一個患自閉癥的女孩。這是她第一次離家在外，她竭盡全力地適應她的新伙伴，適應這完全陌生的人和地方。作為她的營隊輔導員，我非常希望能夠幫助她從自閉忠走出來，于是竭盡全力去了解她。卡拉從不會主動和其他人交流，對于我問她的問題，她也從來只是簡單的重復，沒有答案。想讓她主動地從一項游戲參加到另一項游戲是一件非常困難的事情：因為無論何時，只要游戲一結束，卡拉就會一屁股坐到地上，不想再動。我努力的嘗試過讓她唱歌，跳舞，也嘗試過讓她參加“跟隨領導人”這樣的游戲，但是這些手段毫無效果，根本吸引不了她。她就像生了根的樹，動也不動。但是在經過了幾天的努力嘗試和仔細的觀察，突然有一天，我發現卡拉對人們的手非常感興趣，甚至到了著迷的地步。雖然她不會去握住別人的手，但是她非常喜歡觸摸和觀察人們的手。于是，我立刻意識到，我可以利用她的這個興趣來引導和激發她，讓她去感受她身邊的生活，去融入正常的生活。在接下來的兩個星期中，我把我的手變成了一雙蝴蝶的翅膀，帶著她愉快地穿梭于營地之中。雖然我們沒有語言上的交流，但是我們兩人之間擁有一個遠比語言更強而且有效的交流。與此同時我也享受著幫助別人，尤其是那些不能夠表達自己的人所帶來的巨大的快樂和滿足感。

從兒時起，我一直夢想成為一名內科醫生，因為我認為醫學是極少數能夠真正將科學和人道主義結合起來，從而改變人類生活質量的手段之一。雖然對自然科學極大熱愛，熱衷于運用科學手段解決相關問題的我，選擇了工程學作為我的專業。而且我的絕大多數課程學習和課外活動都和理科聯系非常緊密。但是不可思議的是，在大三的下學期那個暑假，理科學習過程中的一個短暫停頓，我把心底埋藏已久的對醫學的巨大興趣釋放了出來，一發不可收拾。因此我開始感覺到了課程學習同我的兼職、課外活動之間的巨大沖突，讓我非常矛盾。通過冷靜的思考，我意識到我之前近十年學習、研究和社區服務正是幫我準備著挑戰醫學所需要的一切。當然，那時我還沒有最終確認這是不是我真正的渴望。于是，我認真地思考真正讓我快樂的事情。最后我意識到，最讓我珍視的就是在幼兒園為殘障兒童志愿服務的經歷。在那段時間里，無論是教他們游泳，為他們讀書還是和他們玩非常簡單的追逐游戲，我都能感覺到我對他們生活的小小沖擊。

夏令營開始前，我詳細的了解了所有營員的特殊情況。在和眾多項目中的主任和前營隊輔導員溝通和了解后，我做了“霜谷YMCA主流回歸夏令營”的營隊輔導員。于是我開始了一個讓我既興奮同時也讓我疲憊的夏天。在一開始，那些輔導員和主任就警告我：我的這項工作將會讓我從心理到生理受到雙重折磨。我當時并不以為然，對我將會遇到的困難也毫無思想準備。所以，那個夏天是我所度過的最艱難的夏天。但也是我收獲最多的一個夏天。每兩周，一個全新的由各種不同殘障兒童組成的小組就會走入我的生活。他們幾乎完全要依賴我的照顧。我很快就意識到他們每個人有多么的特別，于是我努力根據每個人的需要調整我的輔導方式。我努力的激發那些不能或者不愿和別人交流的孩子，同他們做細致的溝通。要想得到他們的積極回應是需要極大的耐性和創造力的。在這種特殊的團體中工作隊我來說是個巨大的挑戰，非常艱難，但是對我來說，最艱難的不是工作的辛苦，而是在每次夏令營結束要和他們說再見的時候。

在霜谷的最后兩個星期，營里一名19歲的智障營員有出現痙攣的征兆。我便非常留意她的情況。有一天晚上，她出現了持續痙攣的癥狀。于是，我們立刻叫來了救護車。我毫不猶豫地跳上了救護車，這樣，我可以陪她一起度過這個困難的夜晚。我一直握著她的手就像是她的醫療顧問。因為對于急救人員來說，他們很難明白這個看起來極為正常的女孩實際上只有相當于9歲兒童的溝通能力。在我的幾次解釋之下，急救醫生才開始意識到：雖然杰姬看起來非常正常，但實際上她需要特殊對待。熬過了這個漫長而恐怖的長夜后，杰姬被送回到了營地。幸運的是她完全恢復了，并在夏令營中健康快樂的度過了剩下的時間。

雖然，我知道她永遠不會記得她在那個夜晚有多么的緊張，多么的恐懼，即使我一直緊握著她的手。然而我知道我永遠無法忘記。在那個夏天，尤其是那個夜晚，我堅定了成為醫生的信念。因為我深刻意識到，對于醫療工作者來說徹底了解那些有著特殊需求的病人，從而能夠直接為他們和他們的家庭服務有多么的重要！我也認識到成為一個為有特殊需求兒童服務的兒科醫生可以讓我把這兩種愛很好的結合在一起。治療那些不能告訴你他們具體病況的兒童要求醫生擁有巨大的耐心，出色的技能和超人的激情，而我的目標就是成為他們中的一員！