A Fellowship Position, Personal Statement Example

I am seeking to apply for a fellowship position in pulmonary critical care medicine. I have always had a special interest in this specific area of the medical field because I enjoy both the challenge and complexity of critical care. Equally, I have a good Doctor to Patient relationship and wish to work in an area that makes a real difference to patient quality of life. As a medical professional I have been fascinated by the pathophysiology and mechanics of pulmonary disease, hence the passion to specialise within this important medical field. Pulmonary medicine also provides me with the opportunity to have an outpatient office and enable me to interact with those patients that require this form of critical care.

Within the context of my future career ambitions I am particularly interested in finding an academic track i.e. a position within a University setting as this will provide me with the opportunity to combine academic teach and clinical research work whilst providing the more practical clinical patient care. I have a special interest in COPD which is a huge health care burden for our health system. This being an area where I would like to complete clinical research and look towards development of new procedures and guidelines towards treatment options. In addition I am also exploring interests in the field of interventional pulmonology, thus combining the pathology of lung disease, lung physiology and the ability to perform curative and palliative interventions.

I am currently a Doctor in residency, serving as a postgraduate resident within the internal medicine residency program. The current role focuses upon leadership skills on the general medical wards in addition to patient care within the intensive care unit and cardiac general care unit. This has enabled me to obtain a diverse work experience including the hands-on approach of surgery.

The next important step in my career is to find a working appointment within a University setting for a few years. As such building upon my existing experience by taking a more academic approach to learning and conducting clinical research within my specific fields of interest. I believe finding the right setting will be a rewarding and satisfying experience that will stimulate my growth towards fulfilling my ultimate goal which will be working for a major Public health Organisation e.g. The World Health Organization. This would then enable me to practice the skills of my profession in a truly global context.

My personal ethos is that building a career within the framework of surgery requires an approach that is above and beyond an ordinary level of professional commitment. As such this becomes a personal lifestyle choice – this being one that I am both willing to make and equally dedicated to. I have absolute confidence in my abilities and capability to succeed by my high level of determination and the passion or commitment towards learning and advancing both my knowledge and existing skill sets.

I have developed interests outside of my work sphere and this has included completion of community work between 2003-2008 I was a member of Santhwanam students, a voluntary organization in medical school that helped in providing food and medical aid to those financially challenged patients of a medical school hospital. In addition I completed a period of time with the Christian Assistance Ministry in San Antonio, Texas where we provided food and clothing to the community.

I would be grateful if you gave my Fellowship application serious consideration and look forward to a positive outcome.