Qualities of a medical student

Q 1 

Being a teenager, I have encountered lots of stressors and significant life stages. Although I have found my adolescent years stressful and overwhelming, I have developed various resilience and coping mechanisms that have been key to my success. For instance, I have been able to withstand adversity, learn from my life experiences, and cope confidently with my life's challenges. Besides, I have developed mechanisms for overcoming life challenges. Some of these mechanisms include having a positive attitude in life, being optimistic, being able to regulate emotions, and perceiving my failures as forms of helpful feedback. I have been able to boldly face and overcome challenges, such as physical illness, excellent transitioning from one educational level to another, management of class workloads and exams, and cultural competencies. 

The resilience and coping mechanisms I have developed are going to be useful during my medical training. Just as I have been able to adapt well to all other stages of education, I believe I will also be able to adjust well for my University Degree in Medical Training. For instance, I will be able to successfully manage my medical training workloads and exams, be able to adjust to the new learning environment, help me in developing cultural competencies, and be able to form new learning groups at the University. Also, my past life experiences are going to help predict the types of challenges that I am likely to face, and thus be prepared to meet the new challenges successfully. 

Q 2 

Interacting with people from different backgrounds is quite challenging, yet it is a fantastic experience to encounter. Throughout my life, I have personally associated with people from different cultural backgrounds. For instance, I interacted with students from diverse academic backgrounds at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School. Here, I served as a residence assistant leader, where I had to handle and solve conflicts among the students. I also interacted with people from different ethnic groups. For example, in Walmart, I served as a manager, where I was tasked with solving pertinent issues among the group and being of service to the community. 

The experience of I gained in interacting with people from different backgrounds will be quite useful and applicable in the healthcare setting. I have learned enough skills vital for enabling me to smoothly solve clinical issues, such as informed consent and handling terminally ill patients. I will be able to interact well with patients as I carry out questioning in the process of diagnosing their problems. Furthermore, I will be able to communicate well with my co-workers at the healthcare facility, where I will contribute freely to championing for innovations that may lead to an excellent patient care system. 

Q 3 

There are several types of feedback that I prefer to receive at the University for effective and efficient learning outcomes. First, I prefer the kind of feedback that are educative. I prefer feedbacks that explain my academic progress. For instance, I need feedbacks that illustrate my areas of success and my areas of improvement, so that I may know where to emphasize and where to correct. Secondly, I prefer the type of timely feedback. Timely feedbacks are necessary for making me respond to my achievements and failures with experience positively. I also prefer one-on-one talks with my tutors where appropriate. One-on-one discussions with tutors help me become optimistic in learning and encourage me to yearn for improvement. 

I also prefer feedback that highly concentrates on my ability, rather than on my weaknesses. Such feedback raises my morale in learning and trigger me even in working towards perfecting on my areas of failure. Besides, I would encourage the University to deploy feedback from fellow students and parents. Students' and parents' feedbacks are crucial for breaking the monotony of tutor feedback. Where needed, praises should be genuine. I prefer being appreciated for my efforts, however little they may appear. Appreciations make me have the desire to work towards improvement. Finally, I prefer the kinds of feedback that offer models for development. When a tutor demonstrates what I am expected to do, I see my assignments become more transparent, and I feel encouraged to complete the task in time. 

Q 4 

Multifaceted factors have triggered my choice of application to join NOSM University. One of the elements is my desire to contribute towards improving the health of the people and the communities of Northern Ontario. To come up with the best strategies for helping NOSM in addressing the health concerns of the people and the cities of Northern Ontario, I will form a research group whose primary purpose will be coming up with innovating ideas for maximum patient care programs. As a new member of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, I will maintain my accountability in addressing the organizational core values. For instance, I will be ready at all times to contribute in innovative ideas, be socially accountable, collaborate with the NOSM stakeholders at all levels, embrace inclusivity within the organization, and maintain high respect for both colleagues and the patients. 

Q 5 A 

My past experiences as a Residence Life Don (work), Customer Service Manager (work), and Co-President of Laurier BollyHawks Association (Volunteer) are going to be highly applicable to be in accomplishing the NOSM’s mission and values. Having served as a Residence Life Don and Customer Service Manager, I have gained enough experience in handling people from diversified cultures. Therefore, as a medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, I will be able to interact with students from all cultural backgrounds and contribute significantly in sharing innovative ideas needed for the accomplishment of the organizational goals. 

I also served as a Co-President of the Laurier BollyHawks Association, where I gained the leadership skills needed in forming innovative groups within the organization. For instance, I know how to listen to others authentically, how to influence others authentically, and how to solve pertinent issues involving the organizational leadership. Therefore, if given any leadership position within the organization, I will act as a transformational leader and form an ethical culture that is critical for maintaining maximum patient care system. As a physician, I will use my excellent communication skills for interrogating my clients while carrying out the patient diagnosis process. 

Q 5 B 

My past life experiences exemplify my cluster of characteristics in several ways. To start with, I have been serving as a Residence Life Don at Wilfrid Laurier University since august 2017 to date. Here, I have acquired essential values that are in line with the mission and the values of NOSM. For example, the knowledge I gain in performing complex computations using MS Excel is applicable in developing programs for keeping patient data. I interacted with many people and I gained a new understanding of people's needs at all levels. I also learned community engagement skills and research skills necessary for practice at the clinic setting. I also acquired qualities, such as empathy, integrity, accountability, and respect; all of which are in line with the NOSM values. 

As a Customer Service Manager at Walmart Canada, I gained various leadership skills, such as maintaining team spirit, duty delegation, training iniquities, policymaking, and decision-making skills, all of which are necessary for use at the healthcare setting. I will, therefore, use the experience acquired in my duties as a Customer Service Manager to make NOSM an exemplary institution that is internationally recognized. As a Co-President at Laurier BollyHawks Association, I helped the president in organizing clubs, worked with the media team in promoting events, and conducting interviews for new members of the organization. Similarly, I will help NOSM to form research groups for coming up with innovative ideas necessary for fostering patient care system. Also, I will deploy my knowledge in media in conducting online education programs to equip society with knowledge vital for improving their health both at the clinic and at their homes. Finally, I will use my interviewing skills to ensure that NOSM employs only competent workers, who are the key to promoting a healthy population within society. 

Q 6 

There is the likelihood that my transcript may fail to reflect my actual academic ability due to several reasons. The first reason is due to my discrepancy of low course load in Year 2. My difference may be attributed to my parents’ marital problems, including domestic violence and emotional abuse. Secondly, my GPA may fail to reflect my true academic abilities due to my responsibilities as a daughter in comforting my mother. My mother is constantly affected by the family chaos, and I spend a lot of time and energy in helping her to recover from the family violence caused by my father's harsh treatment. Finally, I lack sufficient financial support for my school tuition. The lack of tuition fees makes me waste a lot of time (that could be used in my studies) in working to support myself at school. This implies that the grade I got may be lower than my actual academic capability. 

Q 7 

According to Daniel Goleman, it is impossible to reduce the economic gap between the rich and the poor without addressing the empathy gap. I agree with Goleman for some reasons. The rich occupy most of the wealth, and they determine the survival of the poor. For the poor to survive, they must work for the rich to earn some income. If the rich have no empathy, they will continue exploiting the poor more and more; the implication that the poor will never get time to gather enough resources and live independently. The exploitation of the poor by the rich means that the rich will continue being richer and richer, while the poor will continue being poorer and poorer. However, in the case where the rich have empathy, they stop exploiting the poor, and instead, the rich help the poor to come out of their poverty. Consequently, the economic gap gets reduced. 

Healthcare professionals may help in addressing the empathy gap and hence reduce the economic divide. For instance, healthcare practitioners should be guided by their values of empathy, integrity, and humanity to serve all patients (both the rich and the poor) with equality. Considering that most of the poor patients lack medical cover, the healthcare professional should assist such patients in obtaining medical cover for better treatments and hence yielding a healthy population. Besides, healthcare professionals may use their values of empathy and volunteer to educate the public on the importance of securing medical coverage. Also, healthcare practitioners may volunteer to inform the public on the best practices to keep themselves free from avoidable infections. 

Q 8 

I agree with the statement, “Uncomfortable conversations, although difficult and even hostile at times, are not necessarily unsafe ones." As for me, it is better to disagree to agree, rather than agree to disagree. As I was serving as a manager at Walmart, I was tasked with solving pertinent issues among the group and being of service to the community. Here, I handled customers from different backgrounds and with various beliefs. At times, I found myself engaged in uncomfortable conversations that were upsetting to me. Some customers would come with arguments that would wander into an intense hostile conversation. At other times, awkward conversations would arise due to a misunderstanding between my colleagues and me. 

Handling uncomfortable conversations sometimes proves pretty hard. However, whenever I find myself engaged in unhealthy talks, I take various steps to contain the situation. First, I try as much as possible to compose myself and try approach the conversation with a positive attitude. I listen to the other party with a concern, and I first appreciate their opinions, before driving them into my view. I try to be open and understanding. At the same time, I remain calm and avoid being swayed away by the other party's thoughts. I establish if the other party is ready to listen to my concerns, and if I detect that they are naïve, I find a safe way of walking from the conversation without necessarily harming anybody. 

Q 9 

Relationships, such as teacher/student, physician/patient, and police/citizen relationships, have an inherent power imbalance. In my life experience, there are numerous incidences under which I have found myself substantially carried away by the fundamental power imbalances. The best example is my life as a student. Nature has always made me have that feeling of fear when I meet my teachers. Sometimes I think that it is a feeling of exemplary respect for my teachers, but then I realize that this respect is too much. My realization drives my respect for teachers that these people sacrifice their time to impart knowledge in me. I imagine a situation where teachers are selfish and fail to transfer their knowledge to the case. This would imply that in the near future, we might end up having a world where teachers are the only knowledgeable people within society. Nevertheless, teachers are a group of kind people, and they are always eager to pass on their knowledge to the new generations. This makes me believe that teachers should be accorded with the utmost respect possible; hence, I feel inferior before teachers. 

My teacher/student inherent power imbalance relationship has taught me some lessons. The fundamental power imbalance is natural, and it is triggered by the kind of service offered to one person to the other. For instance, a teacher passes essential knowledge to the students, hence making the student naturally feel inferior to the teacher. Police officers sacrifice their lives to protect the citizens; consequently, the citizens think that inferiority of respect. Similarly, physicians sacrifice their time to take care of the patients' welfare, hence making the patients have that respect to the physicians. At the same time, a person who offers essential service to the other naturally feels the power of superiority to their subjects. 

Q 10 

Failure is inevitable and an essential part of the learning process. I have, at times, gone through experiences of failure in life. The best example is when I dropped out of school due to family quarrels. My father and mother used to engage in heated family chaos and, therefore, I gave up in life and dropped out of school at the high school level to work to support myself and my mother; whom I thought was highly affected by the family chaos. A year later, I realized that my age mates were progressing well with education while I was suffering at work. I had thought to drop out of school was a lesser evil, but I later realized I was heading the wrong direction. So when I came back to school, I was already one class behind my age mates. I felt ashamed learning at the same level as my little sister, and my fellow students would appear to mock me. 

Nevertheless, I did not give up my education. I resolved to accept my failures and use them as stepping stones towards my success. I dismissed any frustrations that would come with the mocking I received from the other students. I decided to be honest to myself and made a decision that I would not bow to any form of intimidation, both from my teachers and my fellow students. I worked hard and topped in the class. Topping in the class restored my courage, as I was accorded great respect by both my teachers and students for challenging John, who had previously gone unchallenged for a couple of years. 

Q 11 

My personal and research experience to date relates well with my decision to pursue a physician-scientist pathway and the kind of ideas that I wish to continue in your PhD. For instance, I understand that pursuing a degree as a physician-scientist is a hard task that requires resilience and commitment. However, reflecting on the way I have progressed in the past, I believe I will too be competent in meeting all the requirements of pursuing the degree. I have gone through misfortunes, such as family chaos and intimidation, hence learned the importance of empathy. I will, therefore, employ the compassion I have developed to serve my clients as a medical physician. Besides, I have developed the ability to manage heavy workloads; hence, I believe that pursuing my PhD will be an easy task for me. I have excellent research skills and of academic excellence, and just like I have previously excelled in academics, I will too stand a good chance to excel in my future educational careers. 

Q 12 

Having served as a Customer Service Manager, I have been able to demonstrate my teamwork and leadership skills. For instance, I have learned to delegate tasks as required by the organization; hence, I will apply my duty delegating skills in my new career as a medical physician. Also, just as I have been able to manage team spirit as a Customer Service Manager, I will be able to manage team spirit in my new career as a medical practitioner. Customer service management has taught me training skills, which are applicable in educating my clients and the community on the best practices to lead a healthy life. Finally, I have been closely involved in resolving customer issues in accordance with Wal-Mart policy. This knowledge of issue resolution will be applicable in handling medical problems, such as informed consent and euthanasia. 

Q 13 

My experience in Residence Assistance demonstrates my respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion in several ways. First, I have developed skills in dealing with cultural diversification. As I prepare to enter my new career as a medical practitioner, I will be able to handle patients across all cultural backgrounds. Secondly, just like I have been able to maintain equity among residents, I believe I will be able to handle all my patients with equity and dignity. As a Residence Assistant, I have acquired essential skills and practices that lead to inclusion. These skills are too vital in medical institutions for ensuring that there is inclusivity within the healthcare institutions. For instance, I understand that addressing the stakeholder needs in any institution is the primary factor leading to high-level customer satisfaction. 

Q 14 

Being a Co-President has been an essential factor contributing to my ability to demonstrate problem-solving, critical inquiry, and self-directed learning skills. For instance, the yearly practice of handling club logistics on my own has imparted essential skills of me in developing problem-solving skills. These problem-solving skills are essential in medical practices in identifying patients' pertinent issues and handling them with high-level efficacy. Critical inquiry skills are applicable for patient diagnosis processes at the clinical setting. The self-directed learning skills are appropriate in doing medical research to come up with an innovative performance at the healthcare system. 

Q 15 

Being a Residence Assistance, I have handled people with different needs. I have, therefore, learned to prioritize people's needs. Similarly, working as a medical physician will involve prioritizing patient needs, and this will help me in offering my best services to the patients. I have learned that as a leader, advocacy for others is the key to success. Support will be an essential element at the clinic setting, as it will lead to maximum customer care. Putting the patient's needs first is a significant value expected of all healthcare professionals. As a Residence Assistance, I have learned to sacrifice my pleasures to meet people's needs. In the same way, I will be able to respond to a duty call to address the patient's needs, even during my free time. 

Q 16 

One unique challenge that I faced in life, and it is relevant to my application to medical school is my experience in my parents’ marital problems, such as domestic violence and emotional abuse. Here, I assumed responsibility as a daughter to comfort my mother and help her recover from emotional abuse. Besides, I had to work to support myself academically. To overcome these challenges, I resolved to take a step in seeking help from professionals at the school, and emotional support from family, and friends. Also, I knew I was the key to my success. Therefore, I accepted the challenges as part of life and took the courage to dismiss any negative reputation accompanied by the problems.