Essay: Career plan (School of Medicine)

Similar to many of my peers in this emphasis, my interest in the healthcare field arose because I ultimately care about the well-being of others, which is a significant part of my character. As social media has become more prominent in our society, we are increasingly aware of the issues that are presented in our world. From this, I am able to be knowledgeable of continuous reports of underserved individuals that cannot obtain healthcare of any sort. Recently, as Donald Trump has been in office, there has a been a large public outcry on his legislation and perspective on those who are underserved and are undocumented in the United States of America. Based on his past actions, it has become evident that our President views undocumented individuals as the enemy, yet they are an essential part of our economy and society. Furthermore, the undocumented community should have access to healthcare, just like the rest of us who need it. At the end of the day, we are all individuals who deserve to live long and fruitful lives, and I realize that I am a person who is motivated to be a small part of implementing that mission into our society.
The first step for me to achieve my goal of going to a professional school is to ultimately finish my undergraduate career here at the University of California, Riverside. Because I am a biochemistry major with a medical sciences emphasis, there are several courses that I must complete in order to graduate in four years. So far, in my first year, I have/will complete the general chemistry series and the two calculus courses that are needed for my post-undergraduate education requirements. For the remaining 3 years I have at UC Riverside, I plan on completing the biochemistry courses needed, the organic chemistry series and the breadth courses to reach 180 units to graduate, to summarize. Additionally, one of my goals is to graduate cum laude from college, which is around a 3.53-grade point average and a great motivator for me to succeed in my studies. As for the life-science physics series, I plan on taking those courses at the University of Glasgow’s International Science Summer School where the series can be completed in 8 weeks. Through the University of California Education Abroad Program, the University of Glasgow has opened up a track of Physics for Life Sciences, which I believe would fit perfectly in my repertoire. If everything goes to plan, I will embark on this amazing opportunity during the summer before my junior year of college. Because the application has not opened up yet, I have done some preparations in order to ensure that I have the best possible chance of attending. In the past week, I have met with my academic advisor, Richard Rangel, who has contacted the College of Natural and Agricultural Science’s office and received their approval, where they stated that the physics program will fulfill the physics 2A-2C and their labs at UC Riverside. Additionally, this program has been pre-approved by the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Davis to fulfill their respective physics series for life science majors. I believe that this experience will give the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study in my major while experiencing what the world has to offer.
For the remaining nine quarters I have at the University of California, Riverside, I plan on taking on several extracurricular activities to get involved and engage with my peers. In the fall of 2018, I have been fortunate enough to obtain the position of being a NASC 093 grader for CNAS Scholars. For this position, I will assist in giving accurate records of student’s work, all while gaining insight into academia. The job description entails that I will collaborate with several academic coordinators who teach the course and serve as a primary grader for up to six classes. I believe that this was a big stepping stone for me, as it is my first job and that one of the recruitment criteria is to be a junior or senior in fall of 2018, and I will be a sophomore. Furthermore, I believe that this job will give me the opportunity to improve my transferable skills and professional development for the future.
As for clubs on campus, I am currently in two, but I plan on getting more involved during my sophomore year. One of the clubs I am currently a part of is Best Buddies. This organization is dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of individuals who are intellectually and developmentally disabled. This particular club has resonated with me because it advocates for inclusivity, which is something I am passionate about. In my short time in this organization, I have been able to somewhat contribute to their mission statement, and I plan on making a greater effort to be a part of this next year as my time management skills have definitely improved. Additionally, I joined Global Medical Brigades here at UC Riverside. I noticed one of their flyers outside the Materials Science and Engineering building for one of their general meetings. When I went, I admired their dedication to serving the communities in Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua and Ghana, places where access to healthcare is difficult to obtain. Adding on, it is one of my goals to go on a brigade with this organization to get hands-on experience to contribute to this amazing cause.
Another program I plan on joining is the Physician Assistants of Tomorrow club on campus, which directly ties me to my career aspiration. This organization is basically created to bring together all the individuals who are aspiring physician assistants and prepare them for PA school with the best guidance possible. I believe that collectively bringing in those who are interested in the same profession is empowering and that we can achieve our goal. Moreover, something that interests me would be the CNAS science ambassadors program, which is a program that emphasizes leadership and a presentation of the CNAS college as a whole. To qualify, I must raise my GPA and work hard in my courses in order to be a strong candidate. With this and my previous experience in Model UN in high school, I believe that this would greatly improve my interpersonal skills and interact with faculty.
To add on, an important part of being a good candidate for professional school is participating in research at school. One of the subjects I am interested in researching in is environmental science. I found learning about the attributes of the earth, species symbioses to be fascinating and I plan on reaching out to professors to join their respective research labs if possible. Another option I have been looking into would be to be a lab assistant for a lab in the school of medicine, something I am also passionate and interested in. As for clinical experience, I plan on reapplying to the COPE health scholars program, which is an amazing opportunity to shadow doctors in a hospital setting. In addition to my experience volunteering at a family medicine clinic in high school, I find that this opportunity would give me a greater insight into the world of medicine and further solidify my ambitions.
Ultimately, I believe that following through with my aforementioned plan will get me into the professional school of my choice, the Keck School of Medicine of USC. This particular school caught my eye because of their mission. Their Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC emphasizes serve to those who are medically underserved. I believe that this aligns well with my values and that if I succeed in my endeavors here at UCR, I could potentially be a good candidate for their program. I think that some individuals may think that being a “pre-PA” is an indication of getting into medicine the “easy way.” In my case, this would be a false statement. I believe that I do my best when I am a part of a team and that I would have the open to work in several different specialties if I choose. Additionally, I admire the idea of working with a physician that I can consult and ultimately provide the best possible care for patients. For these reasons, I know that being a physician assistant would serve me well pertaining to my values and the workload I can handle. Above all, I believe that if I succeed in taking on these opportunities at UC Riverside, then I can be a good candidate to get into professional school.