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Residency Personal Statement
Whether it was a personal experience with a life threatening event, or just your passion for helping people, it is the story you have to tell and with some passion behind it, it will resonate with whoever is reading your personal statement.
As you write your personal statement there are certain key elements that must be included in your write up and they include:-
- What got you interested in that particular specialty?
- What you would contribute to the program
- What do you intend to take away or gain from this experience
- What your future career plans are in the next five to ten years.
- Elaborate on your strengths
- Turn your weaknesses into stepping stones.
Your write up should be contained within 500 to 600 words or at least limited to one page. Anything more will send your reader to sleep, especially considering the fact that most program directors have hundreds of personal statements to read. Your story must flow from one tangent to a related one and not disjointed. The information should make sense to the reader and easy to follow.
Endeavor to spell check and grammar correct your writing and have it proof read by two or more people. Do not be shy about this. Presenting a document full of misspellings and bad grammar could cost you the residency.
Most of all, because the time lapse between when you wrote your personal statement and the time you show up for interview, endeavor to read both your curriculum vitae and personal statement before your interview to keep everything fresh in your mind. Candidates have been known to come for interviews and are completely lost when asked questions from their personal statement or CV.
The Personal Statement
Apart from face-to-face interviews, the personal statement is the only way a program director can discover details about you that are not a part of your academic credentials. It gives you the opportunity to explain any discrepancies in your curriculum vitae, any hobbies you have, what your motivations are, and any interesting facts about you that could increase your chances of getting an interview. Below are some guidelines on writing a good personal statement.
Breakdown of the Personal Statement
There are certain key points that program directors look out for in a personal statement, and you should ensure that your personal statement addresses them. They include:
- What got you interested in this particular specialty?
- What would you bring to the program?
- Why do you want to join this program?
What got you interested in this particular specialty?
With regard to this question, you have to describe what made you interested in the specialty. Every candidate has a unique story – why they decided to go into pediatrics or surgery, for example. The ultimate reason might be to make enough money to live well, but you don’t say that.
Summarize a serious event that occurred, and how doctors had to intervene to save your life or the life of somebody you know, and how that helped you decide to dedicate your life to helping people. Maybe it was a sick child or a premature birth, and the child spent time in the hospital that drew you to pediatrics. Perhaps it was your experience during your psychiatry posting when you found out that a lot of cases of “mad people” roaming the streets in developing countries could actually benefit from clinical intervention.
Maybe your neighbor is a doctor, and you are amazed by how he helps those around him with their medical needs. You like the way he interacts with people, and the respect he gets in return. This helped you realize that this is what you want to do with your life. A concrete story of something he did, a specific event that inspired your decision, is a nice way to drive the point home.
Find a compelling angle, because this is what will differentiate you from candidates with similar credentials and backgrounds. Tell a good story. The truth is that personal statements are read by program directors and others, most of them have been where you are, so they too may have similar experiences that prompted them to a life of helping others, and your story will resonate with them.
What do you bring to the program?
Here you have to think deeply and come up with any skills you have acquired over the years, and blend or weave them into your story. These are the experiences that have shaped and made you who you are, regardless of whether or not you’ve been reflective about them. A good way to start is to think of all the jobs you have held in the past, maybe as a clerk in an office, an associate at McDonald’s, a lawyer, or a nurse.
Instead of saying you took people’s orders and gave them what they wanted in a fast food restaurant, you should say that you dealt with people from all walks of life on a regular basis, and learned how to get along with people from different walks of life. You also learned how to listen to people and guide them as they made challenging choices. You deliver your best in a busy, and sometimes stressful, environment. This illustrates that you can relate with patients from all walks of life and you are equipped to handle the stress of a residency program.
Other things you may consider include:
- You are detail-oriented: Here, you may point to research experience where you had to analyze tons of data quickly and make sense of it.
- Skills from a previous job: Any computer skills you have is a plus, especially if you are an IMG. Computers are ubiquitous in hospitals today and this question is a commonly asked at interviews – “Can you type without looking at the keyboard.” It’s not a requirement, but it is a skill that could be an advantage.
- Good communication skills: As a resident, you will participate in grand rounds and be expected to tell your attending and colleagues about your patients. Any previous experience where you spoke often or communicated ideas to people is something you should highlight.
- People skills: This is similar to being a good communicator. Being able to help people relax and warm up to you. It does help when you are taking a patient’s history or advising a patient on medications. It helps with compliance to medication. Sales skills can also come in handy in this area.
- Leadership: It is not easy to be a leader, and it is especially difficult to give instructions to intimidating people. Any instance where you were in a leadership position – class president, discussion group organizer, etc. – should all be emphasized because it definitely separates you from the rest of the pack.
- Handling stress: Any position in which you’ve dealt with difficult people should be outlined. A salesperson, making cold calls; a clerk in a busy office; an associate in a retail environment; all have prepared you for this moment.
- Team player: Outlines the fact that you have worked as part of a team, added value among a group of people and worked together for a common goal.
Why Do You Want To Join This Program?
- Most people just want to get into a residency program! They know they want the position, but this question stops them in their tracks. A good way to approach this is to go to the program’s website and take a look at their goals and objectives, or mission and work their goals into your answer in a way that makes sense, given your background.
Other points you may include:
- The program has a great reputation: If applicable, you may tell them that it is highly recommended by a physician that trained at the program or that is still there. You may also mention it if a third party that knows Dr. G.I. Joe told you about the program.
- The program is a center of excellence for the specialty you are pursuing, and you want to learn from the best.
- You believe you will add value to the program. For an IMG, you may emphasize your diversity of experience and commitment to success.
- The program has a good reputation of training its residents well. You may use this for any program you are applying to.
Keep your statement within one page or about 600 words, approximately 4 paragraphs or more. Have your paper proofread by 2 or more people. If you are an IMG and English is not your first language, ensure your personal statement is reviewed by a native English speaker. Remember to go through your personal statement and curriculum vitae before any interview so that your answers consistent with the personal statement you may have written months beforehand.
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A personal statement is one of the requirements to complete your application for a residency position. The idea behind the personal statement is to provide the reader an insight of who the applicant really is short of interviewing you face to face.
It is the applicants own words making a case for themselves. In this day an age where getting into residency is getting very competitive and every year the numbers of people that apply continue to grow, your personal statement sets you apart
from other applicants with similar academic background
such as usmle scores and GPA’s.
The journey that brought you to where you are now, as a physician or final year medical student is unique only to you.
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Writing a compelling personal statement is the key to making an impression without being there in person.
Learn:-
- The breakdown of a personal statement
- How to write about past experiences in your statement
- What not to include
- How to make an impression etc
How to write a compelling personal statement
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