I heard the familiar sound of the back door closing gently. My father was
returning from driving his dirty, green John Deere tractor in one of our fields.
Although he begins his day at 5:00 a.m. every morning, he usually returns at
around 7:00 p.m. I never really questioned his schedule when I was a child, but
as I entered high school I wondered how my dad could work so hard every day of
the week and still enjoy what he does. He works long hours, becomes filthy from
dirt, oil, and mud, and worst of all, can watch all his hard work go to waste if
one day of bad weather wipes out our crop. There have been many years when our
raisins were rained on, our cherries were hailed on and our apples were
literally baked by the sun. The uncertainties of farming are so great and so
challenging. It never ceases to amaze me when my father wakes up every morning
to start work, that he does so with gusto. The life of a farmer can be laborious
and stressful, yet my father continues to do his work with passionate
enthusiasm. His dedication and pride mystified me throughout high school. Only
after I entered Big U, did I start to understand how he can persevere and face
the challenges of farming.
I entered Big U like a small child wandering through a park. Never in my life
had I been exposed to anything so grandiose and dominating. Born and raised in a
rural town of 3000 people, I wasn't ready for the fast-paced life and crowds of
Chicago. I eventually grew into its lifestyle and learned to adapt to my new
environment. I found my bio-ethics class, in which we discussed major issues in
health care, especially interesting. The physician’s dilemma particularly
intrigued me: Doing everything to provide the best health care possible, but
constrained by limited resources when the funds just are not available.
These frustrating situations place a huge strain on physicians, and yet they
persevere and continue to work long hours in hospitals, clinics and HMOs
providing the best care they can.* While thoroughly aware of the long hours a
physician must work and the challenges he or she faces, I am choosing medicine
because of the unique satisfaction it provides — the rewards of helping a sick
human being. As I think about a physician’s life, I also think of the many times
I have watched my father sit silently at the dinner table, deep in thought,
contemplating his options when our farm is not earning any income and the bills
continue to arrive. We don't hear him complain; we only hear him leave early in
the morning.
I also saw determination and tenacity in another setting while at BIG U: Dr.
Steve Jones neurophysiology laboratory. In collaboration with Dr. Jack Smith Jr.
at Big U II, I performed immunohistochemistry experiments to label metabotropic
glutamate receptors. Research is intrinsically laborious and painstaking, but
through my experience with Dr. Smith, I saw the stress, frustration, and
uncertainty involved in obtaining grants. Yet he continues his pursuit of
knowledge. Despite limited resources, he, like my father and the clinical
physician, tries everyday to do his best to achieve his goals. I used similar
drive in my research projects and am co-author of an article resulting from my
research. Inspired by Dr. Smith, I will harness that determination in medicine.
He showed me what it means to really enjoy a career. I can have that same
enjoyment through practicing medicine — the same type of enjoyment my father has
from tending to his fields.
Becoming a physician is a goal aspired to by many. As a farmer’s son, I have
wakened early and returned home late from the fields after long days with my
father. I have been able to experience uncertainties, challenges, and plain old
hard work similar to that faced by physicians. But like the doctors in the
hospitals and Dr. Smith in his lab, I can find happiness and satisfaction in
helping people through medicine. Despite all the hardship doctors face, I want
to help people every day. Practicing medicine is something worth stress and long
hours. I finally understand my father. I now know how he can wake up every
morning at 5:00 a.m. and drive his dirty, green tractor until 7:00 p.m.