Your personal statement for medicine is your opportunity to talk about yourself, why you want to enrol on a particular course as well as your skills and experience that would make you a success. The length of your personal statement is only around 500 words so you need to make the most out of every sentence you write.
When applying to medical school, our personal statement tutors at The Future Medic have considered what makes a successful medical personal statement, and one of the main aspects of writing a good quality piece is to think about what makes a good doctor and why. What interests you most about being a good doctor? Use your thoughts on these two points in your statement with evidence of your experiences and skills showing why you would be a good medical student and eventually a great doctor.
But, how do you introduce yourself in a personal statement? Well, the same way. Show your passion for medicine and why you would be a great doctor. In this post we’ll show you how to write a personal statement for medicine including how to introduce yourself in a way that will make you stand out.
What is a personal statement for medicine?
A personal statement for medicine is the first impression you make to a medical school, so it’s very important to get it right. A good or exceptional personal statement increases your chances of getting an interview and being accepted into your chosen medical school, so starting your personal statement strong is essential.
A personal statement is your chance to tell the reviewer why you want to study medicine, why you will be suited to it and your passion for medicine. Essentially, you’re telling them why they should choose you. Last year, 2022, was considered the hardest year to enter medical school. We don’t intend to put you off, but to stress the importance of getting it right if you’re set on becoming a medical professional.
What should be included in a personal statement?
In this section we’ll look at what you should include in your personal statement for medicine, including the formal structure and things that you shouldn’t miss out that will make your statement stand out and a success.
Your personal statement should follow this structure:
- An introduction
- The main body- the longest part
- A conclusion
Within this structure, you should include the skills and experience you possess, which will help you at university, what attracts you to a career in medicine and why you want to apply to study the course you have chosen.
Introducing yourself in your personal statement
In this section we will discuss how to start your personal statement strong and how you can introruce yourself in such a way that the reviewer will consider you a good fit for the course you’re applying for.
It’s ineffective to simply list your good qualities and skills absentmindedly and this is an example of what not to include, but you need to back these up with why they’re relevant to the medical field.
What is an introduction?
This section should be straight to the point and offer a way for the admissions officer to start building a connection with your case initially. Using an attention-grabbing opening statement and coming across confident is the best way to begin a personal statement.
Your tone of voice should be conversational yet professional and represent the communication style that will be apparent throughout the rest of your statement. Content-wise, you should include a short introduction to who you are and why you are applying and it should elude passion and knowledge for the industry. All other details will be incorporated further on in the application.
What makes a good doctor and why?
A great way to introduce yourself is to tell the reviewer what makes a good doctor and why you think you’ll be well suited to the profession.
Think about what makes a good doctor and why? Have you had a personal experience with a doctor that stood out to you? Do you know an inspiring doctor you admire that has attracted you to a career in medicine? These are all questions you need to ask yourself and include in your personal statement and back up your points with factual evidence that supports the reasons why you think you have the attributes of a good doctor.
Have you shown signs that you’ll make a great doctor? Start by thinking about your own attributes and how they could apply to a situation as a doctor in medicine. For example, are you not afraid to admit you don’t know something but are willing to put the work in to find out? Trainee doctors must have an open mind and the ability to question their knowledge and judgement.
Doctors need to be more than just knowledgeable, of course this is an important factor in medicine, but they also need to be empathetic and emotionally intelligent. Often, doctors make the wrong diagnosis because they have stuck to the textbook stringently instead of considering the person as an individual and their circumstances.
To be a great doctor, you need to be a good listener and not someone who takes little information in before making an assumption. Can you think of a time when you demonstrated excellent listening skills that made a difference to someone?
Demonstrating that you know the qualities that make a great doctor and showing how you have those qualities will impress the personal statement reviewer and leave a lasting impression.
What interests you most about becoming a a doctor?
To begin, do your research into what it’s really like to have a career in medicine and talk to other trainees or established doctors about what drew them to a career in medicine. Gain some real-life inspirational stories about careers in medicine so you can come up with your own reasoning for entering into this challenging yet incredibly rewarding profession.
Here are some examples of what might attract you to a career in medicine:
- You enjoy working with people
- You want to be challenged and pushed out of your comfort zone
- You are determined to work in a fast faced, dynamic environment that is constantly changing
- You already have some work experience in a medical setting which has inspired you to take it further
- You are passionate about helping people in their time of need, and you have experience in doing this in some way already
- The profession suits your personal attributes, such as integrity and empathy
- Your strengths and interests are in the sciences, so you want to pursue a career that you know you’ll be good at, where you can use science to improve the lives of others.
Finishing your personal statement
When writing your personal statement for medical school you want to start strong and finished even stronger. When finishing your medicine personal statement you shouldn’t include any new points, but clarify and summarise what you have already said. Re-emphasise your passion for medicine and include a brief summary of your skills.
Like the introduction, this section should be to the point so as not to lose interest.
You do not want to simply repeat any evidential information but should reiterate, in a different way, any of the critical points that you want to stand out.
Round off your statement with a strong closing sentence, and you are good to go. It’s also important not to forget your writing style as many applicants allow the quality to slip towards the end. Finishing on a strong and captivating note will leave that lasting impression that you want.
How can a tutor help?
Our team of doctors at The Future Medic have read through thousands of personal statement for medicine as part of the medical school admissions process and knows exactly what is required to make your personal statement special and unique. We’ve got some amazing support options to help you craft the perfect personal statement.
Our tutors sit on medical school interview panels and have vast experience in medical education- this level of tutoring is not guaranteed elsewhere! So if you want help on how to introduce yourself in your personal statement for medical school and with the rest of the statement, contact us at The Future Medic and we will be happy to help.
