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 Our
program for medical students (GMEP) is open to applicants nationwide
and in Canada. In the future, we plan to host programs for students
of other health care professions. During the application process,
we ask students to answer several essay questions, including:
(1) Why do I feel drawn
to participate in this rotation, and having taken this rotation,
how do I expect to utilize the knowledge and wisdom gained from this
time, both personally and professionally?
(2) How would you describe
your dreams and vision for your future as a practicing physician/healer?
(3) What is your vision
for the future of medicine?
The following essay samples were written by students
accepted to the Global Medicine Education Student Program and who exemplify
the kind of students we seek:
Essay In Answer to Question
#1
During my college years when I realized I could actually think for myself,
the world view I held began to transform. It was a slow process that changed
my perspective on things ever so slightly, yet the effects seemed to be magnified
a thousand fold. Seemingly mundane issues I had heard many times before took
on new significance--ideas about life and death, happiness, suffering, ecology,
justice, peace, and so on. It was then that my interest in healing--the healing
not only of physical ailments, but also of the mind and spirit--began to manifest.
I began to discover that "health" does not mean absence of disease,
but a state of being that encompasses all aspects of our lives--from the physical,
mental, and spiritual, and even further into the realms of the social, political,
and environmental. It was at this point that I began questioning my own desires
to enter the medical profession. Of course, I had thought to myself I wanted
to help people. I was good with my hands, and I loved the sciences. Yet I knew
these reasons, though true, were merely cliches I had used to hide the ugly
truths. Deep down, I began to see that being a doctor also meant power and
prestige, recognition and respect from family and friends, and of course, a
good salary. Acknowledging these ulterior motives, confronting them, and asking
myself why would be motivated by such superficial reasons has been a painful,
yet very important, step in the journey into my own healing.
I have come a long way since that period in my life,
and my ideas about healing and the kind of healer I want to be have
evolved tremendously. My grasp of western medicine has taken an exponential
leap, and I have reached a point where I feel confident with my knowledge
base and comfortable at he patient's bedside. I have come to understand,
while still a novice, the strengths of the western medical tradition
and how we can help alleviate the pain and suffering of countless
patients--I have witnessed western science making a difference in
people's lives. Yet, I have also experienced the aspects of western
medicine that deeply disturb me -- patients are often reduced to "interesting
cases," ridiculed at rounds, and blamed for their sickness;
patients are given 15 minutes for an outpatient visit, where any
meaningful discussion about the psycho-social aspects is impossible;
the list goes on. Despite the miracles western medicine can perform,
I have come to learn and confirm the stereotype that it is also a
very reductionist, materialistic, patriarchal and ethnocentric modality
of healing.
 On
the other hand, bodywork-oriented modalities (such as yoga and massage),
healing utilizing other states of consciousness (such as hypnosis
and shamanism) and the ever popular modalities that are built around
Traditional Chinese Medicine (such as acupuncture and herbal therapy)
are all examples of healing traditions that to some extent or another
acknowledge the emotional and spiritual aspects of the patient. These
are modalities from which western medicine could learn some valuable
lessons--for example, viewing the patient as an individual and respecting
his or her spiritual life. Although many physicians are quick to
denounce nonwestern therapies as quackery (or placebo effect at best
and maybe beneficial in restricted situations), this is also an exciting
time in medicine where knowledge is being more openly transferred
from across the world allowing patients and doctors to learn from
healers from different cultures. My desire to complement my knowledge
base with these other healing traditions has become stronger than
ever. Hopefully, I will be a better healer by paying more attention
in the areas of healing that western medicine ignores or fails to
address. Integration, as the new catch phrase goes, of different
healing modalities can only benefit patients.
My medical education so far has taught me well about
the basics of western medicine, and I am eager to continue my training
in a psychiatry residency. However, I am also determined to continue
exploring and learning from other traditions. To that end, this rotation
in the Global Medicine Education Student Program will be an important opportunity
for me to devote substantial time to thinking and learning about
these issues and topics. The experience of being in a beautiful location
with fellow students learning about other healing traditions is a
tremendous occasion in itself, and I hope to use the knowledge I
gain from this rotation to widen my scope, open my eyes to new ideas,
and build a stronger foundation for my own journey into healing.
Therefore I am delighted to be given the chance to end my medical
school career spending a month with like-minded individuals introducing
ourselves to the uncharted territory of integrating our world's healing
traditions.
Essay in Answer to Question
#2
Healer. I believe a healer should be loving and caring. A healer should listen
to her patients. A healer should not focus on the absence of symptoms, but
instead should focus on emotional, spiritual and physical well being. A healer
should be a friend, a teacher and inquisitive mind. A healer should always
be learning about ways to help her patients. A healer should be sensitive and
try to understand the patient's cultural and spiritual needs. A healer should
be a role model for physical, spiritual and emotional well being. My vision
for my future is first and foremost, to try to be all those qualities listed
above. I also envision myself as a researcher.
Currently I'm deciding between a residency in pediatrics
or psychiatry. Regardless of the program, I am very interested in
exploring complementary and alternative medicine research. In the
area of psychiatry, I'd like to explore the mind-body connection
and the healing power of interpersonal connectedness. I am fascinated
by how physical diseases are caused by emotional and psychological
states and how interpersonal relationships can heal. If I choose
pediatrics, I would still be able to investigate these areas, but
likely would spend more time learning how CAM treatment modalities
can be used in children.
 Ideally
in my future practice, I would meld traditional therapies with western
medicine. As I probably will not have the expertise to personally
provide all these treatments, I hope to collaborate with other healers.
In fact, my dream would be to practice within a center that houses
healers from all different modalities. Within this center, I also
envision myself as a teacher. My mother, father and grandparents
were teachers, and the desire to teach runs in my blood. I dream
of working side by side with students, passing on my enthusiasm and
knowledge to them while learning from their fresh perspectives.
Also, sometime during my life, I would like to travel
to different countries, to learn indigenous methods of healing. These
methods deserve to be documented and passed on before they are lost
to time and western culture. Particularly, I'd enjoy returning to
Lithuania to learn the herbal medicine that my great-grandmother
practiced. As a percussionist, I'm also interested in visiting Shamans
in Bali or in South America to learn their therapeutic methods of
drumming.
Although my dreams for the future are many, I do know
that I will be loving and caring. I will pay attention to all of
my patients needs - the physical, the emotional and the spiritual.
I will use my intellect and passion for medicine to learn and to
teach. Most importantly, I will use all the wisdom that I gain from
my life experiences to practice a thoughtful and caring Holistic
medicine. |
