Why Medicine
The fundamental and mind blowing question that I often get from family, peers, friends, and colleagues when I share with them my aspirations is “why medicine?” And after thinking about a definitive answer for sometime I realized that it’s because medicine is personal. Last semester I took a business gen-ed course called the “Global Marketplace” where we studied and examined the effect that offshoring has today on the job market. When looking at different fields, we came to the conclusion that medicine cannot really be off-shored like other fields like information technology because people prefer to have healthcare readily available to them and doctors need to see their patients face-to-face. After researching and studying the craft for a minute, I came to see that every decision that a physician makes is personal whether they would like to think of it as that or not. I find it hard for any doctor to do their job well without having a genuine interest in people and their story, and this is coming from someone who aspires to work with the deceased. This is why I know that it is so incredibly important for me to become an medical examiner so that I can speak for those who can no longer speak for themselves and share their story.
My genuine interest in medicine started with an interest in people. This date backs to “Laquina Hennis”, one of the most heinous cases of murder in the Virgin Islands, where a 12 year old girl was missing and then found dead in the home of the person who was found responsible. Though hundreds of cases back at home often go unsolved, after months of investigation the police and investigative team were successful in putting Laquina’s killer behind bars and bringing her to justice. There was a burning anger and passion inside of me when this incident had happened in my community. An anger because I knew that with the right resources and investigative procedure that things could have panned out differently. And, a passion because I had found what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I wanted to go to school to become a forensic pathologist (ME) and work towards becoming the chief medical examiner of the Virgin Islands and make profound changes.
What lured me into forensic medicine was the ability to speak for those who can no longer speak, to offer the service and gratitude that a victim’s family deserves, and to assist on the side of preventative medicine and find the cause to a number of ailments. Aside from the scientific inquiry and medico-legal interests that I have in this line of work, all of my other reasons to committing myself to this road to medicine are personal. Doctors are often warned not to do their job personally and there is DEFINITELY some credibility in this advice. However, as human beings with innate feelings and interests, there is always some personal connection to every aspect of our lives. We are human, so we are made to feel and a career in medicine requires channeling those feelings positively and being empathetic to patients so that they can heal holistically. So make sure when choosing a career or any aspiration in your life that the decision is personal. Like me, make sure that there is a personal desire, drive, and passion behind of what you are working so hard towards.
The problem solving, team cooperation, and thorough examination of the forensic medical sciences is what fascinates me. Find what fascinates you. Find your calling. If you don’t know what that is, keep searching until you do find it. And when you figure it out, ask yourself..