Plans by Bella

Plans by Bella - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

“Now, I should warn you all, cadavers tend to have a somewhat disturbing scent to them.” She was not exaggerating. My professor stood in front of the corpse, briefly introducing the 92-year-old man that was lying on the dissection table. It was a distressing thing to realize that before me was the body of a man who had once been a real person. A person with thoughts, emotions, and experiences of his very own. Now, he had been expertly disassembled for the benefit of my education. The class lined up for a chance to take a look, and it was my turn to step up to the table. Setting aside my apprehension, I put on my gloves and reached into the body cavity; buried deep inside was his heart. As I cradled it in my hands, I located the anatomical landmarks and traced the sutures and scars left from coronary bypasses with my fingers. I admired the technique and expertise that must have gone into the operation. Just like that, I had discovered what I was meant to do.

Soon after my first encounter with my cadaver, I began to search for job shadowing opportunities in the surgical field at my local hospital. The first surgery I ever observed was the repair of a fractured ankle. The patient had slipped on ice and split straight across both her tibia and fibula. The anesthesiologist wheeled her gurney into the OR, and in a moment, the woman transformed from a sweet old lady into a puzzle waiting to be solved. The surgeon’s quick, sure hands repaired pieces of shattered bone with the skill of an artist. The nurses and technicians worked in synchronicity, seeming as though they were of the same mind. The monitors and ventilators sounded melodically, making the whole operation resemble a choreographed routine. By the end of the dance, the patient’s leg, along with my aspirations, had been fixed into place.

Since my first surgery, I have witnessed the birth of several infants, spent several weeks in the department of cardiology, observed the resuscitation of a patient in peril, and caught a glimpse of the human brain. Over the past several months, I have accumulated over one hundred hours of clinical observation. In this time, I have gained a unique perspective on the reality of working in healthcare. Not only have I learned more about the human body, but I have also discovered what it truly means to work hard, work as a team, and to take the time to care for your fellow man. Inspired by the people who I learned from, my dream to become a doctor has solidified from a dream to a plan.