Critique My Personal Statement

[phiphika1453]

It's a little tl;dr and boring, but I would appreciate any thoughts or inputs.



Unlike some, my interest in becoming a pharmacist was only ignited a little over a year ago. During my undergraduate studies I had devoted much of my extra time talking to and learning the profession of medical doctors. During this time I had the advantage of having many family members who were practicing physicians. Therefore, I was able to have very good insight into what the career of a medical doctor entailed. I spent many hours working in hospitals and shadowing any physician that would allow me. I was never more satisfied with the direction I thought I would be taking my life, but it was an unplanned event that would lead me to decide that being a physician was not what I was meant to do.

On June 8th 2005 my wife gave birth to our daughter, McKenzie. This was the unplanned event that would lead me away from pursuing a career in medical studies. In hindsight, I never realized the advantage I had in knowing so many physicians. All of the time I had spent talking with these people allowed me valuable knowledge of understanding the immense dedication and sacrifice a physician must endure to be a successful physician. Soon after the birth of my daughter, I realized that I was not willing to sacrifice the memories I would have of raising my family to pursue a career that required more time away from my family than with my family. It was then, knowing I would be able to dedicate myself to my family that I was completely at peace with my decision.

The following December I graduated from college. This was one of the first periods of my life that I was unsure of what career path I wanted to choose. I had considered many different paths; anything from research to nursing school. When considering these options I knew there was one thing I enjoyed during my time preparing to be a physician; that was human, more specifically patient, interaction. I was able to work in an emergency room for a short time, and it was there that interacting with people in a medical sense truly interested me. I had fun and felt rewarded at the same time.

So, knowing from my short work history and previous studies, I started looking for careers that would cater to what I enjoyed and what I would be best suited performing. This naturally led me to a Nissan dealership where I started selling cars. Kind of funny I know, but I had a newborn and my wife told me to start bringing home some money. So, like any man with sense, I started bringing home money; all the while still looking for a career that fit my interest.

After several months spending endless hours away from my family selling cars, I started to broaden my search for something that would let me start spending my time with them. It was then that I heard about a job at Cardinal Health. I researched the job and then decided it was better suited for me than my current situation. I am still currently working at Cardinal and very much enjoy my career, but the one thing I miss that engaged me during my undergraduate career was the patient interaction. It was this interaction that left me still looking for a career that could entertain my needs in time with my family and interacting with people that are actively seeking medical needs.

After talking to several friends from college, many who had already started pharmacy school, I started looking into what a career as a pharmacist might be like. I contacted a few friends of the family who were pharmacist and they graciously started explaining a few aspects of what a pharmacist might do in his daily career. Using my current job I was able to talk to several nuclear pharmacist and even spend time in a cross training program that Cardinal Health offers. Ever so slightly the thoughts of being a pharmacist grew into an actual interest of pursuing it as a career.

It is now that I am aggressively pursuing a career as a pharmacist. From the people I have talked to and the research I have done, I have decided that being a pharmacist will make me the happiest I can be in regards to my career and the time I will have with my family.