family medicine personal statement example

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Impressing: Personal Statement

The best personal statements are memorable. They paint a picture in the mind of the reader and tell a story about who you are, how you got here, and where you want to go. The personal statement is vitally important because it is frequently used to help determine who gets interviewed and ranked. Overarching theme: Look over your CV and think about the experiences before and during medical school that inform what kind of family physicians you will become. Often there is a common thread that holds together even the most disparate of experiences – this common thread is usually one of your core values as a person. Identify this theme and write your personal statement so the reader could easily verbalize this theme in one sentence after reading your statement. Experiences to highlight: Use your experiences to give programs an idea of who you are. Be specific – talking about the aspects of care that you like in Family Medicine is good, but it’s even better when programs can see how your personal experiences reinforce aspects of family medicine that resonate with you as a person. It’s okay to include patient vignettes and talk about your accomplishments, but be sure to relate it back to yourself. How did the experience impact you? What did you learn about yourself? How will the experience make you a better family physician? What about the experience demonstrates your commitment to the discipline of family medicine, your ability to work with others, your ability to work with patients? Choose one experience and tell a story. This is a good way to open your statement, to develop your theme and make it memorable. Commitment to specialty: Talk about why you are choosing family medicine. Programs want to know why your’e attracted to a career in family medicine. What experiences convince you that this is the right field for you? Strengths that you bring: What do you bring to a program? What are you naturally good at? What specific skills do you have that will serve you well in residency? Future plans/what you are looking for in a residency program: At the end of this long road of school and training, what kind of work do you see yourself doing? What types of training do you want during residency to be able to accomplish this goal? Organize your statement: There are many ways to organize your statement to get these points across. One common way of organizing the personal statement is a three paragraph form reminiscent of those essays you had to write in high school. To use this approach the first paragraph tells a story to open the theme, the second paragraph fleshes out other experiences that highlight the them and discuss your commitment to family medicine, and the third paragraph reviews your strengths and future plans/training desires. However, this is a personal statement and you are free to write and organize it as you desire. Do:

• Write in complete sentences.
• Use the active voice.
• Make your writing interesting – use a thesaurus and vary sentence length and structure.
• Have other people read your personal statement and give feedback.
• Give yourself plenty of time to work on your statement and revise it based on feedback.

Don’t:

• Rehash your CV or write an autobiography.
• Use abbreviations – spell things out.
• Violate HIPPA.
• Start every sentence with an “I.”
• Make it longer than one page, single spaced, 12 point font.
• Have spelling or grammatical errors.
• Write a statement that could be used for several different specialties (i.e. one that talks about wanting a primary care career but not specifically family medicine). If you are still deciding on a specialty and applying to different fields, write two different statements.

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• Writing a Personal Statement

Personal Statement

The personal statement is an important component of your application. While it’s impossible to know the exact “weight” that a specific examiner will give to this aspect of your application, best estimates range from 5-25%. This is less than the relative contribution of your grades or Boards scores but a sizable chunk none-the-less.

Like many writing samples, there is no “perfect” way to go about writing your personal statement. It is a unique opportunity to let “you” shine through. This is in fact, as the name implies the most “personal” aspect of your application. It gives the reviewer an opportunity to begin to understand you as a person and the aspects of medicine that appeal to you. Only the interview (if you get one) provides a greater opportunity to highlight your personal qualifications.

The following is a list of tips and advice to consider that will help you put your best foot forward with this aspect of your application:

• Be positive. This is perhaps the most important piece of advice. Reviewers don’t want to hear you rant on about how this specialty or that specialty is not as important or meaningful as family medicine. Share the positive aspects of whatever the topic is that you are addressing
• Decide what you want to highlight before you start writing. Ask yourself how this will compliment or reinforce the other aspects of your application. Don’t go on a stream of consciousness bender
• This is not your opportunity to confess all the misgivings, second thoughts, and deliberations you have had over the years about going into medicine or choosing a specialty. If you really think the process of how you made the decision is critical, check with your advisor to make sure you are correct.
• Be authentic and write from your heart. If you covet continuity with your patients it’s fine to share this in your statement. Don’t worry too much about sounding cliché, unless of course, you are. Back up your statements with brief examples or anecdotes to illustrate your point to help avoid slipping into truly cliché prose.
• Don’t try to do too much. You need not convey every last thought about why it is you think family medicine is the best specialty in the world. A few, well-crafted and smartly supported concepts often make for a powerful statement.
• Patient stories are fine if they illustrate a specific point. We want your story, not someone else’s. Obviously, be careful about potentially identifying statements or if appropriate (needed) as for permission.
• You must have reviewers to give you feedback. Start with a close friend or family member who knows you and can review your statement to make sure your “voice” is reflected in the statement. Have someone read it purely from a proofreading standpoint. Typos cannot be tolerated. Share your final draft with your Residency Advisor for feedback.
• Our department has 10 copies of Strunk and White, Elements of Style, a text that can be very helpful if it has been a while since you have attempted this type of writing. If you are interested, come get one from our Student Programs Coordinator, Grace Bernier.
• Talk with your advisor before striking out to use your personal statement to explain some form of irregularity or “problem” in your application. The personal statement may or may not be the place to do so. You can also check with your College Dean for advice.
• Use the space that is given to you. Not necessarily every last character line but a personal statement that uses only half the allotted space is a red flag.
• Starting thinking about your statement early. Consider creating a folder (either virtual or real) that you can periodically put some ideas that you are considering incorporating into your statement. These can be concepts, short phrases, actual sentences, paragraphs, patient stories or any other bits of information that will help you to craft your final product. Try and avoid the panic of a rushed personal statement. Like spaghetti sauce, a personal statement that is allowed to “simmer” over days to weeks inevitably results in a more effective message.
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Writing a Personal Statement for Residency Application

Personal statements are an essential, required part of applying to residency. Residency programs screen thousands of applications every cycle and read many hundreds of these statements in the process. You should aim to write an interesting statement that showcases your personality as well as your achievements. Perhaps most importantly, you will need to skillfully articulate the reasons for your interest in family medicine and the particular program you're applying to.

How to Write a Great Personal Statement

A great personal statement sets itself apart from a good personal statement in several ways.

• First, it includes a level of specificity that shows your motivations and interests are authentic. For example, when conveying why you want to match into family medicine, show awareness of the exciting developments in the specialty, or describe your experience with or knowledge of topics like population health management, care coordination, and the social determinants of health.
• Feel free to highlight items in your CV if they help remind your reader of the experiences you’ve had that prepared you for the position. This is your opportunity to expand upon activities that are just listed in the CV but deserve to be described so your reader can appreciate the breadth and depth of your involvement in them. It should not be another comprehensive list of your activities, but rather should refer to activities that are listed in detail on the CV.
• The personal statement is also an appropriate place to address anything that may be ambiguous on your CV. In particular, you should address any nontraditional path you’ve taken through medical school, such as time off or an altered curricular journey. It is better to address these than to leave a program wondering. If you write about academic or personal challenges that you faced during medical school, make a positive impression by focusing on what you've learned from those experiences and how they brought you to where you are now. 

You may choose to relate significant personal experiences, but do so only if they are relevant to your candidacy for the position.

Sharpen Your Writing Skills 

The importance of good writing in a personal statement cannot be overemphasized. Unfortunately, not only are good writing skills allowed to deteriorate during medical school, but in some sense, they also are deliberately undermined in the interest of learning to write concise histories and physicals. For the moment, forget everything you know about writing histories and physicals. While preparing your personal statement:

• Avoid abbreviations.
• Avoid repetitive sentence structure.
• Avoid using jargon. If there is a shorter, simpler, less pretentious way of putting it, use it.
• Don't assume your reader knows the acronyms you use. As a courtesy, spell everything out.
• Use a dictionary and spell check. 
• Use a thesaurus. Variety in the written language can add interest, but don't get carried away.
• Write in complete sentences.

If you need a crash course in good writing, read  The Elements of Style ,  Fourth Edition  by Strunk and White. If you have friends or relatives with writing or editing skills, enlist their help. Student organizations at your school may host personal statement clinics, or your school may offer review services. Many student, medical, and specialty societies, local and national, may offer personal statement reviews or workshops.

Even if you're a great writer and feel confident about your application, you should ask trusted advisors, mentors, and friends to critique your personal statement (and your CV! ). They can help you make your statement as flawless as possible by giving you feedback about areas that might have been unclear or things that should be added.

Don't cross the line

Your personal statement should remain an original composition, even as you seek input and advice. Retain your voice as you refine your writing and don't ever plagiarize. Be aware of other ethical lines you shouldn't cross as well, for example, don't use vague references that would allow for the reader to misinterpret the nature of your experience, and don't take full credit for a project if others worked on it with you.

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TOP SAMPLES FOR A QUALITY FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PERSONAL STATEMENT

Get inspired with the best samples and get writing help with your own family medicine residency personal statement.

Creating Family Medicine Personal Statement From Scratch

It’s been a while since a personal statement residency family medicine became an essential part of the application process. In this writing piece, applicants should showcase their strengths and best qualities to assure the institution officials they will perfectly match the program.

However, sometimes writing an engaging and focused family medicine personal statement from scratch may be complicated. Especially if there are too many requirements set by the admission board. And neglecting quality is not an option because such a document is a core application component, and family medicine residency officials review it attentively. That’s why we’ve prepared some practical tips on achieving the highest quality, as well as ready-made personal statement examples medicine that can help you understand what this task requires.

Get Inspired With the Best Family Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Exploring dozens of writing guides, tips & tutorials won’t effectively compose good text until you don’t find family medicine personal statement examples to visualize them. Having a well-composed sample lets you see how the information is structured, what methods and techniques authors use to describe themselves, what accents to make, and how to place them within personal stories. Just have a look at these samples.

Whether it’s an application for a hospitalist fellowship family medicine , or any other one, each document should be unique. Even if the samples are related to one topic, how authors self-present themselves is remarkable.

Once you read a pro-made sample residency personal statement, you will be able to see how each point is managed in writing and how experts work on building structure and formatting with attention to detail.

• Most authors separate the text into small paragraphs when describing personal motivation, achievements, etc.
• They carefully add information to support your opinion and make your family medicine residency personal statement more valuable.
• Pros choose only important facts dedicated to the central idea of your family medicine application doc.
• They don’t make parts too big and monitor the coherence of the narrative so that the text is not only readable but also consistent and logical.

And these are just a few ideas you may get from a family medicine personal statement example. Of course, you cannot copy from it and use someone’s saamples without customization. But such insights can be beneficial to apply to your own writing.

Check Multiple Medical Samples at Residencypersonalstatements.net

The wide sample selection allows you to find the one that fits your needs. An excellent personal statement residency example composed by one of our writers shows what good application writing should look like. Each expert who works on family medicine samples has relevant experience and understanding of representing the applicant’s personality.

Our medical residency personal statement samples are done according to the admission board requirements, including format, style, word count, etc. Papers are written to represent individuals as perfect candidates for the chosen family medicine program. When another sample is ordered, our experts work on it from scratch, writing it according to the institution’s requirements.

How Good Medicine Personal Statement Examples Can Help

Family medicine programs are quite competitive, so you may go beyond your limits to impress the admission board with your personal statement. At the same time, completed medicine personal statement examples may help you understand how the winning document should look like and give you some ideas about creating the same one yourself.

The Size Matters

The first you should pay attention to when writing personal statement for family medicine residency is its size. You will never find a sample that goes beyond the word count. 450-600 words – it’s the perfect size of the personal statement you should strive for.

How to Make Your Personal Statement Stand Out?

Next, we’ll figure out more details that must be in your family medicine residency personal statement. However, the personal touches could make it really memorable. Pay attention to how sample authors use customers’ clinical and life cases, creating entertaining anecdotes that catch readers’ attention.

What About Addressing Red Flags?

Your family medicine residency personal statement is a great place not only for self-presentation but also to address some gaps or red flags you may have – e.g., professionalism issues or a too long time after graduation. In a fellowship application, you should be honest and don’t hide anything, but there are no restrictions for ways of presenting details. Just look how our best personal statement samples residency authors turned obvious disadvantages into advantages and ways to overcome difficulties.

Get Started as Early as Possible

Thinking about when to start writing a personal statement internal medicine residency , we can say one thing – don’t waste time, and get started as early as possible. Leaving everything until the last moment affects the quality, as you may not have enough time to prepare for writing or carefully proofread. If you did everything the last night, how would the personal statement for family medicine look? You know the answer.

Things in a Personal Statement Samples Residency to Consider

Each application document should be unique as it represents you as a family medicine specialist and describes your candidacy from the best angles. Plagiarism is unacceptable, but using personal statement examples for medicine allows you to see what general points must be added.

• Your motivation

What made you choose this path? Why are you passionate about becoming a family medicine specialist? Maybe someone or something inspired you to investigate this field – mention this in a personal statement for pediatric residency programs .

• A reason to choose a particular residency

What are your expectations from a chosen family medicine residency, and what skills and knowledge you are willing to get? Also, explain how you will overcome obstacles and challenges to succeed in the future.

• Relevant skills and abilities

Why institution officials should consider you as a great candidate for their residency. Your personal statement for family medicine residency is what may convince the admission board to choose you as their #1 applicant. Show your uniqueness and demonstrate how passionate you are about family medicine. Also, mention your knowledge of the residency opportunities and faculty culture and explain why it is a great place to realize your prospects.

Carefully edit and proofread the text when it’s done to ensure you don’t have any grammatical or contextual errors, typos, or formatting mistakes. Give your document to a professional residency personal statement writer , so a fresh look at the writing may spot something you may miss.

What You Don’t Find in Medical Residency Personal Statement Samples

As well as essential things, some points should not be seen in the medical residency personal statement samples. Now, we will focus on the typical issues. So, when writing residency applications, forget about such things:

• Copypasting your CV or writing an autobiography. Your task is to write an attractive and catchy essay introducing yourself to the institution officials. No one is interested in reading the list of your job history or stories from your childhood.
• Overdetail. Each sample family medicine personal statement has limited space, so there’s no need to count all your school achievements or class ratings. Focus on mentioning cases that improved your professional qualities and made you better in the selected field.
• Surpassing the word count. Once the medical residency personal statement family medicine has strict requirements, stick to them. That’s why you may need more than one draft to ensure you don’t have unnecessary information in the text.

Get Help With Your Family Medicine Residency Personal Statement Example

Besides sharing guidelines and tips to help future medical program members, we can offer one more option. Our talented authors are ready to help you with your own family medicine residency personal statement example, creating an outstanding one that presents your candidacy in the best way. Having solid experience in application docs preparation, they know how to compose the text in the needed format following all the admission requirements. Be sure all your top traits will be emphasized and the program’s features are addressed.

Forget about struggling with family medicine personal statements and let the professionals do all the work instead of you!

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The Only 3 Medical School Personal Statement Examples You Need to Read

Posted in: Applying to Medical School

Table of Contents

The personal statement is one of the most important parts of the med school application process because t his mini-essay is a critical opportunity for you to stand out from other prospective medical students by demonstrating your passion and personality, not just your grades.

Admissions committees receive hundreds or more AMCAS medical school applications , so yours should be unique and captivating. Your medical school personal statement shows admissions officers who you are beyond your high school or pre-med GPA , extracurriculars , and MCAT score . 

The best personal statements are… well, personal . This is your chance to share what life experiences have compelled you toward a career in healthcare or the medical field , and how those experiences shape the picture of your ideal future.

MedSchoolCoach has crucial advice for writing your personal statement . 

Read these examples of personal statements for prospective med students.

Writing a great medical school personal statement is a lot easier with the right support. We’ve helped numerous med school applicants craft top-notch personal statements and can do the same for you.

But first: 7 steps to writing an engaging personal statement.

Before you read these excellent examples, you need to understand the process of writing a personal statement.  

Include these in your medical school personal statement:

• Why you’re passionate about becoming a doctor
• Your qualities that will make you a great physician
• Personal stories that demonstrate those qualities
• Specific examples of the communities you want to serve as a member of the medical field

What are the most important things to remember when writing a medical school personal statement ?

• Begin the writing process early: Give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming and to revisit your first draft, revising it based on input from family members and undergrad professors. Consult the application timeline for your target enrollment season.
• Choose a central theme: An unfocused essay will leave readers confused and uninterested. Give your statement a clear thesis in the first paragraph that guides its formation.
• Start with a hook: Grab the reader’s attention immediately with your statement’s first sentence. Instead of opening with a conventional introduction, be creative! Begin with something unexpected.
• Be the you of today, not the you of the future: Forecasting your future as a physician can come across as empty promises. Don’t get caught up in your ambitions; instead, be honest about your current situation and interest in the field of medicine.
• Demonstrate your passion: It’s not enough to simply state your interest in becoming a doctor; you have to prove it through personal stories. Show how your perspectives have been shaped by formative experiences and how those will make you an effective physician.
• Show, don’t tell : Avoid cliches that admissions committees have heard hundreds of times, like “I want to help people.” Make your writing come alive with dynamic, persuasive storytelling that recounts your personal experiences.
• Tie everything together: Conclude by wrapping up your main points. Reiterate your passion for the medical profession, your defining personal qualities, and why you’ll make a good doctor.

You can read more about our recommended method in our step-by-step guide , but those are the major points.

Example 1 — From the Stretcher to the Spotlight: My Journey to Becoming an Emergency Medicine Physician

Another siren shrieks as the emergency room doors slide open and a team of EMTs pushes a blood-soaked stretcher through the entrance. It’s the fifth ambulance to arrive tonight — and only my first clinical shadowing experience in an emergency medicine department since my premed education began.

But it wasn’t my first time in an emergency room, and I knew I was meant to be here again.

In those crucial moments on the ER floor, many of my peers learned that they stumble in high-pressure environments. A few weeks of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, broken bones, and deep lacerations in the busiest trauma bay in the region were enough to alter their career path.

They will be better practitioners somewhere predictable, like a pediatrician in a private practice where they choose their schedules, clients, and staff.

Every healthcare provider has their specialties, and mine are on full display in those crucial moments of lifesaving care. Why am I pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine? Because I’ve seen firsthand the miracles that Emergency Medicine physicians perform.

12 years ago, I was in an emergency room… but I was the one on the stretcher.

A forest-green Saturn coupe rolled into my parent’s driveway. The driver, my best friend Kevin, had just passed his driving test and was itching to take a late-night run to the other side of town. I had ridden with Kevin and his father many times before when he held his learner’s permit. But this time, we didn’t have an adult with us, and the joyride ended differently: with a 40-mph passenger-side collision, T-boned by a drunk driver.

I distinctly recall the sensation of being lifted out of the crumpled car by a paramedic and laid onto a stretcher. A quick drive later, I was in the care of Dr. Smith, the ER resident on call that night. Without missing a beat, he assessed my condition and provided the care I needed. When my mom thanked him for saving my life, he simply responded, “It’s what he needed.”

Now I’m watching other doctors and nurses provide this life-saving care as I observe as a premed student. I see the way the staff works together like a well-oiled machine, and it reminds me of my time in high-school theater.

Everyone has a role to play, however big or small, to make the show a success. All contributions are essential to a winning performance — even the technicians working behind the scenes. That’s what true teamwork is, and I see that same dynamic in the emergency department.

Some actors freeze during performances, overcome by stage fright. Other students are too anxious to even set foot in front of an audience; they remain backstage assisting with split-second costume changes.

Not me. I felt energized under the spotlight, deftly improvising to help my co-stars when they would forget their lines. Admittedly, I wasn’t the best actor or singer in the cast, but I provided something essential: assurance under pressure. Everyone knew me as dependable, always in their corner when something went awry. I had a reputation for remaining calm and thinking on my feet.

My ability to stay unruffled under pressure was first discovered on stage, but I can use it on a very different platform providing patient care. Now, when other people freeze under the intensity of serving public health on the front lines, I can step in and provide my calm, collected guidance to see them through.

As an ER doctor, I will have to provide that stability when a nurse gets flustered by a quarrelsome patient or shaken from an irreparably injured infant. When you’re an Emergency Medicine physician, you’re not following a script. It takes an aptitude of thinking on your toes to face the fast pace and unpredictable challenges of an emergency center.

During my time shadowing, I saw experienced physicians put those assured, gentle communication skills to use. A 13-year-old boy was admitted for a knife wound he’d received on the streets. He only spoke Spanish, but it was clear he mistrusted doctors and was alarmed by the situation. In mere minutes, one of the doctors calmed the patient so he could receive care he needed.

Let me be clear: I haven’t simply gravitated toward Emergency Medicine because I liked it most. It’s not the adrenaline or the pride that compel me. I owe Emergency Medicine my life, and I want to use my life to extend the lives of other people. Every person brought into the trauma bay could be another me , no matter what they look like.

People are more than their injury, health record, or circumstances. They are not just a task to complete or a challenge to conquer.

My childhood injury gave me an appreciation for the work of ER doctors and a compassion for patients, to foster well-being when people are most broken and vulnerable. I already have the dedication to the work and the heart for patients; I just need the medical knowledge and procedural skills to perform life-saving interventions. My ability to remain calm, think on my toes, be part of a team, and work decisively without making mistakes or overlooking critical issues will serve me well as an Emergency Medicine physician.

Some ER physicians I spoke with liked to think that they’re “a different breed” than other medical professionals — but I don’t see it that way. We’re just performing a different role than the rest of the cast.

Breaking It Down

Let’s look at what qualities make this a great personal statement for med school.

• Engaging opening: The writer painted a vivid scene that immediately puts the reader in their shoes and leaves them wanting more.
• Personal examples: The writer demonstrated his ability to stay calm, work as a team, and problem-solve through theater experience, which he also uses as a comparison. And, he explained his passion for Emergency Medical care from his childhood accident.
• Organized: The writer transitions fluidly between body paragraphs, connecting stories and ideas by emphasizing parallels and hopping back and forth between time.
• Ample length: Makes full use of the AACOMAS and AMCAS application personal statement’s character limit of 5,300 characters (including spaces), which is about 850-950 words.

Unsure what traits and clinical or research experience your preferred medical school values ? You can research their admissions requirements and mission statement using the MSAR .

Example 2 — Early Clinical Work For Empathetic Patient Care

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, University of Central Florida College of Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine.

As I walked briskly down the hall to keep up during our daily rounds in the ICU, I heard the steady beeping of Michelle’s cardiac monitor and saw a ruby ornament twinkling on the small Christmas tree beside her. She was always alone, but someone had decorated her room for the holidays.

It warmed my heart that I wasn’t the only one who saw her as more than a patient in a coma. I continually felt guilty that I couldn’t spend more time with her; her usual companions were ventilators, IV bags, and catheters, not to mention the golf ball-sized tumors along her spine. Every day, I thought about running to Michelle’s bedside to do anything I could for her.

Thus, I was taken aback when my advisor, who was visiting me that day, asked me if I was okay. It never crossed my mind that at age 17, my peers might not be able to handle the tragedies that healthcare workers consistently face. These situations were difficult, but they invoked humanity and compassion from me. I knew I wanted to pursue medicine. And I knew I could do it.

From my senior year of high school to my senior year of college, I continued to explore my passion for patient interaction.

At the Stepp Lab, I was charged with contacting potential study participants for a study focusing on speech symptoms in individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. The study would help future patients, but I couldn’t help but think: “What are we doing for these patients in return?” I worried that the heart and soul behind the research would get lost in the mix of acoustic data and participant ID numbers.

But my fears were put to rest by Richard, the self-proclaimed “Parkinson’s Song & Dance Man,” who recorded himself singing show tunes as part of his therapy. Knowing that he was legally blind and unable to read caller ID, I was always thrilled when he recognized my voice. The spirit in his voice indicated that my interest in him and his journey with Parkinson’s was meaningful. Talking with him inspired me to dive deeper, which led to an appreciative understanding of his time as a sergeant in the U.S. military.

It was an important reminder: my interest and care are just as important as an effective prescribed treatment plan.

Following graduation, I began my work as a medical assistant for a dermatologist. My experience with a patient, Joann, validated my ability to provide excellent hands-on patient care. Other physicians prescribed her painkillers to relieve the excruciating pain from the shingles rash, which presented as a fiery trail of blisters wrapped around her torso. But these painkillers offered no relief and made her so drowsy that she fell one night on the way to the bathroom.

Joann was tired, suffering, and beaten down. The lidocaine patches we initially prescribed would be a much safer option, but I refused for her to pay $250, as she was on the brink of losing her job. When she returned to the office a week later, she held my hand and cried tears of joy because I found her affordable patches, which helped her pain without the systemic effects.

The joy that pierced through the weariness in her eyes immediately confirmed that direct patient care like this was what I was meant to do. As I passed her a tissue, I felt ecstatic that I could make such a difference, and I sought to do more.

Since graduation, I have been volunteering at Open Door, a small pantry that serves a primarily Hispanic community of lower socioeconomic families. It is gut-wrenching to explain that we cannot give them certain items when our stock is low. After all, the fresh fruits and vegetables I serve are fundamental to their culturally-inspired meals.

For the first time, I found myself serving anguish rather than a helping hand. Usually, uplifting moments strengthen one’s desire to become a physician, but in this case, it was my ability to handle the low points that reignited my passion for aiding others.

After running out of produce one day, I was confused as to why a woman thanked me. Through translation by a fellow volunteer, I learned it was because of my positivity. She taught me that the way I approach unfavorable situations affects another’s perception and that my spirited attitude breaks through language barriers.

This volunteer work served as a wake-up call to the unacceptable fact that U.S. citizens’ health suffers due to lack of access to healthy foods. If someone cannot afford healthy foods, they may not have access to healthcare. In the future, I want to partner with other food banks to offer free services like blood pressure readings. I have always wanted to help people, but I now have a particular interest in bringing help to people who cannot afford it.

While the foundation of medicine is scientific knowledge, the foundation of healthcare is the word “care” itself. I never found out what happened to Michelle and her Christmas tree, but I still wonder about her to this day, and she has strengthened my passion to serve others. A sense of excitement and comfort stems from knowing that I will be there for people on their worst days, since I have already seen the impact my support has had.

In my mind, becoming a physician is not a choice but a natural next step to continue bringing humanity and compassion to those around me.

How did this personal statement grab and sustain attention so well?

• Personalization: Everything about this statement helps you to understand the writer, from their personal experiences to their hope for how their future career will look.
• Showing, not telling: From the first sentence, the reader is hooked. This prospective medical student has plenty of great “on paper” experience (early shadowing, clinical experience, etc.), but they showed this with storytelling, not by repeating their CV.
• Empathy: An admissions committee reading this personal statement would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this student cares deeply about their patients. They remember first names, individual details, and the emotions that each patient made them feel.
• A clear path forward: The writer doesn’t just want to work in the medical field — they have a passion for exactly how they want to impact the communities they serve. Outside of strictly medical work, they care about the way finances can limit access to healthcare and the struggle to find healthy food in food deserts around the US .

Read Next: How Hard Is It to Get Into Medical School?

Example 3 — Beyond the Diagnosis: The Importance of Individualized Care in Medicine

The applicant who wrote this personal statement was accepted into Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Nova Southeastern University College Of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Haywood sighs and shakes her head upon opening the chart. “I was worried about her A1C. It’s up again. Hypertension, too. Alright, let’s go.”

As we enter the patient’s room, I’m expecting the news about her blood sugar and pressure to fill the room. Instead, Dr. Haywood says, “Roseline! How are you doing? How’s your girl, doing well?”

Dr. Haywood continues to ask questions, genuinely interested in Roseline’s experience as a new mother. If not for the parchment-lined examination chair and anatomy posters plastered to the wall, this exchange could be happening in a grocery store. What about her A1C? Her blood pressure? Potential Type II diabetes?

As I continue to listen, Dr. Haywood discovers that Roseline’s mother moved in with her, cooking Haitian meals I recognize as high on the glycemic index. Dr. Haywood effortlessly evolves their conversation to focus on these. Being Haitian herself, she knows some traditional dishes are healthier than others and advises Roseline to avoid those that might exacerbate her high blood sugar and blood pressure. Dr. Haywood also suggests Roseline incorporate exercise by bringing her baby on a walk through her neighborhood.

During my shadowing experience, I observed one of the core components of being a physician through several encounters like this one. By establishing a relationship with her patient where Roseline was comfortable sharing the details of new motherhood, Dr. Haywood was able to individualize her approach to lowering the patient’s A1C and hypertension. Inspired by her ability to treat the whole person , I began to adopt a similar practice as a tutor for elementary kids in underserved areas of D.C.

Shaniyah did not like Zoom, or math for that matter. When I first met her as a prospective tutee online, she preferred to keep her microphone muted and would claim she was finished with her math homework after barely attempting the first problem. Realizing that basing our sessions solely on math would be fruitless, I adapted my tutoring style to incorporate some of the things for which she had a natural affinity.

The first step was acknowledging the difficulties a virtual environment posed to effective communication, particularly the ease at which distractions might take over. After sharing this with Shaniyah, she immediately disclosed her struggles to share her work with me. With this information, I found an online platform that allowed us to visualize each other’s work.

This obstacle in communication overcome, Shaniyah felt more comfortable sharing details about herself that I utilized as her tutor. Her love of soccer gave me the idea to use the concept of goal scoring to help with addition, and soon Shaniyah’s math skills and enthusiasm began to improve. As our relationship grew, so did her successes, and I suspect the feelings I experienced as her tutor are the same as a physician’s when their patient responds well to prescribed treatment.

I believe this skill, caring for someone as a whole person , that I have learned and practiced through shadowing and tutoring is the central tenet of medicine that allows a doctor to successfully treat their patients.

Inspired by talking with patients who had received life-altering organ transplants during my shadowing experience, I created a club called D.C. Donors for Georgetown University students to encourage their peers to register as organ donors or donate blood. This experience taught me that to truly serve a person, you must involve your whole person, too.

In starting this club to help those in need of transplants, I had to dedicate my time and effort beyond just my physical interactions with these patients. For instance, this involved reaching out to D.C.’s organ procurement organization to inquire about a potential partnership with my club, to which they agreed. In addition, I organized tabling events on campus, which required significant planning and communication with both club members and my university.

Though exciting, starting a club was also a difficult process, especially given the limitations the pandemic imposed on in-person meetings and events. To adapt, I had to plan more engaging meetings, designing virtual activities to make members more comfortable contributing their ideas. In addition, planning a blood drive required extensive communication with my university to ensure the safety of the staff and participants during the pandemic.

Ultimately, I believe these behind-the-scenes actions were instrumental in addressing the need for organ and blood donors in the D.C. area.

From these experiences, I have grown to believe that good medicine not only necessitates the physician cares for her patient as a whole, but also that she fully commits her whole person to the care of the patient. Tutoring and starting D.C. Donors not only allowed me to develop these skills but also to experience such fulfilling emotions: the pride I had in Shaniyah when her math improved, the gratefulness I felt when she confided in me, the steadfast commitment I expressed to transplant patients, and the joy I had in collaborating with other passionate club members.

I envision a career as a physician to demand these skills of me and more, and I have confirmed my desire to become one after feeling so enriched by practicing them.

Here’s what makes this personal statement such a good example of what works:

• Desirable qualities: The student clearly demonstrates qualities any school would want in an applicant: teachability, adaptability, leadership, organization, and empathy, to name a few. This again uses the “show, don’t tell” method, allowing the readers to understand the student without hand-holding.
• Personalized storytelling: Many in the healthcare profession will connect with experiences like the ones expressed here, such as addressing patient concerns relationally or the lack of blood donors during the recent pandemic. The writer automatically makes a personal link between themselves and the admissions committees reading this statement.
• Extensive (but not too long): Without feeling too wordy, this personal statement uses nearly all of the 5,300 characters allowed on the AMCAS application. There’s no fluff left in the final draft, only what matters.

Avoid These Common Mistakes

You can learn a lot from those personal statements. They avoid the most common mistakes that med school applicants make when writing the medical school personal statement.

Here are some things you should avoid in your personal statement if you want to be a doctor:

• Name-dropping: Admissions counselors won’t be impressed when you brag about your highly regarded family members, associates, or mentors. You need to stand on your own feet — not someone else’s.
• Dishonesty: Lies and exaggerations can torpedo your application. And they’re bad habits for anyone entering the medical field. Don’t do it.
• Unedited AI content: Artificial intelligence can help you edit and improve your writing, but don’t let it do the work for you. Your statement needs to be authentic, which means in your voice! A chatbot can’t feel or adequately convey your own empathy, compassion, trauma, drive, or personality.
• Grammatical errors and typos: Have someone reliable proofread your essay and scour it for typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors. Even free grammar-checking apps can catch mistakes!
• Telling without showing: I’ll reiterate how important it is to prove your self-descriptive statements with real-life examples. Telling without showing won’t persuade readers.
• Too many examples: Have 3-4 solid personal stories at most; only include a few that are crucial for providing your points. The more experiences you share, the less impact they’ll make.
• Fluff and filler: Cut all fluff, filler words, and irrelevant points. There are many other places you can include information in your application, such as secondary essays on your clinical experience, volunteer work, and research projects . 

You can find more valuable do’s and don’ts in our in-depth guide to writing your best personal statement .

Need extra help? We’ve got you covered.

Schedule a meeting with medschoolcoach for expert support on writing and editing your personal statement. we’re here to help you impress medical school admissions committees .

Renee Marinelli, MD

Dr. Marinelli has practiced family medicine, served on the University of California Admissions Committee, and has helped hundreds of students get into medical school. She spearheads a team of physician advisors who guide MedSchoolCoach students.

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Family Medicine Personal Statements

Sample Personal statement 1

Sample Personal statement 2

Sample Personal statement 3

Sample Personal statement 4

Sample Personal statement 5

Sample Personal statement 6

Sample Personal statement 7

Sample Personal statement 8

Sample Personal statement 9

Sample Personal statement 10

Sample personal statement 1 for Family medicine program

Although I began my medical career in anesthesia, I have developed a genuine interest in family practice during and after my anesthesia training. While practicing anesthesia, I always missed the wide spectrum of pathology, the continuous care for patients of different ages, and psychosocial issues in medicine. Family practice is the specialty that offers all these. Through family practice, I feel confident that I can achieve greater personal and professional satisfaction.

Although unable to find an observership program in family practice, I found several programs in general internal medicine. I have been doing observership at both Medical Education Alliance and Medical Hospital. During my observership training at both programs, I felt great achievement in using my knowledge of pharmacology, microbiology, and physiology to explain signs and symptoms of patients. This ensures me that I would be greatly benefited from a specialty in primary care.

I personally believe that providing long-term care, both preventive and therapeutic, to patients is an integral part of practicing medicine. During my observerships, I admired the relationship the attendings had formed with their patients. I love the idea of caring for patients from birth to death and building long-term friendships with them. While I was an anesthesiologist, my contact with most patients usually started one day before and ended one day after surgery. Even though patients developed complications from anesthesia, they did not seek medical care from anesthesiologists, because there was no communication channel between anesthesiologists and patients.

My knowledge and skills in anesthesia will be a useful asset in family practice. I am skilled in performing different kinds of invasive and non-invasive monitoring procedures. This will make me feel more comfortable while caring for critically ill patients. My hands-on clinical experience at both Memorial Medical Center of Medical University and the University of California was a unique opportunity to learn how the medical care system works and to enhance my communication skills with patients of all age groups. My volunteer experience at a mental health clinic helped me realize the importance of psychosocial issues in managing mental illnesses and develop a great compassion. By participating in all the activities during my observership training, I honed my history and physical skills. In addition, while I was an anesthesiologist, I enjoyed easing the anxieties of children undergoing surgery before I delivered anesthesia. This not only increased the quality of anesthesia care but also decreased the psychological harm on children. All these will make me better prepared for my residency training in family practice. Meanwhile I know exactly what I am going to face and I know I am able and willing to handle it.

I will bring enthusiasm, dedication, and professionalism, as well as clinical knowledge and skills to my family practice residency program. More importantly, I am very glad that I receive support from my family in applying for a family practice residency program. I seek a residency program that provides a balanced training approach. Through this training, I hope to develop excellent clinical skills and judgment and embark on a career with constant intellectual stimulation and the opportunity to provide long-term medical care to patients in a manner that I could not provide as an anesthesiologist.

Sample personal statement 2 for Family medicine program

“Did you hear about that huge earthquake in India?” asked one of my classmates who knew that I was from India. My jaw dropped and a hundred thoughts went through my head. There I was during my first year of medical school sitting anxiously about to take my first written anatomy exam when one of my classmates asked me this. I did not get a chance to listen to the news that morning, but there was a massive earthquake in the city where my family is from in India. This really hit a nerve. The anatomy test was the last thing on my mind at that point. Fortunately, later that night I found out all of my family was accounted for. That still didn’t put my mind at ease. The evening news showed the devastation the earthquake did to an already impoverished part of India. At that time, I felt more selfish than ever before. Here I was living this comfortable life in the U.S. and attending medical school with one of my biggest worries of the day being an anatomy test. I wanted to go to India and assist the injured, but I knew that my lack of medical training would not allow me to do that. Excluding this experience, I have always thought that it is a duty of mine to give back to the country where I am from. Being the first physician in my family and having this opportunity to give back to the place where my parents grew up has always been one of my major long term goals. Family practice will offer me the diverse knowledge base to treat many different types of ailments.

Attending an osteopathic medical school has offered me the opportunity to rotate through many months of family practice. When making my decision to enter this specialty, I asked myself what months during my clerkships I was happiest, which attending physicians I had the best interactions with, and what patient populations I liked the most. The answers to all these questions drew me to family practice. Although I formed meaningful relationships with the inpatient population during my internal medicine rotation and was able to acquire vital medical knowledge, I felt unfulfilled in regards to the doctor-patient interaction in that environment and really missed the continuity of care. In my family practice experience, there was an abundant amount of clinical knowledge to gain and I found myself attracted to the type of relationship my attendings had with their patients. I was truly envious of the continuity of relationships that my attendings had formed with so many of their patients. The “medical visit” in the family practice clinic amazed me because of the amount of psychosocial issues that would be discussed. This required the family practice physician to go beyond the medical aspect of the visit and truly treat the person as a whole. It is much easier to have a patient be compliant and more honest about their health when the patient feels more at ease with their physician.

The public aid clinic on Big City’s Westside was a place where I further realized the importance of the family physician. My volunteer experience in that clinic reinforced the fact that not every patient has access to a separate pediatrician, gynecologist, or geriatric specialist. My love for educating patients on topics such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol and preventative medicine was easily fulfilled in this type of setting. Another one of my passions is to also treat children Family medicine, offered me this opportunity. This is where I realized that I want part of my time to be involved with clinics that provide healthcare to the underserved in Big City. The great thing about practicing medicine in Big City is that there are so many well-established free medical clinics all over the city and suburbs that doctors can donate their time at. I am confident that the underserved areas of will have more than enough spots available for family practice physicians to donate their time.

The bottom line is that family practice is both exciting and versatile. When a family physician goes into work she does not know what to expect. She could have a day full of common colds, orthopedic issues, and newly diagnosed diabetics. One can take all these tasks and consider them overburdening or view them as challenges. I have always found it easy to adjust to a constantly changing environment During and after my training, I want to be the type of family physician that my loved ones would want not only as their doctor, but also as part of their family unit.

My determination, resilience, and self-confidence are foundations of my personality and character that will be part of me throughout my residency, and when I am practicing as a family physician. My goal throughout this application process has to find a family practice residency program that plays a vital role in the community and a program that shares a passion for teaching, mentoring and showing residents that family practice is not just a practice of medicine but also a practice of how to work with people. I look forward to starting my family practice residency at your institution with enthusiasm, a willingness to work hard, learn, teach, and most importantly, to identify with my future patients so I can offer them the healthcare they deserve from a family physician.

Sample personal statement 3 for Family medicine program

Sample personal statement 4 for Family medicine program

My life experiences have prepared me for a career in family medicine. I find such a field to require genuine interest, dedication, and the ability to communicate and relate to patients of all age groups. Upon entering medical school with an interest skin conditions, I assumed that dermatology was the field for me. I soon discovered, however, that I was interested in treating the whole person, that I wanted a career that treats the entire body, mind and spirit.

Working with patients of diverse ages and backgrounds is essential to my happiness. As a physician, I strive to positively impact my patient’s lives. Through volunteering for Hospice during college and medical school, and working in a nursing home in high school, I have enjoyed working with the elderly. In addition, I have spent 2 years as an elementary school reading tutor and volunteered for a year in the NICU and Children’s Medical Center at the University of Florida. Building a rapport with teenagers as a camp counselor has proven both rewarding and insightful. All encompassing, family medicine allows me the opportunity to work with the pediatric, adult, and geriatric populations. A vast and diverse field, family medicine provokes my interest and will continue to excite me throughout my career.

Numerous life experiences have prepared me for this path. Traveling across the country with 35 teenagers for Big Tours and working as a Resident Assistant in a college dormitory exemplify my ability to work well with others. The oldest of four children, I have taken on the role of responsibility and leadership in my life. On an individual level, I have mentored a young child for the past several years, which has impacted us both greatly. Extracurricular activities have helped to mold me in the person I am today. Outside of medicine, I have experienced whitewater rafting down the Snake River, water skiing on Lake Tahoe and hiking through Bryce Canyon. I am not only adventurous and easy to get along with but I am also a dedicated hard worker who thrives on patient care. Volunteering for several years in a family practice office has given me insight into the successful qualities of a family physician: patience, compassion and excellent clinical skills. My various work and volunteer experiences have confirmed that family medicine offers everything I want in a career – the ability to make a difference in the lives of patients while working in a field which I find exciting, challenging, and rewarding.

Much of my passion for family medicine stems from my desire to practice preventive medicine. The ability to retard or prevent the manifestations of disease inspires me. I intend to focus my future practice around this concept. Emphasis on treating the entire patient as a whole is also important to me. This holistic philosophy is essential to building strong relationships with patients. I want to become the best physician I can for my patients – a good listener, an excellent diagnostician, and a loyal confidant. To achieve these goals I have high expectations for my residency program. To develop the clinical skills essential to becoming an excellent family physician I must train at an institution dedicated to academic excellence and superior patient care. A strong academic setting combined with my desire to succeed will mold me into a well-trained physician. In the future, I desire to work in a clinical setting with an academic affiliation, which allows me the opportunity to teach what I have been taught to others. Many experiences in my life have helped me decide, unequivocally, that the field of family medicine is the path for me. My desire to treat and heal patients’ medical and social troubles drives me to become a successful physician. I look forward to the future with excitement and optimism as I enter the field of family medicine.

Sample personal statement 5 for Family medicine program

Since the age of 6 years old, I found myself frequently in the emergency room due to severe asthma. It was frightening as a child, but I clearly recall the warm and friendly doctors who comforted me. Since I grew up on Welfare and Medi-Cal, it meant sometimes having to wait long hours before getting medical attention. While waiting, I would chat with other patients and found that I was overwhelmed by the vast array of existing illnesses. Today I am no longer overwhelmed by the intricacy’s of medical diseases, but instead I’m inspired by the challenges of caring for a broad spectrum of various aliments. This is one of the reasons I have chosen family medicine.

I am a University of State graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Physiology. I participated in an internship at State Medical Center in the operating room where I found that I enjoyed easing the anxieties of patients’ pre and post surgery. In addition, I worked with a paraplegic for one year who I cared for daily. My patient was extremely frustrated because he had to be entirely dependent on me for many daily functions. However, there was no greater fulfillment than to see him grow comfortable and trusting toward me because I not only cared for him medically, but I took the time to establish a strong bond. This experience helped me develop a great compassion and understanding of the difficulties patients have co-existing with their physical disabilities. My desire to launch a positive role in a patient’s recovery along with the long term interactions established through continual care, have been other factors that have sparked my further interest in pursuing Family Medicine.

The goal of improving my Spanish contributed to my decision to attend medical school at the University in Guadalajara, Mexico. I had the fortunate experience of working with Spanish speaking patients in a family practice clinic. I was able to follow the entire family history of many patients throughout three years. Being able to become an integral part of these patients’ lives is another crucial factor that causes me to seek family practice. During my last year of medical school, I participated in the pre-internship program at the Mexican Institute of Social Services which provided me with outstanding training. I enjoyed rotating through all of the various rotations; especially pediatric, obstetrics, dermatology, and geriatrics. Family practice is well suited for me because it encompasses a multitude of areas in medicine. I want to continually be faced with the challenges that family medicine offers such as diagnosing a wide-range of diseases from different specialties, instead of focusing on one particular disease or organ system.

I also enjoy working with the elderly and learned some of their fears when I took care of my most important patient yet, my mother. I took a semester off to care for my mother who was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Although it was extremely difficult emotionally watching her suffer daily, I knew that I had done my best in caring for her. I learned that many elderly patients neglect routine medical care and are hesitant or afraid to seek medical attention. As a consequence, they endanger their health or lives. My experiences have helped me mature greatly and have made me realize the critical responsibility as a primary care provider to continually teach preventive care.

I am applying to your residency program in family medicine because it is a well rounded community based program with broad-based training and a high level of responsibility that will prepare me to practice in settings comprised of a diverse population. In the future, I see myself as training future medical students. In addition, I plan to serve as a health advocate and mentor to children and adolescents. I feel that I will be an excellent role model for children, especially those in underserved communities, since I too grew up in an underserved area myself. I would like to return to my community or an underserved community where I feel that I am well prepared to fulfill the challenges and needs of my patients.

I am confident that I will benefit from your residency program because I have learned how to work and interact well with patients, families, doctors, and my colleagues through my life experiences. I also will never forget my earliest impressions of the dedicated and kind doctors from the emergency room. This is the type of Doctor I will be for all my patients

Sample personal statement 6 for Family medicine program

“ Some men see things as they are and say, WHY; I dream of things that never were and say, WHY NOT” –Robert Frost.

With this dream and vision along with many years of hard work and dedication, I am ready to embark in the exciting field of Family Medicine. Family Medicine adds a unique element to the practice of medicine that is very important: empathy. Family Physicians have compassionate beliefs and display caring values towards patient care. My choice to enter the area of Family Medicine expands this fascination and I am content, confident, and certain with this decision.

Beginning with grade school and throughout medical school, I made every effort to become the person and the physician I imagined. I learned early that two qualities produce a great physician: leadership and dedication. I realized ahead of time the importance of leadership and commitment as I participated in various sport activities in college. I enjoyed volunteering for my church in the community outreach program where I coordinated our youth group to assist various homeless shelters in Detroit. I later had the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for undergraduate and medical students in Anatomy class. I have gained many experiences by contributing to others the unselfish attitude, understanding, and dedication needed to be a respectful leader.

I was devoted to reach my aspirations of becoming a physician when I left my family and loved ones to attend the basic science portion of medical school abroad. This experience not only provided me with an outstanding and solid medical education, but also allowed me to mature and grow personally and professionally. I had the unique opportunity to discover how medicine was conducted in the Caribbean and to apply what I learned there to better my skills here at home. During my third year of clinical rotations in medical school, I was selected by the attending physician to lead my Internal Medicine group and to co-lead in my Surgery and Psychiatry clerkships. Furthermore, I was chosen by my Internal Medicine attending to work as a student assistant. My obligations were to admit, conduct a thorough physical exam and history, write progress notes, and dictate discharge summaries on detoxification patients. I learned to be proficient in patient management and to carry responsibilities in a structured and competent manner. These experiences have provided me the tools and knowledge to become the physician I want to be.

Many of the achievements I have attained are due to the encouragement and help of my family. Born in California and raised in New York, my parents have inspired in me the strong moral principles and loyalty that have made me the person I am today. Being the oldest of five children, our family was a close group largely because of our spiritual faith. Church service and fellowship was an integral part of our family upbringing and continues to be a vital part of my life. I am also exceptionally grateful for my wife for her immeasurable love and support.

Family Medicine best balances my abilities and assures my career ambitions. During my clinical rotations in Large City, I observed many aspects of medicine. I enjoyed working with patients in every age range and particularly enjoyed helping and solving their individual problems. The philosophy of Family Medicine is what especially appeals to me. It is important to me the idea of the continuity of care, being an active advocate, and most importantly to provide competent and complete health care. I desire to enter an exciting family practice residency program that will provide the needed training to work in a private practice or to teach in an academic or hospital setting. I also wish for a friendly and supportive environment where the faculty, residents, and staff work together as a collaborative team. Finally, I seek a residency program not only to facilitate my future career in medicine, but also would encourage me to continue to develop into the physician I envisioned. My greatest goal is to challenge myself to be the best physician I can be, without any regrets, and to “dream of things that never were and say, Why Not”.

Sample personal statement 7 for Family medicine program

As sage smoke rises from a shell full of embers, I watch Sandra waft the smoke over her body, washing away any reticence she had about sharing her past. She holds an eagle’s feather to help provide the strength to talk about  her struggles with alcohol and drugs . I witnessed her testimony in the Healing Circle, a Native-American tradition, adapted to treat clients at the Healing Center. Part of my Family Medicine rotation was spent studying the impact of cultural activities on drug and alcohol rehabilitation. While I had seen Maggie in clinic for her chronic joint pain due to rheumatoid arthritis and had discussed treatment options for her somatic complaints, I saw how the Healing Circle catered to her emotional and spiritual needs, giving her the courage to admit how badly alcohol and drugs had damaged her health, and to give her the resolve to abstain from further abuse.

This experience reinforced my belief that primary care must incorporate people’s emotional, cultural, and spiritual well-being with their physical health. I first realized the importance of primary care during my work in Chad where I encountered medical emergencies that could have been handled by a general practitioner. From this experience, my interest in medicine and primary care grew. Since then, I have taken special interest in activities that focus on the well-being of others such as providing emotional support to people with developmental disabilities, educating middle school children on HIV, and coordinating activities at the Retirement Home. I particularly enjoyed my Primary Care Track continuity clinic where I provided healthcare at a Med/Peds clinic to an underserved population in East Urban City. There, I learned the uniqueness of different cultures and personalities, fine-tuned my interpersonal skills, and came to understand the importance of social and personal issues to a patient’s overall health. All of these experiences have served to reinforce my interest in primary care.

I believe that these experiences in diverse socio-economic and cultural settings with people of all ages have uniquely prepared me for a career in Family Medicine. I thoroughly believe in working with family units and addressing the patient as a “whole person”. My two-month clinical rotation in Alaska reinforced this where I was impressed by the family practitioner’s ability to handle a wide variety of situations, from a pediatric case of asthma exacerbation, to an 84 year-old woman’s collagenous colitis flare. I also enjoyed coordinating patient care with other specialists and social service groups, educating people on preventative care, and helping patients understand their ailments. Furthermore, I found the opportunity in family practice, to establish long-term relationships with each patient and family.

My life experiences, clinical rotations, and education make me certain that a career in Family Medicine is right for me. I enjoy approaching complex problems in a systematic manner. My previous studies in biological and environmental engineering honed these skills and I use them in my clinical rotations and research. I enjoy taking a problem apart and dividing it into organ based systems, looking for connections, and searching for the root of a problem. My strengths lie in my ability to address and incorporate a person’s cultural and emotional well-being while tackling a generalized problem and narrowing the options down to a single source. Ultimately, my goal is to find a program with a diverse cultural and socio-economic patient population, with an excellent community outreach and ancillary programs that address patients’ mental and social needs. As a family physician, I feel I have the best opportunity to impact a person’s overall well-being and at the same time further enrich my life with culture and diversity.

Sample personal statement 8 for Family medicine program

My interest in family medicine has developed from personal and professional experiences over a long period of time. My father being a family physician was my first source of inspiration. I spent hours watching him at work and was impressed with bond he had with his patients and their families. My interest in family practice was further heightened from my experiences in medical school. Volunteer work in underserved areas and clinical rotations during the last two years of medical school exposed me to a wide variety of cases from the prenatal through the geriatric stages of life. I realized that managing the health care of patients in these different age groups is challenging and intellectually appealing to me. I also felt that familiarity with the family system is essential in performing complete assessment and treatment of a patient’s condition. Family practice provides exposure to the full spectrum of problems and issues in medicine and provides an opportunity not only to connect with a patient but also with their families. Family practice gives scope of practice to the needs of the community, puts me on the front line of diagnosis and planning, and helps nurture long-term relationships with patients. For this reason, family practice is the most comprehensive and most attractive type of medicine to me.

Most importantly, I realized it would suit me perfectly. Having taken care of my grandmothers during their end stages of life and being a mother of two, I have developed tremendous mental and physical stamina, learned to think quickly and remain focused, and work with patience and diligence. My fine eye for detail, interpersonal skills, and enthusiasm to work with a wide variety of patients will come a long way to mold me into an empathetic and successful family physician.

Throughout my well-rounded and diverse education I have tried to keep an open mind and expand my horizons. The decision to come to the US for graduate medical education was a step in that direction. My internship training after medical school had provided me hands-on clinical experience to wide variety of cases in all facets of medicine. The exposure I gained as an observer in pediatrics and internal medicine, as a research assistant and as a hospice care volunteer has further honed my clinical skills and added to my personal growth and social awareness. During this time, I attended daily rounds with residents, participated in taking medical history, discussed differential diagnosis and management, interpreted lab values and regularly attended noon conferences and grand rounds. My research has led to three articles, one of which has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. I continue to work as an observer at UMDNJ pediatrics emergency department while I prepare for Step 3.

I seek a residency program that will provide intensive clinical experience with a diverse patient population, promote patient education and prevention, encourage participation in community service, and requires significant resident responsibility for patient care. Though I welcome the excitement and intellectual challenge, what I want the most from my career is to channel a lifetime of energy into something meaningful and worthwhile. I am thoroughly committed to pursue a career in family medicine and I can only hope that I am able to give the profession as much as I think it can give me.

I am applying to a family practice residency program with a strong belief that it would bring the best of me and help me achieve my future goals. I will bring energy, enthusiasm, integrity and creativity to the program and will be committed to my work, fellow staff and to all my patients. After completion of residency, I plan to pursue fellowship in geriatrics. My ultimate goal is to dedicate myself to serve an underserved population while committing time to research and education in geriatrics.

Sample personal statement 9 for Family medicine program

I am applying to a family practice residency program with a strong belief that it would bring the best of me and help me achieve my future goals. I will bring energy, enthusiasm, integrity, and creativity to the program and will be committed to my work, fellow staff, and to all my patients. After completion of residency, I plan to pursue a fellowship in geriatrics. My ultimate goal is to dedicate myself to serve an underserved population while committing time to research and education in geriatrics.

Sample personal statement 10 for Family medicine program

   My path to family medicine was not a straight one. Drawn to improve community health care upon graduating from medical school, I joined ObGyn training. It broughta rewarding and immense satisfaction to have primary contact to patient care. I learned to manage common medical problems and emergency situations in ObGyn. However, I realized I could serve my community better if I could utilize my knowledge and clinical experience to help patients in all age groups  and a wider variety of medical issues. This thought lead me to family medicine.

My interest in family medicine grew exponentially during my observerships. I found that preventive medicine which encourages patients to become health conscious through education and life-style modification was very attractive. I also enjoyed working with the elderly and learned of their neglect of routine medical care as well as fears to seek medical attention. I was inspired by family physicians. They combined their medical expertise with a personal commitment to understand their patients’ problems, recognize and respect different health belief systems, and empower patients to participate in health care decisions. This is the doctor I want to be: a person who acts not only as a physician but also as a patients’ family member, who treats the person holistically. The observerships confirmed that family medicine is the speciality for me.

Postgraduate training in ObGyn helped me develop qualities that are essential for the family physician. It gave me tremendous mental and physical stamina and taught me to think quickly and remain focused under stressful conditions. I enjoyed applying medical knowledge to  clinical situations and using my hand skills to help patients.  I was

satisfied with the close interaction with my patients and learned a great deal from each patient. Whether it was an oncology patient in her final days of life, an infertile couple trying to conceive a child, or an obstetrical patient who miscarried a pregnancy, I always empathized with their situation and made a difference in their lives. Having helped improve patients’ emotional and physical well being was gratifying to me.

Recent clinical observerships offered me the incredible opportunity of familiarizing myself with the US health care system and learning medical ethics.  I realized the importance of confidentiality in medical practice as well as the uniqueness of different cultures and personalities, and to understand the importance of social and personal issues to a patient’s overall health. Through educating patients and coordinating patient care with other specialists and social service groups my interpersonal skills have improved greatly. All these experiences have further prepared me for my residency training in family medicine.

Outside of the wards, I have strived to build a solid foundation of medical knowledge through my pathology/pathophysiology training and clinical research in order to accommodate a broad spectrum of various diseases. With my hard work and problem solving ability, I have accomplished several research papers in peer reviewed journals. Growing up in a large loving family helped me learn the invaluable attributes of being a team player and an excellent listener. My cultural background will make me unique to minority patients and to provide valuable access and service to those patients.

I believe with my enthusiasm, hard work, and my past clinical experience I will be able to make an immediate impact on my family medicine program. I look forward to the satisfaction of undertaking specialized training and education, which combined with my personal abilities, will allow me to contribute to the prolongation of life and to the alleviation of suffering in others. My career goal is to be a well-trained physician who is dedicated to making a difference for every patient in a community.

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Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Get some inspiration to start writing your Medicine Personal Statement with these successful examples from current Medical School students. We've got Medicine Personal Statements which were successful for universities including Imperial, UCL, King's, Bristol, Edinburgh and more.

Personal Statement Examples

• Read successful Personal Statements for Medicine
• Pay attention to the structure and the content
• Get inspiration to plan your Personal Statement

Personal Statement Example 1

Check out this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for Imperial, UCL, QMUL and King's.

Personal Statement Example 2

This Personal Statement comes from a student who received Medicine offers from Bristol and Plymouth - and also got an interview at Cambridge.

Personal Statement Example 3

Have a look at this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for Imperial, Edinburgh, Dundee and Newcastle.

Personal Statement Example 4

Take a look at this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for King's, Newcastle, Bristol and Sheffield.

Personal Statement Example 5

Pick up tips from this Medicine Personal Statement which was successful for Imperial, Birmingham and Manchester.

Personal Statement Example 6

This Personal Statement comes from a student who got into Graduate Entry Medicine at King's - and also had interviews for Undergraduate Medicine at King's, QMUL and Exeter.

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• Residency Application

IMG Personal Statement Examples

IMG personal statement examples outline a variety of important structural and content requirements for this component of your application. Reading residency personal statement examples can help you construct an essay that resonates with similar quality and assembly. The personal statement is an opportunity to show the admissions committee who you are and what appeals to you about their program. Because international medical graduate (IMG) status can make the match more difficult for some schools and residency programs, having a strong personal statement can significantly increase your chances of getting invited for an interview. In this article, we provide some examples of personal statements for IMGs to inspire your own.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

Article Contents 9 min read

Img personal statement example 1.

Since I was young, I’ve had a keen interest in wanting to become a doctor due to my mother’s influence; she’s a cardiologist who works at a hospital in my hometown in Georgia. She always encouraged me to make my own choices irrespective of hers, and she never tried to deliberately push me into medicine’s outstretched arms. Medicine, at least early on in my life, was never on my radar. I was too invested in my creative endeavors, which led to a burgeoning career as a commercial actress starting in elementary school. However, in my senior year of high school, I felt weighed down by the yawning void of my intellectual cravings. I was, as my mother would say, a scientist at heart, which I began to accept when I volunteered at the research institute at a local hospital studying new genomic technology.

I had my doubts about whether I would be able to pursue a career in medicine due to my conflicting creative interests; however, when I took a trip to Delhi, India, in my first year of undergraduate studies, I volunteered at a slum hospital, and it was the inspiration that aroused my already established interest in public health. I mostly observed the health care workers, but I assisted with routine medical tasks and fulfilled a supportive role during routine checkups. On rare occasions, I would provide advice about nutrition or general health to some patients, which invigorated my passion for helping others and illuminating health disparities; I hadn’t realized how pervasive the lack of health awareness was in this community; it both disheartened and mobilized my eagerness to explore medical school abroad.

Check out this video to know about residency application tips that will ensure your success and help you stand out from the crowd:

Growing up, I was not encouraged to get good grades or work hard in school. In fact, it was much the opposite: my father worked on a farm and my mother as a hairdresser. In school, I couldn’t rely on the support of my parents, who were both against academic pursuits. In their words, school was a meaningless, debt-accruing venture that accomplished nothing more than having a fancy piece of paper to hang on the wall. The start of my medical school journey began when I made the brave choice to apply to undergraduate programs instead of working on my father’s farm, which is what he always wanted me to do. We had lots of disagreements and negotiations; I ended up promising to work for him on weekends when I wasn’t studying, and the university was within reasonable commuting distance so I could still commit to the compromise.

However, as I finished my undergraduate studies, I knew I needed a change of scenery. I wanted to live in another part of the world where education and academic excellence were encouraged, not undermined. I decided I was going to complete my MD degree in Mexico, in a city that I knew was scourged by a lack of health care resources. I was intrigued by the prospect of learning a new health care system in a less developed geographical area because I saw the parallels with my own hometown, where people tend to ignore their ailments because they’re suspicious of the health care system – again, a consequence of the lack of educational resources. I was convinced that medical school was the only way to make a real collective difference in this attitude emblemized in some rural areas. And, when I volunteered at a clinic specializing in sexual health, I became aware of how some obstinate traditionalist views impair good-faith attempts to educate and protect reproductive rights for women.

The Philippines is known for its commitment to health care excellence. My family is no different. My parents own a clinic in Manila; my mother is a family doctor, and my father is a nurse. My two older brothers work at the clinic fulfilling administrative roles while they complete their undergraduate degrees. They intend to become doctors to help my parents run their clinic and, eventually, inherit it. As high expectations abound, I always felt that I was set up to become a doctor by proximity to such high-achieving family members dedicated to health care. Of course, I was nudged gently in that direction, but my autonomy was never compromised. My first exposure to working in a clinical environment was as a teen, when I assisted in recreational therapy at my parents’ clinic. As expected, I found the interactions I had, particularly with elderly patients, to be interesting and rewarding. I had a knack for humor, which seemed to be remedial for many of the patients who were palliative or undergoing life-changing surgery that would require extensive physical rehabilitation.

Yes, internal medicine is one of the many IMG friendly residency programs .

According to the results of the program director survey published by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), the second most important listing in the section for personal characteristics and other knowledge of applicants considered in deciding whom to interview was the personal statement.

You need to demonstrate your skillset and inclination toward the specialty you’re interested in using clinical experiences and research. With that said, getting into too much detail about your research can be distracting and redundant, especially if you include this information in other application components.

You should discuss what you hope to gain from a residency program in the US, and why it’s important for you to pursue further education in this country as opposed to the one you completed your medical degree in.

You might decide to complete your fourth year of medical school in the US to gain exposure to US clinics and health care systems. Gaining references can also be a beneficial aspect of completing at least part of your education in the US.

Because you’re an international applicant, programs are more competitive and usually present more challenges for this type of applicant, which can reduce your chances of getting matched.

You should talk about any clinical experiences that contributed to your decision to pursue residency in the US, in addition to any other activities that activated your scientific interests and developed your clinical skills.

IMG residency consultants can help you navigate many of the challenges you will face as an international applicant. They can help you organize and write your materials and develop a strategy for applying to programs that suit your applicant status and background.

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From Pre-Med to Med School to Residency

Family Medicine Residency Personal Statement Sample

The Medfools FP Medicine Sample Residency Personal Statement Library is now open!

These sample Family Medicine personal statement examples are here for your viewing pleasure (fully anonymous). We’re hoping to add more in the future, including Pre-Med personal statements. If you’ve got one to add to the free library, don’t forget to  contribute yours .

“Did you hear about that huge earthquake in India?” asked one of my classmates who knew that I was from India. My jaw dropped and a hundred thoughts went through my head. There I was during my first year of medical school sitting anxiously about to take my first written anatomy exam when one of my classmates asked me this. I did not get a chance to listen to the news that morning, but there was a massive earthquake in the city where my family is from in India. This really hit a nerve. The anatomy test was the last thing on my mind at that point. Fortunately, later that night I found out all of my family was accounted for. That still didn’t put my mind at ease. The evening news showed the devastation the earthquake did to an already impoverished part of India. At that time, I felt more selfish than ever before. Here I was living this comfortable life in the U.S. and attending medical school with one of my biggest worries of the day being an anatomy test. I wanted to go to India and assist the injured, but I knew that my lack of medical training would not allow me to do that. Excluding this experience, I have always thought that it is a duty of mine to give back to the country where I am from. Being the first physician in my family and having this opportunity to give back to the place where my parents grew up has always been one of my major long term goals. Family practice will offer me the diverse knowledge base to treat many different types of ailments. 

Attending an osteopathic medical school has offered me the opportunity to rotate through many months of family practice. When making my decision to enter this specialty, I asked myself what months during my clerkships I was happiest, which attending physicians I had the best interactions with, and what patient populations I liked the most. The answers to all these questions drew me to family practice. Although I formed meaningful relationships with the inpatient population during my internal medicine rotation and was able to acquire vital medical knowledge, I felt unfulfilled in regards to the doctor-patient interaction in that environment and really missed the continuity of care. In my family practice experience, there was an abundant amount of clinical knowledge to gain and I found myself attracted to the type of relationship my attendings had with their patients. I was truly envious of the continuity of relationships that my attendings had formed with so many of their patients. The “medical visit” in the family practice clinic amazed me because of the amount of psychosocial issues that would be discussed. This required the family practice physician to go beyond the medical aspect of the visit and truly treat the person as a whole. It is much easier to have a patient be compliant and more honest about their health when the patient feels more at ease with their physician.

The public aid clinic on Big City’s Westside was a place where I further realized the importance of the family physician. My volunteer experience in that clinic reinforced the fact that not every patient has access to a separate pediatrician, gynecologist, or geriatric specialist. My love for educating patients on topics such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol and preventative medicine was easily fulfilled in this type of setting. Another one of my passions is to also treat children Family medicine, offered me this opportunity. This is where I realized that I want part of my time to be involved with clinics that provide healthcare to the underserved in Big City. The great thing about practicing medicine in Big City is that there are so many well-established free medical clinics all over the city and suburbs that doctors can donate their time at. I am confident that the underserved areas of will have more than enough spots available for family practice physicians to donate their time. 

The bottom line is that family practice is both exciting and versatile. When a family physician goes into work she does not know what to expect. She could have a day full of common colds, orthopedic issues, and newly diagnosed diabetics. One can take all these tasks and consider them overburdening or view them as challenges. I have always found it easy to adjust to a constantly changing environment During and after my training, I want to be the type of family physician that my loved ones would want not only as their doctor, but also as part of their family unit. 

My determination, resilience, and self-confidence are foundations of my personality and character that will be part of me throughout my residency and when I am practicing as a family physician. My goal throughout this application process has to find a family practice residency program that plays a vital role in the community and a program that shares a passion for teaching, mentoring, and showing residents that family practice is not just a practice of medicine but also a practice of how to work with people. I look forward to starting my family practice residency at your institution with enthusiasm, a willingness to work hard, learn, teach and most importantly, to identify with my future patients so I can offer them the healthcare they deserve from a family physician.

Post Author: fool

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Guides & Info

Medicine Personal Statement Examples

Last updated: 29/6/2023

• Is Medicine Right for Me?
• What do Doctors do?
• The Daily Life of a Doctor
• How to apply to medical school
• Different Routes into Medicine
• Factors to Consider
• Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge
• Your Fifth UCAS Choice
• Getting Your Grades
• Extra-curricular Activities
• What is the UCAT?
• Preparing for Your UCAT Test Day
• After Your UCAT
• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
• Work Experience and Dental Schools
• NHS Work Experience
• Personal Statement
• Medicine PS Examples
• Dentistry PS Examples
• UCAS References
• Medical and Dental School Interviews
• Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
• Medical School Interview Questions
• Dental School Interview Questions
• Graduate Entry Courses
• Foundation and Access Courses
• International students
• Taking a Gap Year
• Medicine in Australia and NZ
• Medicine in Ireland Medicine in Eastern Europe
• Other Roles in Healthcare
• What Our "Plan B" Looked Like

Your UCAS personal statement is a chance to showcase the skills, attributes, and experiences which make you suited to studying medicine. This can be quite a daunting prospect, especially when you have to boil all that down to just 4,000 characters, or 47 lines. 

In this article, we will:

• Examine examples of strong and weak medicine personal statements (interested in dentistry? Check out dentistry personal statement examples )
• Help you learn what you should and shouldn't include in your medicine personal statement

Want to explore more examples? Our Personal Statement Course has over 100 personal statement examples to help you find your voice.

What you'll find in this article:

Personal statement example 1 – introduction

Personal statement example 2 – introduction, personal statement example 1 – main body, personal statement example 2 – main body, personal statement example 1 – conclusion, personal statement example 2 – conclusion, strong personal statement example, weak personal statement example, what should your personal statement include.

To get into medical school , your personal statement should:

• Demonstrate meaningful insight into the profession, in the form of work experience or independent research. This could be partly based on medical books or podcasts when medical work experience is not possible
• Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and experiences
• Mention your extracurricular activities
• Discuss your academic interests and achievements

'At the moment I am working towards A-Level Chemistry, Biology and Maths. I achieved my AS-Level in Spanish but decided to drop it to focus on my more medically relevant subjects. I’ve been dreaming of studying medicine since I was a young child, and this was only reinforced when I contracted measles during my primary school exams. This affected my performance, but I found that this motivated me rather than discouraged me. A particularly inspiring doctor was heavily involved in helping me deal with the pressure. I was inspired by her to become a doctor myself and help others in a similar way. I am particularly interested in science and as such the practical side of medicine interested me. I’ve always enjoyed chemistry and biology the most, and have best learned when trying to link the pure science I learn in school back to it's practical and useful real-world applications. This is what is particularly interesting about medicine to me - you can apply pure, evidence-based science in a clinical and practical setting to have an obvious positive effect. Inspired by this interest, I invested in a subscription to the New Scientist magazine. I’ve read about a huge number of fascinating discoveries and how they’ve been applied in medical settings.'

This introductory section has some promising features, but there are areas the author could improve:

• The introductory sentence doesn’t catch the reader’s attention or hold much relevance for a medical personal statement. This sentence would be better suited to a subsequent section on the author’s academic achievements, and it would need to be supplemented with a suitable explanation as to why the chosen subjects are relevant for medicine. 
• The author uses an anecdote to illustrate why they first developed an interest in medicine. This is a good idea, but the anecdote they've chosen is not the most suitable. It references ‘primary school exams’, which uses the cliché of wanting to do medicine from a young age. This is not only overused, but is also underdeveloped. 
• The applicant mentions feeling under pressure for these primary school exams. This won’t fill the reader with confidence that the author will be able to cope with the demands of medical school and a career as a doctor. 
• The introduction should open with the anecdote rather than academic achievements. A strong and memorable opening line will catch the admission tutor’s attention, and gives the student an opportunity to summarise why they want to study medicine.
• It is far too long. A good introduction should be around 4-6 lines.

There are some parts of the introduction that are more effective:

• The part discussing why they enjoy chemistry and biology is useful – it links their love for pure science back to the passion they mentioned earlier for helping people. This demonstrates the blend of empathy and interest in science that medical schools will be looking for. 
• The same part also introduces the candidate’s reading of medical literature, which they could choose to discuss in more depth later in the statement, or which might be something that interviewers could choose to examine in more detail.

'From a young age, my real fascination in life has been science - in particular, the incredible intricacy of the human body. My passion to discover more about its inner workings fuelled my motivation to study medicine, and the challenging yet rewarding nature of the job leaves me certain that I want to pursue it as a career. I think that my chosen A-Levels have only made me more determined to become a doctor, while simultaneously allowing me to develop and improve my skills. I have become a better problem-solver by studying physics and maths, while also learning the importance of accuracy and attention to detail. I’ve particularly enjoyed chemistry, which has again helped me improve my problem solving skills and my ability to think rationally and logically. Throughout my chemistry and biology A-Levels, I’ve been required to engage in practical work which has taught me how to design and construct an experiment. I’ve also become better at communicating with other members of my team, something I witnessed the importance of during my work experience in A&E. During recent months, I’ve started reading more medical publications such as the Lancet and the British Medical Journal. I’ve been particularly interested in how this evidence-based science can be applied to clinical practice to really make an impact on patients.'

This introduction contains some useful reflection and demonstrates some insight, but is quite jumbled. The main areas of weakness are as follows:

• The content is good but much of it would be better suited to a later section and should be explored in more detail while being linked back to medicine (for example, the whole second half could be included in a longer segment on academia). 
• The applicant mentions that they improved their problem-solving skills. How did they do this? Why is this important in medicine? 
• They say that medicine is demanding but that this attracts them to the job. What experiences have they had to show the demanding nature of it? Why does this attract them to it? 
• The author also briefly mentions a stint of work experience in A&E, but the rushed nature of the introduction means that they can’t go into detail about the experience or reflect on what exactly they learned from it. 
• Similar to example 1, this introduction includes some clichés which detract from the author’s overall message. For example, that they have wanted to do medicine from a young age or that they love science (with no further explanation as to why). 
• It is far too long. Again, an introduction should be a succinct summary of why you're interested in medicine, and not a brief account of all of your experiences.

The stronger parts of this introduction include the following:

• The author does demonstrate that they can reflect on the skills they’ve improved through experience. For example, the analytical and problem-solving skills they gained from chemistry.
• The candidate shows an understanding of the link between evidence-based science and clinical application when discussing how they did further research around their physics course. This shows a good level of curiosity and insight.

'I first became interested in studying medicine when I carried out a work experience placement with my father an elderly care specialist. I really enjoyed the experience and it gave me a deeper insight into the challenges doctors face. I now believe that I better understand the resilience - both mental and physical - that doctors need to cope with the heavy workload and emotional challenges. A few months ago I was given the opportunity to attend work experience in St Mary’s hospital in Manchester where I visited and observed many different specialties and areas of the hospital like A&E and the labs and witnessed how doctors carried out their jobs. For the past year I’ve been doing some other volunteering work too, such as, taking meals around to patients on the ward, asking them about their experience in the hospital and just chatting with them about how they’re feeling. They’re often delighted to have someone to talk to especially during Covid when they weren’t allowed to receive visitors. I saw how my communication and empathy made a real impact on the mood of the lonelier patients. I spent a few days working in the same hospital, shadowing doctors and Allied Health professionals in the stroke ward. I became much more familiar with the process doctors used for treating stroke patients, and developed an understanding of the role that physiotherapists and occupational therapists have in their rehabilitation. On top of that I organised a placement with the emergency medicine doctors and spent time in the haemapheresis unit at St Mary’s.'

This example does contain some of the features we look for in a complete main body section but could definitely be improved: 

• The main issue with this is the list-like presentation, which goes hand-in-hand with a general lack of reflection or insight. Although it is good to discuss your work experience in your personal statement, it would be far better if the candidate focused on just one or two of the experiences mentioned, but went into far more detail about what they learned and the insight they gained. For example, after mentioning the role of Allied Health Professionals in the rehabilitation of stroke patients, they could go on to discuss how they came to appreciate the importance of these healthcare workers, and how the contribution of all these individuals within the multidisciplinary team is so important to achieving good outcomes.
• Statements like ‘I [...] witnessed how doctors carry out their jobs’ make it seem as if the candidate really wasn’t paying attention. They need to explain what they mean by this. Were they impressed by the doctors’ effective teamwork and communication skills, or perhaps by their positive attitude and morale? Did they seem well-trained and effective? What did they learn from this that might help them in the future?  ‍
• Similarly, the student simply states that they saw the effect of empathy on patients: ‘I saw how my communication and empathy made a real impact on the mood of the lonelier patients.’ This adopts a ‘telling’ approach, when the student needs to adopt a ‘showing’ approach. Simply telling us that they saw something does not adequately demonstrate an understanding of why those qualities are important, or what they actually mean. What does it mean to have empathy? What does that look like in real terms? How did they use it? What was the effect? Showing the tutor that you are empathetic is important, but simply saying it is disingenuous and shows a lack of understanding.
• The candidate spends a number of characters name-dropping the exact hospital they visited and its location, which isn’t the best use of valuable space, as it has no real impact on the message they’re trying to convey.
• Generally, it isn’t a good idea to talk about work experience with family members. Of course, this might be the reality, but try to have some other placements that you’ve organised yourself so that it doesn’t appear as if your family are doing all the hard work for you. At the very least, you could simply leave this information out.
• There are a few grammatical errors here, especially regarding the use of commas. It’s important to use a spell checker or to ask an English teacher to check your work for you before submitting your statement.

The better features of this example are:

• The candidate does show some insight into the role of a doctor when they talk about the resilience required by doctors to cope with the hard hours and challenging conditions. They just need to reflect in this way in other parts of the section, too.
• The author has clearly done a lot of work experience and is right to discuss this in their personal statement. Just remember that you don’t need to squeeze in every single little placement.

'I was pleased to be appointed as head boy in my last year of school, and as part of this role I headed up the school safety office. I carried out inspections of the dormitories, roll calls and helped in the running of school festivals and activity days. The office I was in charge of needed to ensure the safety of every student in the school and I helped plan and lead drills to prepare the students for storms, floods and fires. This role has made me a far better leader, and I also believe that I am now far more calm and logical when working under pressure or in uncertain situations. I’ve been an editor on the online school blog for over 2 years now and the experience has taught me how to work effectively in a team when under time pressure. In order to meet my deadlines I needed to remain motivated even when working independently, and I think that the diligence and work ethic I’ve developed as a result will be incredibly useful to me as a medical student. I took on the role of financial director for both the table tennis club and Model United Nations at my school. At first I struggled with the weight of responsibility as I was in charge of all of the clubs’ money and expenditures. However, I am now a far more organised individual as I came to appreciate the value of concise paperwork and of keeping a record of my actions. I not only manage the funds of the table tennis club but am also a regular member of it. I often play independently, and the lack of a specific coach means that I have to identify my own strengths and weaknesses. I am now far better at being honest about my weaknesses and then devising strategies for working on them. The sport has also allowed me to demonstrate my ability to work well in a team, but also to get my head down and work independently when necessary.'

This example is generally well written and showcases some of the features of a good main body section. However, there are some areas that can be improved:

• This section would benefit from the ‘show, don’t tell’ approach. Instead of explaining specific situations or events through which the candidate demonstrated certain attributes, they simply state them and then link them vaguely to a more general role or activity.
• The bigger problem, however, is that the author mentions a wide range of skills but falls short in linking these back to medicine.  ‍ For example, after reflecting on their role in the school safety office and the leadership skills they developed as a result, the author could talk about the senior role that doctors have within the multidisciplinary team and the importance of good leadership in a medical setting.  Similarly, the author mentions their ability to work independently but should really round this off by describing how this would benefit them in medical school, as the ability to progress your learning independently is crucial to success there. The student mentions an understanding of and proficiency with paperwork and recording their actions. Doctors must constantly do this when writing notes for each patient, so the candidate should really try to mention this in their statement to explain why their skills would be useful. The mention of teamwork could be followed by an explanation of why it is important in a medical setting and how the applicant witnessed this during their medical work experience. Finally, when the student talks about being able to identify and work on their weaknesses, they could use this as an opportunity to demonstrate further insight into the medical profession by discussing the importance of revalidation and audit in the modern NHS, or talking about how important it is for doctors to be able to work on their areas of weakness. 

Better aspects of this example:

• The applicant doesn’t simply list the activities they have been a part of, but also explains what they learned from these and the skills and attributes they developed as a result. This reflective ability is exactly what assessors will be looking for.
• The tone of the section is appropriate. The applicant doesn’t appear arrogant or over-confident, but at the same time, they manage to paint themselves in a good light, highlighting their range of skills relevant to medicine.
• This example uses the character count effectively. Unlike the earlier examples, almost all of the sentences serve a purpose and are succinct.
• They demonstrate a wide range of skills, most of which are very relevant to medicine.

' I am a resilient and empathetic individual and I think that I have the qualities to thrive despite the social and academic challenges of university. Through my work experience I’ve gained an insight into the difficulties doctors face but this has not dampened my enthusiasm. My placements and voluntary work have only strengthened my commitment and dedication to studying medicine.'

The effectiveness of a conclusion depends on the rest of the statement before it, so it is hard to judge how good a conclusion is without seeing what the candidate has mentioned in the rest of their statement. Assuming this follows on logically from the statement, however, we can say that this conclusion is generally good for the following reasons:

• It is brief, to the point, and highlights that the student holds some of the skills doctors need (this would of course need to be backed up with examples in the rest of the statement). 
• The author doesn’t introduce any new ideas here, as that would be inappropriate, but rather reiterates their determination, which is exactly what admissions tutors want to see. 
• The author demonstrates a balanced understanding of the demands of a medical career, illustrating this is a decision they have made rationally while considering the implications of their choice. 

As is always the case, this conclusion could still be improved:

• The mention of the social challenges of university is a bit too honest, even though these exist for everyone. Mentioning them could give the impression that the student struggles socially (which is not something they would want to highlight), or that they intend to dive into the social side of university at the expense of their studies. 
• If the candidate really insists on mentioning the social side, they should at least do this after discussing academics, and they should do it in the body of the statement, where they have space to explain what exactly they mean.
• The student describes themselves as empathetic. This should be avoided, as it should be evident from the statement itself.

'Over the years I have built up a large and extensive set of medical work experiences and volunteering opportunities. These have allowed me to demonstrate my ability to communicate effectively and work in a team, and they will allow me to become a more diligent student and effective doctor. I think that this, alongside my ability and strength of character mean that I should be considered for this course. I am excited to get started and begin to put my skills to good use.'

This is a reasonably strong conclusion. It provides a to-the-point summary of why the author believes they should be selected to study medicine and shows their excitement for starting this journey. However, there are some parts of this example that could be improved: 

• The author mentions 'ability' and 'strength of character.' These are nebulous terms and not specific to medicine or a medical degree in any way.
• The mention of a 'large and extensive range of medical work experiences' indicates overconfidence. Medical applicants are not expected to have any medical ability or any 'large and extensive range' of medical experience, nor is it probable that this candidate actually does (otherwise they wouldn’t need to go to medical school in the first place). Rather, medical students need a suitable set of skills and attributes in order to make the most of their medical education and become an effective doctor.
• On a similar note, the applicant says that their range of medical work experience will make them a better student and doctor, but this is only true if they can reflect on their experience and learn from it. Impassively watching an operation or clinic without properly engaging with it won’t make you a better doctor in the future.

We’ll now go on to look at an example of a strong personal statement. No personal statement is perfect, but this example demonstrates a good level of reflection, engagement and suitability to study medicine (we know this because the writer of this statement went on to receive four offers). 

It goes without saying that plagiarism of any of these examples is a bad idea. They are known to medical schools and will be flagged up when run through plagiarism detection software. 

Use these as examples of ways you could structure your own statement, how to reflect on experiences, and how to link them back to medicine and demonstrate suitable insight and motivation. 

'It is the coupling of patient-centred care with evidence-based science that draws me to medicine. The depth of medical science enthrals me, but seeing complex pathology affecting a real person is what drives home my captivation. As a doctor, you are not only there for people during their most vulnerable moments but are empowered by science to offer them help, and this capacity for doing good alongside the prospect of lifelong learning intrigues me. In recent years I have stayed busy academically - despite my medical focus I have kept a range of interests, studying Spanish and German to grow my social and cultural awareness and playing the violin and drums in groups to improve my confidence when working in teams and performing. This is similar to the team-working environment that dominates in medical settings, and I have found that my awareness of other cultures is a great help when interacting with the hugely diverse range of patients I meet during my volunteering work. The independent projects I am undertaking for my A-levels teach me how to rigorously construct and perform experiments, process data and present findings, developing my written communication. My work experience showed me the importance of these skills when making patients’ notes, and of course, medical academia must be concisely written and well constructed and communicated. Maths teaches me to problem-solve and recognise patterns, vital skills in diagnosis. Over the past two years, I have actively sought out and planned work experience and volunteering opportunities. My time last year in Critical Care showed me the importance of communication in healthcare to ensure patients understand their diagnosis and feel comfortable making decisions. I saw the value of empathy and patience when a doctor talked to a patient refusing to take her insulin and suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis. They tried to understand her position and remain compassionate despite her refusal. My experience deepened my insight into the realities of a medical career, as we were at the hospital for more than ten hours a day with breaks and lunches cut short by bleeps or calls from the ward. This helped me understand the physical resilience required by staff as I also came to appreciate the immense emotional burden they often had to bear. Despite this, the brilliant staff remained motivated and compassionate which I found inspirational. The Brighton and Sussex Medical School work experience and Observe GP courses I completed put emphasis on the value of holistic, patient-centred care, introducing me to specialities I had not previously considered such as geriatrics and oncology. Inspired by my experience I explored a variety of specialisms, reading memoirs (Do no harm) and textbooks (Oxford handbook of clinical medicine) alike. I investigated medical politics with my English persuasive piece, discussing the ethics behind the junior doctor strikes of 2016. I have been volunteering in a hospital ward since January, which helps improve my confidence and communication skills when talking to patients and relatives. I showed my ability to deal with unexpected situations when I found a patient smoking whilst on oxygen, and acted quickly to tell nurses. Over lockdown I felt privileged offering lonely patients some tea and a chat and seeing their mood change - it taught me that medicine is about treating patients as individuals, not a diagnosis. My work on the hospital door taught me to stay calm and interact assuredly with visitors, vital skills in public-service jobs like medicine. I coach tennis at a local club, planning and running sessions for younger children. I am responsible for players' safety and must manage risk while showing leadership qualities by making the sessions fun and inclusive. As a player, I am part of the self-run performance team, which forces me to better my ability without coaching. This means developing self-reflection and insight into my weaknesses, which I know to be integral skills for medics. One of the doctors I shadowed during my work experience was just starting her revalidation process and I saw the importance of self-awareness and honest reflection in meeting her targets and becoming a better doctor. I achieved my Gold Duke of Edinburgh certificate of achievement (and the Bronze and Silver awards), exhibiting my commitment and ability to self-reflect and improve. On our Silver expedition, we experienced severe rain, showing resilience by continuing when our kit was wet from day one. My diligence and academic ability will allow me to thrive in medical school, and I have the prerequisite qualities to become a compassionate and effective doctor. Despite the obstacles, I am determined to earn the privilege of being able to improve peoples' health. This is something that excites me and a career I would happily dedicate my life to.'

Strong personal statement example analysis

Introduction.

This statement is a good example of how a personal statement should be constructed and presented. The introduction is short and to the point, only dealing with the candidate’s motivations to study medicine while also demonstrating an insight into what the career involves. 

They demonstrate their insight briefly by mentioning that medicine involves lifelong learning. This is often seen as one of the challenges associated with the career but here they present it as an advantage which makes them seem more suited to the career. It also show they're a curious and interested individual who enjoys learning. 

The introduction's final sentence offers an opportunity for interviewers to probe the candidate further, to explore their curiosity, and ask them to explain what exactly attracts them to lifelong learning. An astute candidate would recognise this and try to think of a suitable answer in advance.

Paragraph 2 

The second paragraph opens the body of the statement by exploring the author’s academic interests. As with some of the previous example body paragraphs, the writer shows their reflective ability by explaining what each of their subjects taught them, and the skills they developed and demonstrated as a result. They improve upon this further by linking these skills back to medicine and explaining why they are important for doctors. 

This paragraph demonstrates the author’s work-life balance by showing their varied interests in languages and music, all without wasting characters by saying this directly. They also mention the diverse range of patients they encountered during their volunteering, which again implies an empathetic and conscientious nature while showing an insight into a medical career (particularly regarding the vast diversity of the patient cohort treated by the NHS). 

Their explanation of the relevance of maths could be more detailed, but again this could be something the applicant is hoping to be questioned on at interview. The candidate comes across as thoughtful and multi-talented, with the ability to reflect on their decisions and experiences, and with a suitable insight into how their strengths would play well into a medical career. 

In this particular paragraph, there isn’t much explanation as to how they drew their inferences about what a medical career entails from their volunteering and work experience (and what exactly these entailed), but these are explored in more detail later in the statement.

P aragraphs 3 and 4 

The next two paragraphs discuss the candidate’s work experience, beginning with a single work experience placement in detail. This is a better approach than the large lists of placements seen in the previous example body paragraphs. The author talks about a specific scenario and shows that they paid attention during their shadowing while also illustrating their ability to reflect on these experiences and the precise skills involved. 

The skills they mention here – communication, empathy, resilience – are skills that they specifically talk about developing and demonstrating through their activities in other parts of the statement. This shows that they have taken their learning and used it to inform the focus of their personal development. They also not only state that these skills are important for medics, but also explain why this is. For example, they explain that communication is important in helping patients relax and engage with their healthcare, and that resilience is required to deal with the antisocial hours.

In this section, the applicant briefly mentions a specific medical condition. This shows that they were engaging with the science during their placement and also provides interviewers with an opportunity to test the applicant’s scientific knowledge. Knowing this, the candidate would likely research diabetic ketoacidosis in order to be able to impress the panel. 

The author mentions some other virtual work experience opportunities they’ve been involved with and sets themselves up to discuss what these placements taught them. They then go on to explain the actions they took as a result of this, showing that they really engaged with the virtual placements and could identify what they learned and their areas of weakness. This is linked well to further reading and research they carried out, which illustrates their curiosity and engagement with medical science and literature. 

The reference to the junior doctor strikes at the end shows that they have engaged with medical news as well as the ethical side of medicine, which is something that many medical schools place a lot of emphasis on at interviews. Ideally, this section would explain how exactly they explored these different specialties and illustrate what they learned and how they developed their learning from the books mentioned.

Paragraphs 5 and 6 

These paragraphs discuss the applicant’s hospital volunteering and other extracurricular activities. The applicant doesn’t just state that they’ve volunteered in a hospital but goes into depth about the precise skills they developed as a result. They include an anecdote to illustrate their ability to react quickly and calmly in emergency situations, which is a great way to show that they’ve been paying attention (though this should really be backed up with an explanation as to why this is important in medicine). 

The candidate also shows their patient-centred approach when discussing how they cared for demoralised patients (again illustrating empathy and compassion). This style of healthcare is something that the modern NHS is really trying to promote, so showing an awareness of this and an aptitude for applying it practically will really impress your assessors. 

The author demonstrates another core attribute for medical students when talking about how their work on the front door of the hospital improved their confidence in communication, and they once more link this back to medicine. This last section could benefit from further explanation regarding the nature of their work on the hospital door and exactly how they developed these skills. 

In the second of these sections, the candidate simultaneously reflects on the skills they learnt from their tennis and explains how these apply to medicine, showing insight into the profession by mentioning and showing awareness of the process of revalidation. This will show assessors that the candidate paid attention during their work experience, reflected on what they learned, and then identified a way they could work on these skills in their own life.

The author name-checks the Duke of Edinburgh Award but then goes on to explain how exactly this helped them grow as a person. They link back to resilience, a skill they mentioned in an earlier section as being important for medics.

The conclusion is succinct and direct. Although clichéd in parts, it does a good job of summarising the points the candidate has made throughout the statement. They demonstrate confidence and dedication, not by introducing any confusing new information, but rather by remaking and reinforcing some of the author’s original claims from the introduction.

The following example illustrates how not to approach your personal statement. Now that you’ve read through the analysis of previous example passages and a complete example statement, try going through this statement yourself to identify the main recurring weaknesses and points for improvement. We’ve pointed out a few of the main ones at the end. You can even redraft it as a practice exercise.

' ‍ The combination of science with empathy and compassion is what attracts me most to a career in medicine. However, I wanted to ensure that the career was right for me so I attended a Medic Insight course in my local hospital. I enjoyed the course and it gave me new insight - the lectures and accounts from medical students and doctors helped me realise that medicine was the career for me. I was also introduced to the concept of the diagnostic puzzle which now particularly interests me. This is the challenge doctors face when trying to make a diagnosis, as they have to avoid differential diagnoses and use their skills and past experiences to come to a decision and produce the right prognosis. In order to gain further insight into both the positives and downsides of being a doctor, I organised some work experience in my local GP’s surgery. I managed to see consultations for chest pain, headaches, contraception and some chronic conditions which was very interesting. I also sat in on and observed the asthma clinic, which proved to be a very educational experience. During my experience, I tried to chat to as many doctors as possible about their jobs and what they enjoyed. I recently took up some work volunteering in a local elderly care home. Many of the residents had quite complex needs making it arduous work, but I learned a lot about caring for different people and some appropriate techniques for making them feel comfortable and at home. I became a better communicator as a result of my experience Nevertheless I really enjoyed my time there and I found it fulfilling when the patients managed to have fun or see their family. I appreciated how doctors often have high job satisfaction, as when I managed to facilitate a resident to do something not otherwise available to them I felt like I was making a real difference. My academic interests have also been very useful in developing skills that will be crucial as a doctor. I chose to study Physics and business at a-level and these have helped me develop more of an interest in scientific research and understanding; I’ve also become a more logical thinker as a result of the challenging questions we receive in physics exams. I know how important communication is as a doctor so I chose to study Mandarin, a language I know to be spoken widely around the globe. I was the lead violin in my school orchestra and also took part in the wind band, showing that I was willing to throw myself into school life. I really enjoyed our school’s concert, in which I had to perform a solo and demonstrate that I could stay calm under pressure and cope with great responsibility and i think that I’m now a better leader. This skill has also been improved in roles within my school on the pupil council and as form captain, which have improved my self-confidence. I needed to work hard in order to achieve my bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards, and have dedicated much of my time outside school to this endeavour over the past few years. I endured weekly sessions of Taekwondo, worked voluntarily in the charity shop Barnardo’s and took part in violin lessons.  As I’ve demonstrated throughout this statement I have an affinity for music, and so at university I plan to get involved with orchestras and bands. I also want to widen my horizons and discover new interests and hobbies, while trying to make new friends and cultivate a good work-life balance. I’m also keen to hike in the university’s surrounding territories. If I were allowed to study medicine, it would not only allow me to achieve one of my life goals, but to prove to you that I can become an effective, and successful doctor. I am absolutely dedicated to the study of medicine and know that I have the prerequisite skils and qualities to thrive in medical school and become a credit to your institution.”

Weak personal statement example analysis

• This personal statement does have some promising features, but overall it isn’t well structured and lacks appropriate reflection and insight. You can see this by comparing it to the strong example above. The author in this weak example very rarely describes what exactly they learned or gained from an experience and rarely links this back to medicine. 
• It reads quite like a list, with the candidate reeling off the experiences they’ve had or activities they’ve taken part in, without going into any real depth. They also use some vocabulary that implies that they really weren’t enjoying these experiences, such as when they speak of ‘enduring’ their time doing taekwondo, or of caring for residents being ‘arduous’ work. You don’t have to enjoy every activity you take part in, but implying that caring for people (a huge part of the job you are applying for and claiming to enjoy) is something you consider a chore isn’t a great start. This statement also has some questionable grammar and punctuation errors, which raises a red flag. Don’t forget to proofread your statement carefully before you submit it.
• The candidate often starts off their sections in a promising way. For example, by stating that they started volunteering in a local GP practice to gain more insight into the profession, but they rarely actually follow through on this. You never find out what insight the candidate actually gained or how they used this to inform their decision to apply for medicine. 
• Such lack of explanation and specificity is a theme throughout the statement. In the introduction, they say that personal accounts and lectures confirmed their wish to become a doctor, but they don’t actually explain how or why. They mention that their school subjects have helped them think more logically or improved their communication skills (which is good), but then they never go on to explain why this is relevant to medicine. They talk about leadership and self-confidence but again don’t link this back to the importance of self-confidence and the prominence of leadership in a medical setting.

To create an effective medicine personal statement, you need to provide plenty of detail. This includes concrete experiences demonstrating qualities that make a good doctor. If you can do this authentically, humbly and without selling yourself short, your personal statement will be in very good shape.

‍ ‍ If you're looking for more inspiration to craft a compelling medicine personal statement, check out our Personal Statement Online Course . It has over 100 personal statement examples, in-depth tutorials, and guidance from admissions experts, to help you create a ready-to-submit personal statement in just three days.

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Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Study of the Tolerability, Safety and Immunogenicity of an Inactivated Whole Virion Concentrated Purified Vaccine (CoviVac) Against Covid-19 of Children at the Age of 12-17 Years Inclusive"

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Recruitment of volunteers will be competitive. A maximum of 450 children aged 12 to 17 years inclusive will be screened in the study, of which it is planned to include and randomize 300 children who meet the criteria for inclusion in the study and do not have non-inclusion criteria, data on which will be used for subsequent safety and immunogenicity analysis.

Group 1 - 150 volunteers who will be vaccinated with the Nobivac vaccine twice with an interval of 21 days intramuscularly.

Group 2 - 150 volunteers who will receive a placebo twice with an interval of 21 days intramuscularly.

In case of withdrawal of volunteers from the study, their replacement is not provided.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Volunteers must meet the following inclusion criteria:

Type of participants • Healthy volunteers.

Age at the time of signing the Informed Consent

• from 12 to 17 years inclusive (12 years 0 months 0 days - 17 years 11 months 30 days).

Paul • Male or female.

Reproductive characteristics

• For girls with a history of mensis - a negative pregnancy test and consent to adhere to adequate methods of contraception (use of contraceptives within a month after the second vaccination). Girls should use methods of contraception with a reliability of more than 90% (cervical caps with spermicide, diaphragms with spermicide, condoms, intrauterine spirals).
• For young men capable of conception - consent to adhere to adequate methods of contraception (use of contraceptives within a month after the second vaccination). Young men and their sexual partners should use methods of contraception with a reliability of more than 90% (cervical caps with spermicide, diaphragms with spermicide, condoms, intrauterine spirals).

Research procedures

• Written Informed consent of a volunteer (14 years and older) and one of the parents to participate in a clinical trial.
• Volunteers who are able to fulfill Protocol requirements (i.e. answer phone calls, fill out a Self-observation Diary, come to control visits).

Non-inclusion criteria:

• Volunteers cannot be included in the study if any of the following criteria are present:

SARS-CoV-2 infection

• A case of established COVID-19 disease confirmed by PCR and/or ELISA in the last 6 months.
• History of contacts with confirmed or suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 14 days prior to vaccination.
• Positive IgM or IgG to SARS-CoV-2 detected on Screening.
• Positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 at Screening / before vaccination.

Diseases or medical conditions

• Serious post-vaccination reaction (temperature above 40 C, hyperemia or edema more than 8 cm in diameter) or complication (collapse or shock-like condition that developed within 48 hours after vaccination; convulsions, accompanied or not accompanied by a feverish state) to any previous vaccination.
• Burdened allergic history (anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema, polymorphic exudative eczema, serum sickness in the anamnesis, hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to the introduction of any vaccines in the anamnesis, known allergic reactions to vaccine components, etc.).
• Guillain-Barre syndrome (acute polyradiculitis) in the anamnesis.
• The axillary temperature at the time of vaccination is more than 37.0 ° C.
• Positive blood test for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B/C.
• Acute infectious diseases (recovery earl

Exclusion Criteria:

- • Withdrawal of Informed consent by a volunteer and/or a parent of a volunteer;

• The volunteer was included in violation of the inclusion/non-inclusion criteria of the Protocol;
• Availability of inclusion/non-inclusion criteria before vaccination;
• Any condition of a volunteer that requires, in the reasoned opinion of a medical researcher, the withdrawal of a volunteer from the study;
• The established fact of pregnancy before the second vaccination;
• Taking unauthorized medications (see section 6.2);
• The volunteer's incompetence with the study procedures;
• The volunteer refuses to cooperate or is undisciplined (for example, failure to attend a scheduled visit without warning the researcher and/or loss of communication with the volunteer), or dropped out of observation;
• For administrative reasons (termination of the study by the Sponsor or regulatory authorities), as well as in case of gross violations of the protocol that may affect the results of the study.
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