family medicine personal statement example

Family Medicine Residency Personal Statement Examples

It is a good idea to review family medicine residency personal statement examples as you  prepare for residency applications. Whether you are applying through  ERAS  (in the United States) or  CaRMS  (in Canada), your residency personal statement is one of the most important application components that you will need to submit. Residency program directors and admission committees want to get a sense of who you are as a person, the kind of  resident doctor  you can be, and why you have chosen your medical specialty. This is the information that they'll be hoping to get from your personal statement.

It should also be noted that even though family medicine is one of the least competitive medical specialties, all the best family medicine residency programs are relatively competitive. This means that you need to provide that information in a memorable way so that your personal statement stands out from the large pool of applicants.

In this blog, we share three outstanding family medicine residency personal statement examples  that will give you a better idea of what to include in your own statement. We also share some tips to help you write a strong personal statement for your  family medicine residency  application. 

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Article Contents 12 min read

Family medicine residency personal statement example #1.

Dr. Jamie Clark was in the room on the day I was born. He was also there the first time I broke my leg jumping off the jungle gym, the first time I had to get stitches after I fell off my bike, on the day that I became an older sister, and on the day of my high school graduation when I twisted my ankle at the graduation party. Like many others in my hometown, my parents have built a long-lasting and trusting relationship with this person. To the extent that Dr. Jamie Clark feels like a member of my family, but he is really just our family physician. 

Most children hated going to the hospital, but I always enjoyed it. Partly because Dr. Clark always found a way to make it fun for me by joking the whole time and giving me lollipops even when I was a teenager, but also because I was always so fascinated by what he did even if I didn't understand it fully. I just knew that people always left his clinic feeling much better than when they came in. I also noticed that his waiting room was always full of different people of all age groups, and he seemed to know each of them personally. I would watch him talk to them at the hospital and even outside in social settings; people always seemed to seek him for advice, and they always appeared more at ease after talking to him. As someone who enjoys talking to people, hearing their stories, and connecting with them, that really appealed to me. 

It wasn't until later in high school that I started to understand what it truly meant to be a doctor, and I became interested in medicine. The more I learned about human anatomy, the more questions I had. One of my biology teachers advised me that if I really wanted to understand the systems of the human body, I should consider going to medical school. His statement stayed with me, and I started wondering if a career in medicine would be suitable for me. 

After high school, I took a gap year and spent six months of it shadowing Dr. Clark. During this time, I learned that family physicians are among the few specialists qualified to provide comprehensive health care for people of all ages, from newborns to seniors. As a family doctor, Dr. Clark got to work on a variety of different cases on a daily basis. On any given day, he could go from doing an echography for a pregnant woman to helping a child with a broken bone and then walking a cancer patient through the radiation therapy that they would be receiving over the next few months. 

On the day of my high school graduation, one of my teachers told me that three qualities produce great doctors: leadership, dedication, and compassion. 

I realized the importance of leadership and commitment as I led my high school varsity soccer team and participated in various other sports activities in college. I then used the leadership skills that I was developing to create a community outreach program. I coordinated with some members of my college student union to assist multiple homeless shelters in Township. We coordinated drives to the shelters once a month, and once every six months, one of the physicians and the local hospital would come along to provide check-ups, medical advice, and supplies. 

One particular man at one of the shelters always complained about having blisters on his feet. I had spoken to him on several occasions, and during one of our interactions, he mentioned that he had diabetes. Remembering what I was learning in school about the disease, I asked one of the doctors to speak with him during the next drive. I later found out that the man in question had to get an amputation of the foot due to diabetes complications. This experience taught me the importance of active listening and preventive care, which solidified my interest in a career in medicine. 

Upon graduation, I wanted to work to help people in remote communities, so I joined a public health service program and spent almost a year working as an assistant coordinator with a team of physicians who travel to underserviced communities to provide medical care. We saw an average of forty patients every day, and I was exposed to a broad range of pathologies. I learned so much about the wide range of diagnostic tools and treatment options physicians use daily. 

This experience helped me understand how valuable access to a primary care physician is, and it motivated me in a new way. The physicians with whom I had worked inspired me. Their patience and dedication to their patients filled me with admiration, and they taught me the particular importance of interpersonal skills and doctor-patient interaction. The patients that we had seen helped me improve my active listening skills and taught me that is important to build trust with your patients.

I started medical school with that motivation, and I remain focused on achieving my goal of becoming a family physician. I am especially interested in practicing in rural communities as I have seen first-hand how the lack of access to primary care has affected these underserved populations. As a family physician, you not only have the ability to help those who have been affected by illness, but also provide others with the information and treatment that they need to avoid preventable conditions or complications from manageable diseases. I believe that as a physician who is willing and able to help, I should do so while I can. 

Over the years, my experiences have helped me build the leadership skills and sense of compassion that I need to become a good doctor. I am passionate about the field of medicine and dedicated to providing not only adequate but excellent patient care. I am ready to invest my time and energy into my residency to further complete advanced training in family medicine and become the best family practitioner that I can be. 

Family Medicine residency personal statement example #3

I have been practicing medicine for just under ten years as a trained anesthesiologist, but it is time for me to become a family physician. I was always torn between the two specialties, but after gaining experience in both fields over the past few years, I can confidently say that a career in family practice would be better suited for me. 

Family practice is one of the only specialties that exposes physicians to a broad spectrum of pathology, allows me to form deep connections with patients of different ages, and gives them a chance to provide them with continuous care. While I know that family physicians do not get to do this with every patient, I love the idea of caring for patients from birth to death and building long-term friendships with them. All while still using my knowledge of pharmacology, physiology, and microbiology to help patients. 

Three years ago, when I started considering switching to a different specialty, I decided to volunteer at a family clinic in my hometown so that I could get some practical experience. I knew that the experience would either affirm my decision to leave anesthesiology and switch to family practice or convince me that I didn't need a change after all. Even though I was very limited in my duties and only interacted with patients under supervision, every day I spent at the clinic convinced me that family practice was ideal for me. 

I enjoyed speaking with the patients long enough to actually get to know them and make a genuine connection. I appreciated being able to counsel patients and provide preventive care. I especially enjoyed having to investigate and diagnose patients again. Starting with a chief complaint and a few symptoms, then looking back into the patient's history and examining them to come up with a differential diagnosis is like solving a puzzle. Something that I thoroughly enjoy doing in my spare time. 

Now that you know what a great family medicine residency personal statement should be like, let's go over a few things that you can do to improve the quality of your personal statement, and common mistakes to avoid if you want your residency personal statement to stand out.  

1. Do tell a story 

If your personal statement is just a bunch of facts about you put together, it will not be memorable. Remember that family medicine is one of the most popular medical specialties, so you are competing with a large number of qualified applicants. To stand out, you should structure and write your personal statement using a narrative. You want to evoke some sort of emotion from the reader so that they can connect with your story and, therefore, remember it. For example, take a look at the passage below from one of the essays that you read earlier. This student could have just as well said that they pay attention to details and actively listen to patients. Instead, they told a story that shows that they do and that is far more memorable.

One particular man at one of the shelters always complained about having blisters on his feet. I had spoken to him on several occasions, and during one of our interactions, he mentioned that he had diabetes. Remembering what I was learning in school about the disease, I asked one of the doctors to speak with him during the next drive. I later found out that the man in question had to get an amputation of the foot due to diabetes complications. This experience taught me the importance of active listening and preventive care, which solidified my interest in a career in medicine.  ","label":"Example:","title":"Example:"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

It is imperative that you follow instructions when you are writing your personal statement. It is actually important to follow them as you prepare and submit all of your application components, such as the  ERAS letters of recommendation , for example. 

Unless your instructions clearly state otherwise, your personal statement should be 650 - 850 words. Students sometimes feel like this is not enough to provide specific information about their background, but it actually is. You want your residency personal statement to be informative but straight to the point. You do not want to bore the reader with additional details that can probably be found in your other application components. 

Remember that you were given instructions for a reason. Following them not only makes a good impression, but keeping your essay concise will actually help you stay on track and focus on providing only key information about your background, skills, and abilities. 

 3. Do start writing early

 Writing a strong personal statement for residency takes time. You need enough time to brainstorm and consult your medical student CV and other records to choose the experiences you learned the most from and want to discuss in your statement. Once you know how you want to structure your essay, you still need to write it, review it for edits, and polish it until it is as compelling as it can be. 

When you are crafting your Eras timeline or CaRMS timeline for Canadian applicants, we recommend that you plan at least six to eight weeks to write and edit your family medicine residency personal statement. 

4. Don't rehash your CV

The residency directors already have your  residency CV , and if you are applying to residency programs in the United States, then they also have your  ERAS experience section . In other words, they do not need an essay detailing your work or research experience. Instead, they want to get additional information about you. 

Focus on sharing what you learned from your different experiences. For example, if you are an International Medical Graduate (IMG), instead of telling the residency directors that you were able to  get electives and clinical experience in the US and Canada as an IMG , pick one of those clinical experiences and tell them what you learned from it and how it prepared you for your family medicine residency in your new country of residence.

Not sure what to include on your residency CV? This video can help:

5. Do proofread (multiple times!)

Once you are done writing and editing your personal statement, you should proofread it for typos and grammatical errors. Then after that, you should do it one more time, just to be sure. You may even want to have someone else take a look at it because fresh eyes can sometimes see things that you can't. 

 Your personal statement is a reflection of you. So, you want to make sure that it shows your ability to communicate effectively and pay attention to the details. If you submit a personal statement full of typos, the residency directors will assume that you either did not care enough to double-check your work or that you did not notice those typos. Either way, it is not a good look, and it could cost you your spot in a residency program. 

6. Do seek help 

You should consider getting help from professionals if you are unsure how to write your personal statement or if you have written one but you are not sure it is up to par.  Residency match services  can review your personal statement and give you personalized feedback that will help you make it more informative and cogent. 

Furthermore, they can also help you with the preparation of other tricky residency application components like a   residency letter of intent , residency CV, and other Supplemental application documents.

Unless the instructions specifically state otherwise, your family medicine residency personal statement should not be longer than 850 words. 

In short: Yes! Your residency personal statement not only humanizes your application, but it gives you a chance to talk to the program directors and tell them why you want to pursue your chosen specialty. A strong personal statement can significantly improve your chances of matching to your dream program. 

You can start writing early, so that you have time to brainstorm thoroughly and write carefully. Using anecdotes and specific examples in your essay is also a great way to stand out while showing the reader why you are the ideal candidate. 

We recommend that you start writing at least six weeks before you have to submit your essay. 

You can discuss red flags only if you haven't already addressed them in a different application component and they are relevant to your statement. If you do address any areas of concern, make sure you take ownership of the problem and explain how you learned and grew from your mistakes.

Family medicine is not one of the most competitive residencies , but you need to remember that all residencies are competitive to an extent so you will still need a strong application that stands out to increase your chances of getting a match. 

Family medicine is definitely an  IMG-friendly residency program , and also one of the most accessible ones when it comes to competition. So if you write a compelling statement and meet the program’s requirements, you have a pretty good chance of getting into a program. 

Absolutely! While they cannot write the essay for you, they can help you brainstorm, provide tips and strategies to help you write, and help you through the editing process to make sure you are writing an outstanding residency personal statement. 

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How to make your residency application stand out, (and avoid the top 5 reasons most applicants don't match their top choice program).

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.

Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Family Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

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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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From Pre-Med to Med School to Residency

Family Medicine Residency Personal Statement Example

The Medfools Family 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 .

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 become 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 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.

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