At first, I was not incredibly excited about my psychiatry rotation and regarded it only as a duty that I had to fulfill to qualify. However, I soon became fascinated with the patients, their conditions, and their treatments. I realized that every patient was a person who harbored goals and hopes and had a family who loved them and anxiously awaited them to emerge from their mental ‘maze.’ My apprehension was soon replaced with a very keen interest in psychiatry and an empathy and desire to help these patients. I subsequently scored 90% in the part of my exams relating to this specialty but did not then pursue my interest. Nevertheless, having faced several family situations involving psychiatric illness, my early interest in psychiatry has been re-fired. I now seek a challenging residency in the specialty that will equip me to become an excellent psychiatrist and researcher in this vital area of medicine.
My father is showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, and I have read all I can on this topic in the hope of helping him and others in his situation. I know that, because of the aging population, there will be many children like myself and my siblings who will watch a parent slowly become unrecognizable. I am also aware that much research is being conducted and that there is reason to hope that there will be solutions. I hold a Ph.D. and feel that my personal interest and my research skills may enable me to assist in research into this heart-rending disease usefully. In addition to my father’s problems, other close family members have suffered depression, and I have witnessed the very positive effects of good psychiatric care and counseling, which has further spurred me into seeking this residency. Also, throughout my medical career, I have regularly dealt with patients who suffered psychiatric illness and family members in emotional distress. I have felt that I have been very effective in dealing with them and have been recognized as such by my colleagues and superiors.
Before submitting this application, I carefully considered the characteristics required of an excellent psychiatrist. A good doctor not only cares for patients but cares about them, and this has always been true of my own attitude to patients and their loved ones. I also possess the analytical skills, demonstrated in my research, that are required for complex diagnostic work needed for this specialty. Over the years, I have acquired some skills in identifying non-verbal signals given by distressed and anxious people and in interpreting and responding appropriately to them.
I look forward to developing this skill further within the program. I have always sought to treat patients holistically as a unique people rather than a ‘bundle of symptoms,’ and I believe that this attitude will help me to become an influential psychiatrist. I also believe that my substantial training and research work in nutrition may be helpful in the search for treatments for some mental illnesses.
I am aware that cultural sensitivity and awareness are significant in psychiatry. I look forward to creating a diverse population of patients and learning how culture impacts on treatment.
I realize that there will be many well-qualified applicants. However, I consider myself to be an exceptional candidate. I am an experienced physician and researcher, and I firmly believe that I possess the technical knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics necessary to ‘add value to the residency and successfully complete it. My main recommendation is a very high degree of motivation to help patients, which is borne of professional and recent personal acquaintance with the unique suffering that psychiatric illness brings.