There are three main points we want to focus on here.
- Firstly, the science. Why do you like the academic side of medicine? Was there a key thing you studied that sparked your interest in medicine from the basic sciences at school?
- Next, the caring for people aspect. Why do you want to do a job where you care for people? Being a doctor is a “client facing” role, so why does this appeal to you?
- Finally, personal experiences. Have you had a certain experience that inspired you to do medicine? Maybe a personal story about your own health or someone close to you. Don’t worry if you haven’t or don’t want to share this, some students find it a very personal reason as to why they choose to pursue medicine rather than enjoying science and caring for others.
Should I mention that I live in a family of doctors?
This is a very valid question that really depends from person to person, but I will go into this in more detail after the next section on making your motivation personal!
So, for each of the three points from earlier, you’re going to want to use specific examples- medical schools love this! Be specific and ALWAYS link it back to how this will make you a great medic. Make sure you add personality, most people will have the same answer to the ‘why medicine?’ question, so try to be original and bring your own angle into your answer.
Your mum or dad is a doctor, and you have always been really inspired by their work. You feel that you understand better the day-to-day role of a doctor and asked them about how they manage their stress and work-life balance. Obviously, this is a good factor that may have helped you consolidate your motivation for medicine, however, to an admissions officer, this may look like you’re only doing medicine because your parents did. So it’s all about the how you justify it, you have to show the value of it and why it helped you decide on medicine. In this situation, you could perhaps mention how you’ve seen the negative side of a career in medicine, but with x, y and z, you feel that you will be able to deal with these negative aspects.
So, we now move onto a few worked examples.
“I want to do medicine because it is a prestigious job, and I want to challenge myself academically with the opportunity to earn good money as a bonus”
This is a poor explanation, the student comes across as being driven by the title, prestige and money associated with medicine. The only section that the applicant might want to keep is the fact that they want to be challenged academically.
“I love medicine and have had a dream of going to medical school since young. Viewing my father’s life-depending operation at the age of 16, I was given an insight into the intricacies of a hospital, and the pressure-driven, yet intellectually engaging, environment of medicine”
The answer starts off a tad idealistic, and there could be concerns that the stereotypical “life-changing” event will be used poorly. But the student links his experience to what he gained and learnt from it, so the end part is considerably better that the beginning. However, the first phrase ‘I love medicine’ is not justified at all, and the mention of a dream doesn’t show that the applicant has an appreciation of the realistic, perhaps negative aspects of medicine, so this first bit should be reworded.
“I enjoy the detailed scientific academia which intellectually stimulates and challenges me, alongside the human engagement involved in clinical practice”
This is a good answer, because it links together two different, but equally important, sides of medicine – scientific theory and clinical practice. And the applicant provides reasoning for both parts, which is great.
“The fusion of science and society in medicine appeals to me, as the vocation combines the stimulating study of human anatomy with the practical application of this science in a clinical environment, with an altruistic objective.”
This example has combined several reasons that the candidate wants to study medicine, and provided reasoning behind them all in one sentence, so is a very good answer.
Final Tip
As a final tip to help you think about your motivation for medicine, give this exercise a go and try to expand on the following points:
- Interest in the human body
- Work experience
- Scientific news and journals
- Caring and helping others
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