Nephrology Personal Statement

Nephrology offers me everything I value in patient care; it combines a comprehensive knowledge of electrolytes, acids and bases with essential history and clinical examination and also requires in-depth understanding of the disease pathogenesis for diagnosis and management. It gives an unparalleled opportunity to blend pathophysiology with direct patient care, to combine primary care with acute care and is what I admire most in Nephrology as it closely matches my expectations as an internist. [ad#bannermain]
After completing medical school in India, I continued my internship training at Local Medical College and Hospital, an urban hospital treating low income residents. In this setting I was exposed to a wealth of clinical pathology including tuberculosis, cirrhosis, MI, nephrotic syndrome, and rheumatic heart disease among other things. Working with these patients with complex pathologies enhanced my clinical skills. Long work hours and a high volume of patients enabled me to work under stress and I learned the art of diagnosis relying on physical exam and history skills over laboratory and radiology studies.

After my internship training, I joined Some Hospitals at Large City, India a tertiary care center with 485 beds. Here, I had the opportunity to work with multi-ethnic, multi-lingual patients, with varied diseases for two and half years. Rigorous training, clinical acumen, and the invasive procedures I learned during my tenure while serving on the acute cardiology and gastroenterology services will help me greatly during my residency in the United States.

After marriage I moved to the United States to join my husband and subsequently began my internal medicine residency at Presidential Medical Center. With a huge volume of patients with varied co-morbidities including diabetes, hypertension, AIDS and severe acute kidney injury my appetite for Nephrology grew. My electives in Nephrology involved both inpatient and outpatient care and has given me a great opportunity to work with a large number of patients with acute and chronic renal injury and gain knowledge about supportive care in the critically ill with the various modalities of hemodialysis.

My experiences at Presidential Hospital exposed me to a wide array of medical patients, particularly those with kidney diseases and inspired me to pursue a future career as a nephrologist. Our residency training and renal department have encouraged research and I have been actively participating in research activities to enhance my knowledge. I am currently involved in a retrospective chart review evaluating the association of types of vascular access with anemia in ESRD patients and also about acute kidney injury in the ICU. I see myself as a clinical nephrologist in the future and I strongly believe in patient education, early detection, primary and secondary prevention of chronic kidney disease.

Having worked in Internal Medicine in a community hospital both in the United States and in India, I value the relationship we develop with our patients. My desire to learn is matched with a compassionate nature and a willingness to work long hours. I bring my five years of clinical skills, hard work, adaptability, ability to work in a team to my program. I am confident that my clinical experiences so far would make me a productive and accomplished candidate in a Nephrology fellowship program.