Personal History in Health Sciences
Growing up, my parents kept a box of family keepsakes along the top of the basement wall, by the door. There were records, family pictures and some certificates. One of them was of a nursing degree earned by my maternal great grandmother. Back then, the course was three months long. I thought it amazing there was a woman in my family to have graduated from post-secondary schooling. She had graduated from high school in 1932.
Meanwhile, I was informally trained by my Uncle to aid in his post-operative care. He had severe epilepsy that involved regular seizures, ambulance trips, and surgeries. Even more personally, I spent the first 18 months of my life plus annual visits to the hospital environment from birth onward, with my first surgery at three weeks old.
As a little girl, I read encyclopedias and dreamed of one day being one who figured out how to rebuild the optical nerve or being the first person to try it out. Watching The Bionic Man on my grandparents television set may have also influenced this period of my life. Growing up, most of my family assumed that I would go into nursing. I have indeed explored it but have health limitations myself. I explored counselling and found a way to counsel people to better themselves through library school. I believer that knowledge is healing.
Meanwhile, I was informally trained by my Uncle to aid in his post-operative care. He had severe epilepsy that involved regular seizures, ambulance trips, and surgeries. Even more personally, I spent the first 18 months of my life plus annual visits to the hospital environment from birth onward, with my first surgery at three weeks old.
As a little girl, I read encyclopedias and dreamed of one day being one who figured out how to rebuild the optical nerve or being the first person to try it out. Watching The Bionic Man on my grandparents television set may have also influenced this period of my life. Growing up, most of my family assumed that I would go into nursing. I have indeed explored it but have health limitations myself. I explored counselling and found a way to counsel people to better themselves through library school. I believer that knowledge is healing.
Pursuing a Bachelor of Science would address a significant gap in my education that would prevent me from pursuing medical education. In a way, it is unfortunate that I felt that pursuing degrees with specialty in math and sciences would be an impossible task to complete. That was high school though. Now I believe the contrary, that it is possible because I can make it happen. I also appreciate the road I did take because I have learned so much that would also benefit me if ever I did become a doctor in medicine.
In either case, I require a year of sciences to be eligible. I however would need to be able to dedicate my time and energy exclusively to my studies, especially as a mother with lifelong disabilities. I wish to do many wonderful things for myself, my family, community and more! If not as a doctor, I shall find many other ways
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