A Most Remarkable Teacher Essay -- Medicine College Admissions Essays

A Most Remarkable Teacher    A most remarkable high school teacher first aroused my interest in medicine when he invited me to take a special advanced microbiology course at night. He (Mr. Wiles) had worked for years in the medical field before retiring to teach school. Spending many hours with us, he constantly reaffirmed his belief that we could make a positive contribution to society through a career in medicine. Shortly after my graduation, Mr. Wiles died of lung cancer. During his last months, as I visited him, walked with him, chopped wood for him, I anguished over my helplessness as his pain grew and his life diminished. The doctors couldn't do much to reverse that process, but at least they could t~ to ease his pain or Blow the spreading disease. I admired and envied that ability.    In the ensuing years, I found myself embracing two seemingly different career paths. I loved being around people and thrived on the interaction, but I was fascinated by the technical intricacies of science. With a love for my science courses, I found that I could readily follow the logic of scientific thought. Then I left school and went to Europe as a volunteer missionary. In addition to learning a foreign Language (French) †¢ I spent that year and a half learning to work with people and help them with their problems. This strengthened my desire to work with people in some kind of clinical setting.    It was... ...e good, some not as good--as they made their rounds. The really good ones seemed able to comfort their patients in more than just a physical sense. One oncologist seemed never to fail to bring a smile to his patients' faces, such was his genuine caring.    I believe, now, the words of Mr. Wiles. I believe that as a physician I can make a very real contribution to society. I can see myself offering all I have to help a patient smile again, using all my resources to find the best scientific solution. And as I become more of a scientist, so must I become even more skilled with people--people with needs and feelings. For medicine is the culmination of that art and science-requiring the best of both worlds.