Personal Statement:Medicine 8

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Motivation for choice of elective India is a developing country where medicine is advancing at a fast rate. It is culturally very diverse with a wide range of social classes. The vastness of the country was my main resolve for going to India. Through past experience and positive feedback from other doctors I believed an elective in India would offer me the ideal opportunity to see diseases which I wouldn't in the UK, study epidemiology in the country and gain a fist hand view of medicine at the grass roots level. Being a developing country meant that I would be able to gain an insight into how lower social class citizens live and the factors to good health which are important to them.

Having visited the north of India on numerous occasions, visiting the south was a new experience for me. I was able to appreciate the great architecture built under the influence of the British and the Portuguese. I was able to develop my Hindi speaking skills whilst there and visit some historical religious places, which was a unique experience.

From my study elective I was able to gain an experience into a different healthcare system than our own and appreciate the factors which are important for good health in India.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Increase experience in paediatrics: By spending time in the hospital on the paediatric wards shadowing the doctors and attending daily ward rounds I was able to learn about common conditions affecting children in India, such as malaria, glomerulonephritis, congenital heart defects, infective endocarditis, TB, HIV and hepatitis. Through regular interaction with patients presenting with these conditions I was able to conduct supervised clinical exams and develop an understanding of each condition and improve my diagnostic skills. I also attended private paediatric clinics where I learned about the role of the paediatrician in the community.

Develop experience into infectious diseases: Through working in general medicine I was able to see many conditions uncommon in the UK, such as malaria, TB, hepatitis and HIV which are more common in this area of India. By attending ward rounds, teaching seminars and case presentations I attained a better understanding of the epidemiology, management and education regarding the control of infectious diseases. Malaria was very common in this area of India, therefore by the end of the rotation I felt more confident in making a diagnosis of malaria, recognising red flag symptoms suggestive of malaria, and offering a comprehensive treatment regime.

Whilst working in community medicine and taking part in field trips to patients' homes I learned more about communicable diseases. I discovered that factors such as cleanliness, overcrowding and storage of food all contribute to the spread of disease. Overall I was able to see a range of patients with different infectious diseases which I would not be able to encounter in the UK.

I was also able to spend some time with the ophthalmologist. This allowed me to use skills developed in my SSC to assess patients with eye problems. I learned that well-developed cataracts were very common, and surgical techniques are quite similar to those in the UK.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

An insight into medicine in a developing world: By completing an elective in India I was able to see how the healthcare system differs from the UK NHS system. There were many differences, including public health issues, socio-economic status, and how the topography of the area alters the way medicine is practiced and accessed by patients. I appreciated that there are both private and government institutions, each perceived by patients to offer different standards of care. Private institutions were thought to offer better care, while free care was seen as substandard.

Travel in India: I developed a deeper understanding of the cultural, historical and religious beliefs in the area. India is a very large country; beliefs vary from one state to another.

I was able to take part in a community study with other students, visiting people in their homes. I related to this as it was similar in essence to our family project/patient study. I saw how lower socioeconomic classes live in India and learned that factors such as food storage, overcrowding, and cleanliness were main issues affecting good health.

I visited rural and urban health centres where I appreciated how public health issues were tackled. For example, contraception and family planning were addressed by patient education and placing a box of condoms on the outside of the building for discrete access.

The most important thing I gained from my elective experience was being able to conduct a communication skills workshop for medical students in India. It was very rewarding to use skills developed in medical school to highlight the importance of good communication. This benefit extended to the students and highlighted to staff the need to implement regular workshops into the curriculum to help produce better doctors.

Working in community medicine and engaging at the grass roots level helped me appreciate the problems of health promotion within a community.

Main economic, cultural, and epidemiological influences on healthcare in India: The important factors influencing healthcare provision were accessibility, acceptability, affordability and availability.

Economically, many patients could not afford good quality healthcare or were financially unable to take time off work to access it. If the main wage earner, usually the male, fell ill, the family struggled and was usually reluctant to access healthcare.

Culturally, traditional Indian medicine is believed to be the best, but allopathic medicine is becoming more widely practiced and accepted. I learned that alternative health beliefs have to be respected.

Epidemiologically, communicable disease prevalence is much higher than in the UK, and poor public health practices make it difficult to restrict disease spread. With no litter or sewage collection, poor food and water storage, and poor cleanliness, the environment for disease spread is active. Overcrowding accelerates infection transmission, often affecting many people under one roof. Diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke are less prevalent than in the UK, mainly due to dietary differences.

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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