Tiffany Zumbahlen

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1101-103
20 September 2014
5 Key Traits of A Medical Professional
At the age of seven I already knew what direction I wanted the course of my life to take.
It was such an easy and fitting decision for not only me, but for my personality and identity.
Medical, is the path I chose to take. Choosing this course has shaped my identity today. It has
made me empathetic when dealing with friends in their certain situations, it has made me
hardworking and determined no matter what I was doing, and respectful to others in eagerness to
learn from them.
Around the first grade, at the time I lived in Alabama, I began taking what felt like
weekly trips to the Orthodontist office at the age of seven. I remember the very first time I went
there the first thing that I saw was the words Game Room written in black on the door. I
immediately rushed in there to find glowing, flashing lights, music, and all sorts of fun games.
Every time I went to the orthodontist after that I would immediately go there first; you could
easily say it was my favorite part of the weekly trips. My orthodontist was average height, bald,
with glasses, and always smelled like an elderly person. While in the orthodontist room, I had to
get many x-rays and fittings done for the realignment of my jaw. It was very important to get this
procedure done in order to prevent developmental problems of my jaw when I got older. It
wasnt until later that they put a palate expander on the roof of my mouth which had to be
cranked every night in order to move my jaws to the correct alignment. As the orthodontist
would precisely work I would constantly ask him questions about what he was doing and what

he was going to do next. I was at the orthodontist so often that I became so fascinated and so
curious about his work and what he was doing. I remember my orthodontist putting what started
out as foam on plastic trays into my mouth, and by the end he would take it out and it would be
hard. I remember him doing this like it was yesterday because it was the absolute worst part of
my weekly trips. My orthodontist would do this in order to get molds of my teeth so he could
check how the realignment was looking. The orthodontist shaped my identity to be personal. He
taught me how to take interest in people by remembering who they were and how to be engaging
with them in order for them to feel special; not just some patient who comes in regularly. Being
at the orthodontist all the time made me very interested in perusing this job for myself; although,
I did not pursue this career option it led to the start of my medical interests. PERSONAL.
Everyone as a kid has been to the Pediatricians office whether you were five, ten or
nineteen. Ever since I was a little baby I have always gone to the Pediatricians office when I
have a cold, need a check up, or need a physical. However; the pediatrician that inspired me the
most works in an office beside Wake Medical Hospital. The waiting room contains a table where
you can play with toy trains, and has several magazine racks. However; my favorite part of the
office is the smell, its the most cleanly smell you will ever smell in your lifetime. My
pediatrician has short blonde hair, she looks like shes around her fortys, and always has the
coldest hands when she touches you. No, matter what you are there for the pediatricians always
make sure they understand how you are feeling, whether its emotionally or physically, and they
try to convey this back to you in a way that you will understand in order to get better. My
pediatrician has formed my identity to be empathetic. She always asks my parents to step out of
the room in order to ask me personal questions. The questions she may ask me are Have you
ever taken drugs?, Have you had sexual intercourse?, Do you feel safe in your environment

at home?. This allows me to understand that she is here for me no matter what I am going
through and that I always have someone to talk to about issues I may have. The pediatricians
environment of busily, compassionate working doctors influenced what I wanted to be for the
longest time in my life up until college where I decide to be a nurse. My pediatrician forming my
identity to be empathetic will greatly help me in the medical field when I have patients of my
own. In the real world it has helped me when I need to help my friends deal with certain
situations. EMPATHETIC.
The beginning of my freshman year in high school was very hard for me. I was beginning
a new school and was still trying to figure out where I fit in, and how to maintain good grades in
school. It was towards the end of the semester when everything spun out of control. I was at
cheerleading practice when a huge amount of pain came over me in my stomach region. I
remember the pain being almost unbearable. I couldnt even stand up and walk anywhere,
instead I just sat outside the small gym of my high school crying my eyes out until my father
came. When he finally arrived my mother took me to the pediatricians office where they ran
several tests. The Pediatrician asked me questions like Where is your pain? If I push here
does it hurt?. After about fifteen minutes of this she told me I had appendicitis and the next
thing I knew I was being rushed to the E.R. to have an emergency appendectomy. Upon arrival I
remember my doctors and surgeons being very thorough; they would explain to me where we
were going and why we would go to that particular location. They explained to me the entire
process of what they would do in surgery, and what certain medications would do when they put
them through my IV. It made me feel very secure especially since this was my first time ever
going into surgery. Seeing the way the hospital worked sparked my interest in the medical field
even more, and led me in what direction I wanted to take. I now knew that I would want to work

inside a hospital whether I was a nurse, surgeon, or a PA. The doctors and surgeons made my
identity thorough. I use this today in describing someone some place to go and by being
persistent in my work so others gain a full understanding of what I am talking about.
THOROUGH.
Since, I discovered from the age of seven that I wanted to choose a career in the medical
field it wasnt very hard deciding what classes I wanted to take at Fuquay Varina High School. I
took five main courses of science classes, as well as four science elective classes which would all
boost my knowledge for my future in the medical program. I took a variety of science classes
from Anatomy, to Forensics, to AP Biology in order to decide which direction I would want to
take in the medical field. It made it very hard to decide because I out shinned in almost all of my
scientific classes; however Anatomy had to be my most favorite class. I loved talking about the
human body and finding out how different parts worked together in order for us to know when
something is hot and to move our hand off of it, or when we are dehydrated. Taking scientific
courses formed confidence in my identity by allowing me to realize that I can do anything in the
medical field that I set my mind to. By maintaining great grades in my Scientific classes it helped
form my confidence for my future to come in the medical program. CONFIDENCE.
Through the Tv shows of Greys Anatomy and Lost I finally chose the medical path
I will take for the rest of my life. Watching these shows influenced me to change my major of
nursing to become a PA in general surgery. When watching these Tv shows it really impacted
my life and identity. I got to see how the characters in Greys Anatomy and the doctors in
Lost impacted individuals in need in their own way through their specialization. It was
amazing to see how much they could change someones whole entire life by removing a
cancerous tumor as the doctor, Jack Shepard, does in Lost on a gurney which is located in a

medical room on the island, or undoing conjoint twins which a whole team of doctors work on
together in Greys Anatomy at Seattle Grace Hospital. Through watching the operations on
these shows and the impact it made is what changed my mind in becoming a PA. I watched these
shows and realized that I wanted to make a difference in someones life instead of just giving
someone medicine; in which a nurse does. While a nurse and PA do much of the same thing such
as distribute medicine, and conduct physical exams, they are also different. A PA has more
power than a nurse does, a PA can diagnose and treat illnesses, assist in survey, and develop
treatment plans. The characters in this show showed me how to be humane. They showed me
how to be caring and compassionate towards others in order to help change lives. In the episode
of Lost the doctor Jack Shepard showed me how to be humane by helping anyone no matter
what when they were hurt. What made it so humane was that Jack Shepard didnt have to help
the people on the island if he didnt want to, but he did anyway. In Greys Anatomy a lot of
the characters showed me how to be humane. One character in particular was Alex; Alex paid
out of his own pocket to have children from Africa with their families fly down to Seattle Grace
Hospital in order to have surgery, or anything they needed at zero expense. HUMANE.
The five traits listed in each paragraph have in some way formed my identity to what it is
today. These traits not only helped me in life, but would help me in my medical career. I learned
each of these traits through finding out what I wanted to do in life to make me the happiest. My
identity will forever be influenced by the medical field and what it has to offer me in my many
years to come.