"Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness are the first requisites for learning. This quote, by Mahatma Gandhi, truly resonates with me. My inquisitiveness began at an early age while watching my mother work tirelessly as a dedicated healthcare professional. Seeing her spend sleepless nights at hospitals to care for patients, gleefully help deliver babies, and counsel patients on immunizations made me realize that this job was more than a source of income; it was a heartfelt passion.I admired my mother’s tenacity as she served as a sole provider for my siblings and I while balancing household duties to give us the best life and education. My mother’s noble work and innate love for medicine served as inspiration for me to become a doctor and provide hope and healing for others.

As a child, I often visited my mother's workplace to observe her caring for patients. Here my curiosity was piqued while thinking about the patient's medications and well-being. Once a patient came with red rashes all over his body. My mother explained that this was a result of a reaction to a medicine. This perplexed me as I thought medication only serves to heal. While exploring medication side effects, quantity, quality, consistency, and balanced ingredients for optimal results, I became more drawn to the intellectually-satisfying field of medicine.

With a growing interest in medicine and academics, I made sacrifices from an early age—including residing in the hostel at the age of ten years to be near my boarding school. Hence I learned to adapt quickly, solve problems, and handle pressure with ease. Afterwards, I began preparing for a rigorous national medical entrance exam and felt humbled to secure a good ranking and merit-based scholarship into a reputable government institution in Gujarat. With excitement and a heart full of aspirations, I traveled 1400 miles to live in a different state. Although the language and culture were different, I was adamant to remain focused and overcome these barriers by learning Gujarati and participating in extracurricular activities like horse riding and chess with the locals. Meanwhile, my love of Internal Medicine grew as I enjoyed diagnosing a wide range of conditions and coordinating with a multidisciplinary team. While examining patients in the outpatient department, I noticed patients heavily using antibiotics even for minor infections. Noting the drug misuse which can lead to antibiotic resistance, I felt like these incidents needed intervention and proper knowledge.

With a longing for evidence-based knowledge, increased treatment quality, and accountability, I researched and concluded that the United States has the most advanced healthcare system. With many seniors moving abroad for higher training, I became determined to enhance my knowledge and skills through U.S. residency. Fortunately, I gained hands-on U.S. clinical experiences in Nephrology, Cardiology, and Internal Medicine and was impressed by the administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes here. The most important lesson I learned while taking patient’s history was to effectively listen to their needs. Whether they provided information irrelevant to the diagnosis, I wanted to make them feel heard and valued while building trust and rapport. Ultimately, my desire to develop long-term patient relationships solidified my love for Internal Medicine.

I love to teach and share my knowledge with my colleague and young generation who needs guidance.So it's my passion towards medicine that I enjoy teaching students." less...