Why Medicine: Taaran's Story

Taaran Kaur, 4/2/24

When I was in preschool, my dad was a resident at the George Washington University hospital in Washington DC. He would come home late, clad in blue scrubs, his smiling face etched with exhaustion. To little me, he was practically a superhero, on par with the heroes in the cartoons I watched on the TV. I would proudly tell all my classmates “my dad’s job is to save people’s lives.” My favorite toy growing up was a doctor’s set, complete with a plastic stethoscope, otoscope, hammer, scissors and a medicine bottle. I would spend hours fixing my stuffed animals’ broken bones, stitching their cuts, and performing surgery. Since then, I have wanted to be a doctor.

My interest in Medicine came from my desire to help others. When I was younger, I would carry band-aids in my backpack to distribute to my friends when they got hurt. Nowadays, I have a mini-first aid kit. The idea that I could help someone heal, make them feel better, is why I want to become a doctor. And yes, there are many other professions that are involved with helping others–teachers help others learn, firefighters keep people safe–but medicine is the one that always stuck out to me. When people are sick, or injured, or hurting, their entire lives are impacted. Even something that seems mundane like seasonal allergies can negatively impact someone’s life in significant ways. There is something special about being able to make someone feel better and helping them get back to living their life healthy and happy.

My answer to the question, why medicine, is simple: I want to serve my community. It may seem cliche, but that’s because it’s the essence of the job. The entire field of medicine is dedicated to helping people heal, and I want to be a part of that.