Personal Statement

Savannah Bahls
The day began like many other summer days in the Midwest. The weather was beautiful,
and as I drove to Mercy Hospital to shadow the world felt calm, but as soon as I walked through
the ER doors everything changed. I saw the physician sitting at his desk with his head down,
quickly flipping through a book. Then, one of the nurses informed me that a patient was just
brought in and is suspected of having a stroke. Once in the patient’s room, I saw him lying on a
stretcher, surrounded by staff, who were busy poking and prodding, trying to determine the
severity of the stroke. I could tell the patient’s wife had been crying as she explained to the
doctor what had happened. Unfortunately, this hospital was not the most advanced in dealing
with strokes, and a bad brain bleed would mean flying the patient to Iowa City as soon as
possible. The patient’s wife seemed hesitant. Then, the doctor said something that has stuck
with me ever since, “If this were my dad or grandpa, I would send him to Iowa City.”
For the past few years I have spent hundreds of hours working as a CNA both in a
nursing home and at my local hospital. Especially during my time spent at the nursing home, I
witnessed disrespect of residents and the impact that it has on both mental and physical health of
the patients. Driving home after a long shift I would often ask myself, “Why would I want to
choose a career where those who need to cherish human life the most do not always show this
through their actions?” Then, I realized that it is within my power to address this issue.
Every day I go to work I am presented the opportunity to make other’s lives better.
Sometimes it can be in little things, like giving a patient a warm blanket or a cup of ice cream
after having to fast all day for a test. Other times, I walk into a room thinking it will be a quick
check up, and end up conversing with the patient about their life while they sit on the commode
for almost an hour. However, the help I am able to give right now can only go so far, and as a
physician I will be able to do so much more. I have witnessed a family practitioner comforting
and discussing options with her patients suffering with a mental illness, stood alongside an
OBGYN physician during a compassionate follow up with a couple who lost their baby shortly
after birth, and watched with awe as the doctor and nurses worked together to stabilize a new
born baby who had difficulty breathing, while also reassuring the parents.
At the end of all of these instances, I witnessed first-hand the relief displayed on a
patient’s and their loved one’s faces after the doctor leaves the room. This is what I will strive to
do. With strong, caring physicians as models, and the experiences I have gained working as a
CNA I cannot imagine continuing my career in any other field. At the end of the day, every
patient is someone’s child, mother, father, grandmother, or grandfather and deserve to be treated
with respect and given the best care possible, and this is what I plan to do.