Abstract
You need to include a summary of your paper here if required. It should not be longer than a 150-200 words (about a half a page). Do not bold the word abstract or make it larger. It should be in the same size and font as the rest of the paper. Do not indent the abstract paragraph either.
When I first entered high school, I was so ecstatic to join the volleyball team because ever since I was little I had the dream to be just like Yeon-koung Kim, a famous Korean volleyball player. But sadly after tryouts, I did not make the team, instead the head coach of the volleyball team was very interested in me and asked if I wanted to join the sports medicine program. At first, I wasn’t so sure because I had no clue as to what “sports medicine” was, and also I wanted to play volleyball. Gradually as I was in this program, I was able to experience hands on with my coaches as well as help athletes all throughout my four years of high school. Which is why I choose to major in orthopedic sports medicine, to satisfy my love for sports and also help athletes return to the field. I want to be able to achieve my Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the University of North Texas and work up to my Medical degree at the University of Southwestern Medical school in Dallas and work with children and teens who have a passion for sports.
Methodology
In APA, you use headings to identify the sections of your essay. First level sections are centered and bolded like the heading for Methodology above. Second level headings are left aligned (flush with the left margin) like the one below.
Interview
I had the privilege to interview Dr. George N. Zoys, M.D. from Dallas, Texas. Dr. Zoys was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and graduated with the title of Valedictorian at Bishop Dunne High School. Having participated in hundreds of surgeries from children to adults, he has spontaneous skills and talent that awarded him to be a part of the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, and now building his clinic to serve ages all around in Garland, Texas. I was grateful to have gain knowledge from an aspiring role model like him.
As I started the interview my first question to him was, “Why did you choose this career?”
He leaned forward on his desk with his hands clasped and said confidently, “Simple, I’m a fan of sports, mostly football and baseball but also I take pleasure that my work can help athletes of all ages get better and feel better.”
I felt connected to his answer, I retorted back, “I was an athletic trainer all four years of high school and I loved helping my classmates feel better and see them perform better when they go back onto the field.”
He congratulated me with a smile, “You’re off to great start Miss Amber! Many people who choose this specialty don’t really go into sports medicine in high school and the fact you did it your entire four years is amazing, you have the mere basics which of those don’t, which is something to brag about I’d say.”
I smiled back and thanked him as I asked the second question in the interview, “Now I’m still a first year student in community college pursuing my associates of science, what major did you choose for your degree and what university did you graduate from?”
He answered back while pointing towards his accomplishments, “I majored in anatomy and received my medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio, as well as graduating high school with the title of valedictorian.”
My mouth flew open when he mentioned that he was valedictorian of his high school, “Wow, So how long did it take for you to accomplish to get from here?”
He laughed with his whole body, “It took me about 15 years give or take, it was a journey but I’m glad I choose this career it’s different every day.”
Thinking about his answer, I was very anxious because 15 years of school is rather a long time also being able to pay for school is something most students struggle with so I asked, not being too front, how he paid for his degree and if being an orthopedic surgeon was worth the education.
“Being an orthopedic surgeon cost a lot of money, I’m not going to lie about that. But thankfully I was awarded with so many scholarships that I got through university and medical school smoothly.” He pointed out that I was still a young college student and that even though it’ll take a while to accomplish your dreams you’ll eventually reach your goal and feel amazing. One thing that really caught my attention was how he said once you do reach your dreams, you’ll be able to go anywhere you want because so many people want you for your skills and talent, he even told me he was able to participate in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games as one of the doctors there. That really aspired me, giving me more confidence that even though it’ll be a struggling journey that one day I might be able to participate in the Olympic games just like him.
As the interview flew by I began to sink in how my path of becoming an orthopedic surgeon will be difficult, he assured me that if I have a positive mindset it’ll take me anywhere I want, he even offered me to shadow him and possibly to join an internship in a program he was building with other talented doctors for students like me to dip their foot in the water.
Sadly, the interview I had with Dr. Zoys ended and I was thankful for him for giving me so many generous tips and tricks in order for me to be like him. He did not want to end the interview on a sad note so he gave me a quote he found to be truly inspiring to contemplate on and hopefully guide it as my motto by Dr. Sujay Kansagra, “don’t worry about the next 1000 steps… worry about the next step and everything will slowly fall into place”. And with that I was able to leave the his office with more than I knew before making me one step closer to my path of becoming an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon.
Discussion
Orthopedic medicine helps and deals with the deformities of the musculoskeletal and nervous system. Working alongside with athletic trainers, coaches and athletic directors, these doctors help athletes to return to the playing field with proper extensive training to care and prevent injuries. This includes 14 years of formal education, four years in college or university, four years in medical school, and five years of training in a orthopedic residency. Medical students even can get an early onset look at orthopedic surgery “…provide medical students with early exposure to orthopaedic surgery” (Doremus, Sobel, Gil, Mulcahey, 2018), this can help students prepare for the future and experience what it’s like for these surgeons every day.
Although doctors are not in the medical field for the prize of money, the average salary an orthopedic surgeon makes is around $443,000. “…orthopedists are the top earners in the medical field, at an average annual salary of $443,000” (Sifferlin, 2018). Another note to take in is even though the medical field is rising and in need of more employers, unfortunately women are paid less than men, “Male primary care doctors earned $225,000 a year compared to female primary care doctors, who earned $192,000” (Sifferlin, 2016).
As mentioned before, the outlook for surgeons is projected to grow substantially, as much as a 13 percent up rise. And as time passes, technology also advances and consumers are wanting to seek professionals with advanced research and training in order to achieve the care they want. The demand for surgeons will continue to grow, making the job prospect very likely and good for those who are graduates of medical school. But what comes with being a surgeon is the price, students are usually in debt by the time they graduate school, then afterwards add on once they enter medical school resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Thankfully, schools are willing to give out scholarships funds to those who they see will have potential in the future, one of them being me. Being rewarded with scholarships will help students, who are in their first year, with being able to not worry as much with the financial issues they’ll face later in the years. Thankfully to also assist not just myself but a large amount of people is to apply for Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FASFA, this helps with being able to obtain loans, grants and other types of financial aid. Without being said, after seeing the significant growth for surgeons in the years to come, students such as I will be looking forward to healing others.
References
- Sifferlin, A. (2016). Surgeon Salary: Here’s How Much Doctors Make. Time.Com, 1. Retrieved from http://dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=117049049&site=ehost-live
- Doremus, n. v., Sobel, a. d., Gil, j. a., & Mulcahey, m. k. (2018). Evaluation of Orthopaedic Interest Groups in American Medical Schools. Rhode Island Medical Journal, 101(7), 21–24. Retrieved from http://dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=131555037&site=ehost-live
