My experiences and background have prepared me well for
a residency in orthopaedic surgery. I look forward to
working with a team of orthopaedists who are excited and
passionate about their work as well as educating others. I
intend to remain involved with teaching others the art of
orthopaedics when I finish my course whether that be in
academics or in the private sector.
I continue to find myself amazed by the dramatic recoveries made by patients after reconstructive
surgeries. Seeing my patients walking pain-free the day of their arthoplasty surgeries convinced me
to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery. Even though I decided to become an orthopaedic surgeon
during my third year of medical school, my decision was grounded in experiences prior to medical
school. My cousin was born with cerebral palsy, and I have seen him go through multiple botox
injections, tendon release and lengthening surgeries, and the subsequent spica casts. I remember
the painful rehabilitation he went through, but at the same time, I saw the progress he made
following these procedures. These experiences had introduced me to orthopaedic surgery and its
potential for healing patients, but participating firsthand in the treatment and care of patients
affirmed that orthopedic surgery is the right career for me.
Throughout my life, I have tried to broaden my understanding by taking part in a variety of activities.
Each of these experiences has not only enhanced my knowledge, but all together they have guided
me in choosing my career path. I see myself becoming an academic orthopaedic surgeon who
balances clinical practice with research. I realize that achieving such a balance is difficult, but I have
been fortunate in working with physicians and research mentors who effectively balance these two
aspects of modern medicine. I aim to one day join these physicians at the cutting-edge, helping to
improve clinical medicine and patient care.
The first two years of medical school introduced me to
countless specialties that I could imagine myself entering
into. I had a taste of several specialties through
volunteering, work, and research, but I needed more
“hands on” experience. During this time, I began working
nights and weekends for State Organ/Tissue Procurement
as a tissue procurement technician. We would remove from
tissue donors everything from long bones, ribs and the iliac
crest to lower limb veins, tendons, and even the heart en
bloc for valves. It was the perfect job for a medical student.
I was able to learn sterile technique, use of surgical
instruments, and gain actual surgical experience without
the fear of inflicting further injury to the patient. I loved the
fast pace and feel of surgery. Then, during my first 3rd
year rotation, I tore my ACL playing football and underwent
autograft replacement one week before starting my
surgical rotation. Standing on a swollen leg all day and
icing it all night proved taxing and made me question my
love for the OR. I enjoyed clinic during most of my
rotations, but it also proved taxing without the variety of
procedures.
My first day of 4th year in Pediatric Orthopaedics, I felt this
was what I had been looking for. First of all, I could
empathize with many of the patients in clinic having
broken multiple bones myself: everything from a both bone
forearm fracture skiing, to my nose in basketball practice,
to a partial achilles tendon tear and then my ACL playing
football, not to mention all the hand, finger, and toe
fractures. Second, it brought back all of the excitement I
felt in my job as a Tissue Procurement Tech with the
additional adrenaline rush of working on a dynamic, living
person. I was thrilled to see the opposite end of the work I
had done in tissue recovery. Witnessing firsthand the
results of allograft tendons,bone blocks, and fracture sites
packed with bone powder further increased the pride I had
in working with donors. Third, I valued being able to have
an immediate impact on the patient’s quality of life. I saw
an 8-year-old boy in the ER who had been hit by a car and
sustained multiple displaced fractures with nerve
impingement at his right elbow. The tears of concern and
fear in the eyes of his parents were only matched by tears
of relief when the cast was removed and full range of
motion was reestablished.
Through Orthopaedics I could provide a good life for my
family.. Knowing from experience that I would be prepared
to take care of them in the event of an accident would also
bring peace to my soul. My family is the most important
aspect of my life and the highlight of my day is when I can
give my wife and 8 week old daughter a hug and a kiss. My
time to spend with them is extremely valuable to me. Also,
a good physician should be well rounded and I value my
occasional free time to pursue interests such as: football,
scuba diving, skiing, hiking , hunting, community volunteer
work, church activities, and the occasional nap. With good
time management I feel I will be able to occasionally enjoy
these aspects of my life.
I always hoped that I would be excited to go to work and
that I would find people as passionate about their jobs as I
was. I have yet to meet an Orthopaedic Surgeon who didn't
have a smile while telling me about their job. I could not be
more excited about what my future holds.
Meena balaji:
Patient is a known case of Type II Diabetes mellitus and systemic hypertension for 12 years and
hypothyroioidism. had history of dyspnea on exertion class III and History of AWMI in 25 th sept 2024
was thrombolysed.
POBA to LAD was attempted.
Echo: 43%,CAG done 25.09.2024- TVD , poba to lad was done, planned for cabg after stabilization.
Now came for CTVS opinion.
