From Labor Relations to Medicine
Mr. Crawford, an aging teamster, limped into the office where I worked as a field examiner intern for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). As he collapsed into the swivel chair facing my desk, his momentum swung him halfway around before he could stop himself. Weary and partially disabled after 42 years of work as a die maker, he sought my help in a final attempt to get his job back.
Righting himself, he looked me in the eye.
“They’re gettin’ rid of me, ” he said, looking down at his worn, arthritic hands. “Say I ain’t no good with the machines no more.”
I quickly pored over his file, which clearly indicated that his firing had nothing to do with his union membership. Because firings fall outside the mandate of the NLRB, I could do nothing to change the situation. Regretfully, I began to explain my limitations and looked up at him. Still examining his hands with a piercing but somewhat perplexed gaze, Mr. Crawford seemed to be wondering how his body had betrayed him.
As an intern with the NLRB, I investigated unfair practices by employers as well as by unions. Often, I helped those who had been maltreated by their union or discriminated against by an employer. Unfortunately, in cases such as Mr. Crawford’s, I could do nothing to assist the claimant.
Medicine parallels labor law in this respect. While medical science can be applied to ameliorate the lives of those in distress, it does not offer a remedy for every ailment. After Mr. Crawford left my office, I recalled how I witnessed both frustration and satisfaction in medicine through my experience as a volunteer in the Emergency Department of South Shore Hospital and in my training as an emergency medical technician. I had studied industrial and labor relations as an undergraduate, and I later went to work at the NLRB because I was drawn to the issues facing the working class. During my tenure at the NLRB, I encountered many who had occupational health issues like Mr. Crawford's. Each time, the mechanism of the particular injury fascinated me, but my inability to help the individual proved disappointing. I have decided to pursue a career in medicine, focusing on the field of occupational health, in the hopes that I can help working people.
After completing my NLRB internship, I took a position at Massachusetts General Hospital to broaden my practical skills while finishing my pre-medical requirements. Although I had thrived in the investigative environment of the NLRB, I did not know quite what to expect in a scientific research milieu.
As a research technician in the Endocrine Unit, I observe the development of new technologies, which may help conquer diseases that are today only partially manageable. While I work on a project to clone the cPTH receptor, in the hope that gene therapy might prevent osteoporosis, I experience both excitement and frustration, yet I also recognize that what sets medicine apart is the progress inherent in scientific discovery. The advances in medical science allow the practitioner of today’s healthcare to cure people who would have gone untreated just a few years ago -- and the future potential is limitless.
I remain committed to a career that benefits the working-class individual. As a physician, I will continue to confront their concerns in my medical practice. At the same time, I am determined to persevere into the unique form of investigation that is medical research. Both endeavors provide the outlet to impact the lives of others and fulfill my personal and professional ambitions.
点评：
文章开头的故事很有感染力，但用在这篇文章上作用不大。总的来说，这不是一篇很能说服人的文书。
文章的结构分析：
1.前五段叙述一段在NLRB实习的经历；
2.第六段通过说明药物和劳工法律有一定的联系，表明自己从劳资关系工作者转变为医务者。
3.最后三段就通过讲述自己在内分泌研究部门工作的经历，而得出感兴趣的研究方向和职业目标。
从大体上说，作者用5段的篇幅写了自己在NLRB实习的经历，故事虽然很吸引人，但这个故事与医药方面的联系不大，所以用过多笔墨描写这件事会有喧宾夺主之嫌。
然后，第六段是转折段，作者的思想就有了一个很大的转折，由从事劳资关系工作向医学转型。但就因为“处理身体伤残这种机制很感兴趣，但因为我无法向这些人提供帮助，令我对自己很失望”而想转向学医，转折有点牵强，读者很难将劳资关系和医药扯上关系。
最后，作者在讲述在内分泌研究部门工作时，是完全可以再深入的描写自己在工作过程中所遇到的解决不了的问题，而萌生要继续学习的念头这一段经历，而不是简单带过。
所以这篇文章还有值得修改的地方。
译文：
从劳工关系到药物
我在国家劳工关系委员会工作的时候，主要是作为一名劳资关系现场检查实习生。一次，克劳福德先生，一位年老的卡车驾驶员，一撅一拐地走进了我的办公室。当他重重地倒在我桌前的旋椅上时，那股冲力使椅子转了半个圈才停下来。42年的制模工作导致他身心疲惫，还造成了肢体的部分伤残。这次是他的最后一击，希望通过我的帮助，使他恢复工作。
整理了一下衣服，他就看着我。
“他们正准备解雇我。”他的目光移到了自己苍老，有关节炎的手上。“我不再像以前那样能干了。”我快速翻开他的档案，上面清楚地表明他的这次解雇与工会成员没有任何关系。因为这些不在NLRB（国家劳资关系委员会）的管理范围内，我实在是无能为力。我只能非常抱歉地看着他，向他解释我能力有限，无法向他提供帮助。而Crawford先生目光呆滞，茫然地刺着他的手，像在责备自己的身体背叛了自己似的。
在NLRB实习时，我从调查中发现雇主和工会对员工所做出的不公平对待。我通常都会帮助这些被工会组织虐待或被雇主歧视的员工平反。但不幸的是，类似于Crawford先生这种案件，我都是无能为力的。
在这点上，药物和劳工法律是并行的。因为医学可以帮助舒缓病人的痛苦症状，但却无法治疗每个人。当Crawford先生离开我的办公室后，回想起我在南海岸医院的急诊所当志愿者时和作为急救医务员时的情景，那一幕幕我亲眼看见的药物既能让人沮丧也能让人满足的情形出现在我的脑海里。在本科阶段我的主修是劳资关系，随后因为我想了解工人阶级所遇到的问题，所以就去了NLRB工作。我在NLRB工作期间碰到了许多像Crawford先生那样有健康问题的人。每一次，我对处理身体伤残这种机制很感兴趣，但因为我无法向这些人提供帮助，令我对自己很失望。我决定从事医药方面的工作，并会侧重职业保健这个领域，希望能向劳动人民提供帮助。
在NLRB实习完后，我进入了马萨诸塞州的综合医院。在那我完成了医学院预科要求。同时也大开眼界并提高了我的实践技能。尽管我在NLRB这个调查环境中成长得很快，但我却无法预料在科学研究领域我会遇到什么，得到什么。
作为一位在内分泌研究部门里的技术员，我发现新技术的发展可能有助于战胜在目前为止只能克制的疾病。当我研究克隆cPTH受体这个项目时，希望通过基因治疗可以预防骨质疏松。研究过程中我经历了收获过成功也遇到过挫折，我也意识到把医学分开的是科学发现的固有进程。在医学领域取得的这些先进的成果使当今卫生保健的开业医生有可能治疗那些几年前无法得到治疗的病患。在将来这种潜力也是无限的。
我一心想从事这种能帮助工人阶级的职业。作为一名医师，我会通过医疗实践继续解决他们所关心的问题。同时，我下定决心要进行独特的调查形式－医疗研究，尽全力为其他人创造幸福的生活，实现我个人和专业上的抱负。
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