Special Needs Pediatrics

The first time I met Carla, she was sitting on the floor alone in the middle of the lunchroom while the rest of her cabin played outside. Carla was a frizzy-haired 11-year-old girl with autism. It was her first time away from home, and she was struggling to adjust to the new patterns, people, and places. At the same time, as her camp counselor, I was trying desperately to figure out her needs. Carla could not communicate spontaneously, and she responded to my questions only by repeating them. It was difficult helping her transition from one activity to the next, because whenever a game ended, Carla would just flop down on the ground and refuse to budge. I tried singing songs, dancing, and playing "follow the leader, " but nothing uprooted Carla. Then suddenly, after a few days of working with her, I noticed that Carla was fascinated with hands. Although she would not hold people’s hands, she liked to touch them and look at them, and I soon discovered that I could use her interest to motivate her to participate in life around her. For the next two weeks, I transformed my hands into butterfly wings, and the two of us flew around camp together. Although we could not communicate verbally, we found a connection more powerful than conversation, and I discovered how deeply satisfying it is to help other people, particularly those who cannot speak for themselves.

I have dreamed of becoming a physician since childhood, because medicine offers the rare opportunity to combine science and humanism to make a real difference in other people’s lives. I have a longstanding love of science, which led me to major in engineering in college because I enjoyed working on applied scientific questions. Most of my course work and extracurricular activities were science-related, but my interest in medicine solidified, ironically, during the summer when I took my first break from science. During the fall semester of my junior year, I began to feel overwhelmed by conflicting responsibilities in my course work, part-time employment, and various extracurricular activities. I realized that I had spent most of the previous decade enrolled in academic, research, and community service projects to prepare myself for the challenge of medical school, but I had not yet confirmed that aspiration. I tried to focus on what made me happy at the time, and I realized my most beloved experiences occurred while I volunteered at a pre-school with disabled children. Whether I spent my time helping the children swim, reading to them, or simply chasing after them, I always left with the feeling that I had made a small impact on their lives.

I researched camps for children with special needs, and after talking with directors and former counselors at numerous programs, I chose to become a counselor at the Frost Valley YMCA Mainstreaming at Camp program. I started that summer both excited and daunted by what lay ahead. The counselors and directors warned me that the job would be emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting, but I had no idea what I would encounter. That summer became the hardest and most rewarding time of my life. Every two weeks a new group of children with a wide range of developmental disabilities entered my life and became dependent upon me for almost all of their care. I quickly realized how different each child was and tried to adjust my counseling style to fit their individual needs. Motivating and communicating with children who cannot -- or will not -- reciprocate your efforts requires a great deal of patience and creativity. Working with this special group of children tested me greatly, but I found that the hardest part was saying goodbye at the end of each two-week session.

During my last weeks at Frost Valley, one of my campers, a 19-year-old girl with mental retardation, began having seizures. I recognized her symptoms, but one night her seizures became continuous. We called an ambulance, and I jumped on board so that I could spend the night with her, holding her hand and acting as her medical advocate. Because she looked quite “normal, ” it was difficult for the medical staff to understand that she had the communication skills of a 9-year-old. After I explained her condition several times, however, the staff realized that although Jackie looked “normal, ” she required special care. After a long and scary night, Jackie was released from the hospital and sent back to camp. Fortunately, she recovered completely and was happy and healthy for the rest of her time at camp.

I am sure she will never remember how frightened she was that night -- or even my holding her hand -- but I know I will never forget it. That summer, particularly that night, reaffirmed my desire to become a doctor. I realized how critical it is for medical professional to understand the needs of special populations, to work directly with them and their families. I also understood that I could join my two loves by working as a pediatrician for children with special needs. Caring for a child who cannot tell you what is wrong requires a person with patience, skill, and compassion; it is my dream to become one of those people.

点评：

这是一篇医学类PS，涉及转专业。文章段落衔接紧密，思路清晰，内容感人，是一篇很好的PS。

文章可以分为四部分：

一、生动的经历作为开头，设置悬念

二、转专业的原因

三、大三当夏令营的营队辅导员的经历

四、总结和升华自己想成为医生的坚定信念

从文章的内容上来看，作者先通过一个生动具体的经历作铺垫，设置一个悬念，顺利地引出第二段自己由一名理科生转而申请儿科学的原因。然后带出自己在大三暑假时当夏令营营队辅导员的经历。通过对这段经历中具体案例的叙述，刻画出自己在此期间的感受和收获。三、四两段在素材的选用上做得非常好，既有整体概括性的叙述，又有具体案例的使用，很有说服力。最后一段先总结上段的描写，然后呼应第一段设置的悬念，突出自己成为儿科医生的坚定决心。

因为是转专业，专业背景的不足，最大的亮点就是对专业的兴趣和自己所具有的素质特点了。但是作者在整篇文章中没有空喊口号，而是通过具体事例的叙述，让读者能够强烈感受到作者对病人的热爱，心地的善良，效果非常好。

美中不足的就是作者在三四两段经历的描写中没有将自己的专业认识体现出来。应该通过具有专业性的语言表现出自己除了兴趣之外，在专业上能力也有成为一名优秀儿科医生的优秀素质。

译文：

特别需求的儿科

当其他小朋友在外面欢快的嬉戏时，我发现一个11岁左右卷发的小姑娘独自一人孤独的坐在餐厅中间的地板上，非常的孤独。她就是卡拉，一个患自闭症的女孩。这是她第一次离家在外，她竭尽全力地适应她的新伙伴，适应这完全陌生的人和地方。作为她的营队辅导员，我非常希望能够帮助她从自闭忠走出来，于是竭尽全力去了解她。卡拉从不会主动和其他人交流，对于我问她的问题，她也从来只是简单的重复，没有答案。想让她主动地从一项游戏参加到另一项游戏是一件非常困难的事情：因为无论何时，只要游戏一结束，卡拉就会一屁股坐到地上，不想再动。我努力的尝试过让她唱歌，跳舞，也尝试过让她参加“跟随领导人”这样的游戏，但是这些手段毫无效果，根本吸引不了她。她就像生了根的树，动也不动。但是在经过了几天的努力尝试和仔细的观察，突然有一天，我发现卡拉对人们的手非常感兴趣，甚至到了着迷的地步。虽然她不会去握住别人的手，但是她非常喜欢触摸和观察人们的手。于是，我立刻意识到，我可以利用她的这个兴趣来引导和激发她，让她去感受她身边的生活，去融入正常的生活。在接下来的两个星期中，我把我的手变成了一双蝴蝶的翅膀，带着她愉快地穿梭于营地之中。虽然我们没有语言上的交流，但是我们两人之间拥有一个远比语言更强而且有效的交流。与此同时我也享受着帮助别人，尤其是那些不能够表达自己的人所带来的巨大的快乐和满足感。

从儿时起，我一直梦想成为一名内科医生，因为我认为医学是极少数能够真正将科学和人道主义结合起来，从而改变人类生活质量的手段之一。虽然对自然科学极大热爱，热衷于运用科学手段解决相关问题的我，选择了工程学作为我的专业。而且我的绝大多数课程学习和课外活动都和理科联系非常紧密。但是不可思议的是，在大三的下学期那个暑假，理科学习过程中的一个短暂停顿，我把心底埋藏已久的对医学的巨大兴趣释放了出来，一发不可收拾。因此我开始感觉到了课程学习同我的兼职、课外活动之间的巨大冲突，让我非常矛盾。通过冷静的思考，我意识到我之前近十年学习、研究和社区服务正是帮我准备着挑战医学所需要的一切。当然，那时我还没有最终确认这是不是我真正的渴望。于是，我认真地思考真正让我快乐的事情。最后我意识到，最让我珍视的就是在幼儿园为残障儿童志愿服务的经历。在那段时间里，无论是教他们游泳，为他们读书还是和他们玩非常简单的追逐游戏，我都能感觉到我对他们生活的小小冲击。

夏令营开始前，我详细的了解了所有营员的特殊情况。在和众多项目中的主任和前营队辅导员沟通和了解后，我做了“霜谷YMCA主流回归夏令营”的营队辅导员。于是我开始了一个让我既兴奋同时也让我疲惫的夏天。在一开始，那些辅导员和主任就警告我：我的这项工作将会让我从心理到生理受到双重折磨。我当时并不以为然，对我将会遇到的困难也毫无思想准备。所以，那个夏天是我所度过的最艰难的夏天。但也是我收获最多的一个夏天。每两周，一个全新的由各种不同残障儿童组成的小组就会走入我的生活。他们几乎完全要依赖我的照顾。我很快就意识到他们每个人有多么的特别，于是我努力根据每个人的需要调整我的辅导方式。我努力的激发那些不能或者不愿和别人交流的孩子，同他们做细致的沟通。要想得到他们的积极回应是需要极大的耐性和创造力的。在这种特殊的团体中工作队我来说是个巨大的挑战，非常艰难，但是对我来说，最艰难的不是工作的辛苦，而是在每次夏令营结束要和他们说再见的时候。

在霜谷的最后两个星期，营里一名19岁的智障营员有出现痉挛的征兆。我便非常留意她的情况。有一天晚上，她出现了持续痉挛的症状。于是，我们立刻叫来了救护车。我毫不犹豫地跳上了救护车，这样，我可以陪她一起度过这个困难的夜晚。我一直握着她的手就像是她的医疗顾问。因为对于急救人员来说，他们很难明白这个看起来极为正常的女孩实际上只有相当于9岁儿童的沟通能力。在我的几次解释之下，急救医生才开始意识到：虽然杰姬看起来非常正常，但实际上她需要特殊对待。熬过了这个漫长而恐怖的长夜后，杰姬被送回到了营地。幸运的是她完全恢复了，并在夏令营中健康快乐的度过了剩下的时间。

虽然，我知道她永远不会记得她在那个夜晚有多么的紧张，多么的恐惧，即使我一直紧握着她的手。然而我知道我永远无法忘记。在那个夏天，尤其是那个夜晚，我坚定了成为医生的信念。因为我深刻意识到，对于医疗工作者来说彻底了解那些有着特殊需求的病人，从而能够直接为他们和他们的家庭服务有多么的重要！我也认识到成为一个为有特殊需求儿童服务的儿科医生可以让我把这两种爱很好的结合在一起。治疗那些不能告诉你他们具体病况的儿童要求医生拥有巨大的耐心，出色的技能和超人的激情，而我的目标就是成为他们中的一员！