Nothing compares to the joy of childbirth and conversely, there is nothing as painful as losing a child at birth. As a young girl in Nigeria, I rejoiced with a family member after a successful delivery. It would be years later that I would share a moment of sadness with her after losing another child at birth. My relative lost her baby due to prolonged fetal distress. By the time the obstetrician arrived and performed a cesarean section, it was too late, and the baby died. Unfortunately, she is one of tens of thousands of expectant mothers whose hopes are dashed in the delivery room. If the medical community in Nigeria was well equipped with adequate personnel and good communication, a situation like this could have been avoided. Failure initiates a quest for success. Watching my relative go through this experience was my first introduction to medicine and obstetrics and gynecology.

In my quest for quality medical training, I chose Big University School of Medicine because of its well-rounded curriculum with an unparalleled emphasis on primary care. I was excited to learn about the family clinic project in which as a first-year I chose to participate in the care of an obstetrics patient. My patient had a complicated and painful pregnancy course due to a history of asthma and herpes simplex virus infection. As a result, I was able to appreciate the impact of an OB/GYN physician in the primary care role. Later on during the year, I participated in an elective in which I was able to observe the surgical treatment of benign gynecologic diseases. Surgical treatments and office procedures provide quick results that give the necessary information to prepare a comprehensive treatment plan or cure.

During my clinical rotations, I furthered my interest in gynecology due to its main goal of improving women’s quality of life. This was particularly evident when I worked in a clinic where women were treated for menopausal symptoms. It was rewarding to see these patients at follow-up with improved symptoms and better abilities to cope with menopause. In addition, I was able to participate in the care of women with vulvar vestibulitis. It was comforting to the patients when their symptoms were acknowledged and treatment options were discussed. Having helped improve these women’s emotional, social and physical well-being was gratifying to me. Hence, my goal within Women’s Health is to emphasize healthcare maintenance through interventions such as routine gynecologic visits and health education.

No other field in medicine today provides the requisite tools necessary to provide women with good health care and the ability to utilize medical and surgical treatment for diseases. This is unique and allows OB/GYN physicians to listen to patients’ intimate concerns, in order to help them make informed decisions about their health care. Throughout my clinical experiences, I have enjoyed the diversity of treatment options entailed in taking care of women. I have also realized that the best way to impact the lives of communities at large is to help take care of women; since a woman with good health, practices will have a positive impact on others in her family unit. As a resident, I hope to build a firm foundation on the basic principles of OB/GYN, with the additional benefit of subspecialty exposure. By training under the guidance of skilled physicians in a well-equipped institution and an outstanding residency program, I plan to achieve these goals.