My Life Goals
My name is Janelle Karen Shoebridge. My middle name, Karen, is after my late grandmother who passed thirty-two years ago of metastasized breast cancer. My parents raised me to be smart and driven. I can change the oil in a car, the tire on my mountain bike, and put the chain back on the rail when I hit a rock in the bush. They also taught me curiosity, pulling me into a world of creativity and belief. Creativity, when I decided to build my own tree house at the age of ten. Belief, when I decided I would cure the disease that killed my grandmother.
My mom, Sandra, has been without her mother from the age of sixteen. I have witnessed first hand what a loss like that can do to a family. My mom, the oldest of four girls, spent her entire high school career in a hospital with her sick and dying mom. Recently, I witnessed the loss of a patient and I saw the family’s terror. It lead me to ask my mom about her loss and what it did to her. She said possibly the worst was when she found out she was pregnant with me and all she could do was cry; for she could not imagine raising a baby without her mom’s advice and help. When I turned twelve, she did not know what to do because when she was twelve her mom lived in a hospital and could barely breathe, let alone raise her. Watching what loss and disease has done to my family has shaped me into the compassionate person I am today. Having grown up with cancer as an openly discussed topic is what first sparked my love for medicine and my desire to help those who I share this planet with. I believe I was exposed to cancer because I was born to be a physician. I was born to save lives and to help our bodies survive when under pressure to shut down.
I do enjoy helping others, so a question I asked myself when writing the above paragraph is why not be a nurse, or a social worker? The answer is that I am a leader; I perform at my best when under pressure. The only way that I can fulfill my desire to improve lives and be satisfied is through surgical practice. Dancing competitively (ballet, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre) for a large portion of my life has given me characteristics that will benefit me as I continue my journey to medicine. I am persistent and I never give up until I am satisfied. I am independent but work well in team settings and when in a difficult situation I know how to calm my mind and put myself in a place where I can overcome any challenges I may face. Teamwork is something I pride myself on. I thoroughly enjoy it and love building ideas from not only my brain but also the brains of my peers. When our powerful minds are put together I believe that nothing is impossible. Pressure is in all that we do as humans, whether trying to impress someone or save a life. Pressure is what motivates me each day, and I believe I have my ballet career to thank for that. The pressure of performing on stage in front of hundreds of people or the pressure of performing for a professional ballerina are two excellent examples of this. Pressure is what gets my heart beating and my blood flowing.
I’ve read every medical book I can get my hands on simply because I am drawn to the content. My love, passion, and dedication to learning about the human body and working with people has flourished becoming stronger than anything I’ve experience previously. I want to read more because I love what I am learning. My desire to study and practice is genuine. Since finding what I am genuinely passionate about I have found creativity, divergent thinking, commitment and motivation. I know that these qualities and passion are what will shape my future of medicine and the care of my future patients. The opportunity to be with someone to support and guide at their most vulnerable stage in life is an absolute privilege. Doctors need to be more than just a high number – doctors need to have compassion, drive, empathy and desire, all qualities that I believe I possess!
To give you a sense of my medical experience so far and how I know that medicine is what I truly want to pursue, let me take you back two years. In September of 2015 I had the opportunity to work with the Rural Ontario Medical Program, while there for five months I used my resources to - with great persistence - create the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Observership Program. The program allows students to enter a clinical setting with the permission and guidance of a physician approved by the hospital board. The student has the opportunity to experience what a physician does in hospital and/or their private practice. My hope was to give students the chance to experience clinical practice, that way they could further decide if it is the right career path for them. Also, in January of 2016 I began observing Dr. Peter Wells - founder of the Rural Ontario Medical Program - and his resident doctors. I arranged my school days with my principal to allow for observing half of the day and studying for the other half. I would begin my days at 8:00 am doing inpatient rounds in the hospital, and then having either procedures or patient appointments until 12:30. Then, at 12:30 I would race back to school and attend class until 3:00. Through observing I have developed an array of skills, procedures and techniques I can perform. It is important to note that I was under the supervision of a doctor at all times and did not touch the patient without their full acknowledgment and approval. Through my observing I kept a medical journal. Inside of it is everything that I have learnt, from people skills to suturing techniques. During procedures I found that I was the most at peace. It is hard to explain the feeling, but it was as if all that ever existed was in that moment and the only thing that mattered was the patient on the table. I love the feeling of going into an operating room, and though I have never operated on my own, I know that I want to feel that feeling for the rest of my life.
I love being challenged and wish to pursue a life in medicine. Being in leadership roles throughout my high school career has strengthened my character. When I am faced with a challenge I break it down and I am always the first person in the group to assess a plan of action while taking into account my peers thoughts and ideas. I am known as a humanitarian and someone who is very passionate about the medical profession. I wish to pursue my passion and improve quality of life for my future patients.
As I prepare to venture off and begin my medical school journey this fall I realize that I am entering a brand new chapter of my life. I have taken time to reflect on what I have achieved so far in my life and what I want to accomplish going forward. As I have always craved success in my life, I took time to reflect on what success truly means. To me, success means happiness and I hope I can bring happiness to my loved ones and to my patients. I wish to be more than just the title; I want to be a doctor that doubles as a confident, a friend, a neighbour, and an active member of the community. I am proud to say that I have always made an effort to be active in my community and branch out as much as possible. It is important to me to get involved in charities with my friends and family. Since the age of eight I have annually cut eight to twelve inches of my hair and donated it to the Canadian Cancer Society, and for the past few years I have been participating in a minimum of three charities annually.
An extremely important aspect of my life and what makes me who I am is my family and loved ones. I will be forever grateful for my parents are giving me the opportunity to move across the world to study Medicine in a six-year surgical affairs program at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. I will graduate from my program with my medical degree, surgical degree and a degree in both obstetrics and gynaecology. I then plan on moving home to begin a surgical residency in a speciality that is still undecided - as I want to enter medical school with an open mind, eager to learn what intrigues me in the moment! I do hope to open a private practice in order to give myself time for my family and community. I would also like to be affiliated with a medical school and have the opportunity to teach as I have witnessed the incredible teaching skills of doctors in my community - who have enriched my passion and undying love for medicine. Going forward I wish to grow my knowledge of not only the human body, but also the world. Living in Ireland will allow me to travel and experience what the world has to offer. I hope to bring my worldly experience home to my family, friends and patients; applying gratitude, love and passion to all that I do.
Written by: Janelle Shoebridge