I am happy as an ophthalmologist that my name, XXXX, means a light bearer. My professional calling is to preserve and even restore eyesight, the light in our lives, and our principal sources of interaction with our environments.
My greatest love in life is children. And for this reason, I have chosen to build my career in the area of pediatric ophthalmology, my particular passion. During my medical school days, I was actually considering going into pediatrics to pursue a career in Neonatology since there is nothing that I adore as much as precious little babies, so pure and helpless. But, after working in NICU as a part of my clinical rotation, having to deal with babies dying, to be frank, was extremely difficult for me, and I began to re-think my chosen specialization, looking for a way that I could work with babies and not lose them. This is why I ultimately decided to dedicate my life to helping infants and children preserve their most important outlet to the rest of the world.
I have what I am convinced is a great asset for the practice of pediatric ophthalmology because I am a tiny woman; children simply do not find me threatening at all, and I can move quickly to win their confidence. The importance of this factor can hardly be overestimated since children are especially vulnerable concerning their eyes, and winning their trust is indispensable for adequate treatment. I am highly motivated by the fact that approximately one in twenty babies suffer from some form of visual impairment and as many as one in four school-age children.
I am a 28-year-old woman who is first and foremost a Saudi Arabian woman, and I have been an active member of the Saudi Ophthalmology Society since 2010. While born in the United States, I was raised and educated in the KSA, and Saudi Arabia is my home. This is why I chose to attend medical school in my own country rather than studying abroad, because I wanted very much to become a specialist in the Saudi patient, from the very beginning.
While I am from Jeddah, and I love my city immensely, I have my heart set on finding a fellowship position in Riyadh because of the greater level of professional resources. The KSU Fellowship Program in Ophthalmology is clearly the state-of-the-art program for my country, in fact, the entire Middle East, and I want my training to be the best. I am extremely excited by the collaboration between the Department of Ophthalmology of King Saud University and the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, the primary training sites for your program.
Since October of 2009, I have given all my energy to my Residency Training Program in Ophthalmology here in Jeddah. Thus, I have extensive current experience in ophthalmology, which I am confident will help me to excel in our program in Riyadh. I have my heart set on joining your most distinguished program, and I assure you that I am a doctor who is driven to serve, most comfortable with long hours, and highly dedicated to my patients and my colleagues.
I thank you for considering my application to your distinguished program.
