As an IMG, this is what I found to be the most challenging aspect of my application. In May last year I made my first draft. It was messy, lacked personality and had my raw emotions.
How it took form: I thought long and hard about what the specialty (in my case primary care) needs and what I can bring to it if I get selected. From there it became little easier.
Think from a Program Director's perspective (who reads about 100s of these every season), what would catch his interest? How can you make him interested in reading your patient encounter which made you do better?
With this in mind lets talk about 'The Hook'. It is that catchy phrase or a short story or a limerick which will serve as the opening for your PS and makes the reader read on.
If you play any sport or a musical instrument or are a professional dancer, find a way to tie that in with your decision to choose your specialty. I'm an avid reader so I used my love for detective novels to show them how I love the mystery of illness and my determination to solve it, to make the patient better.
Divide your draft into paragraphs. First para will include why you chose your specialty (put an interesting example/patient encounter here), use your HOOK here.
Second-third para will include inspiration for the specialty, your strong points that make you a valuable resident (include your experiences/stories to back these points up). Include meaningful patient encounters here which taught you how important it is to be better everyday, show self awareness, insight and the ability to learn lessons by these stories.
Fourth para will include your future goals, what will you do once chosen, what will you bring to the program, your long term goals (clinical practice/research/training etc.)
Last para- tie everything in, show your enthusiasm to train at the program.
Use short sentences, each para should focus on one idea, make first and last para powerful.
Avoid using I'm best at... kind of statements, do not dramatize, I me myself statements should be avoided. Always be honest.
Use a Thesaurus. Do not repeat your words, it gets monotonous.
Customize the PS. Some programs have specific PS requirements, its recommended you visit their website to know the details that they want in the PS.
You can structure your Personal Statement using:
A memorable patient encounter and what was the lesson behind it? Doesn't have to be dramatic/people dying/coding to be memorable.
What skills do you possess? Eg. excellent communicator, time management, leadership, team player, hard working. You can also Google 'valuable skills for a resident'.
The HOOK- most important.
Add your personal story, the challenges you have overcome to be here to apply for residency.
If you are sure of your future career goal eg. Fellowship or teaching at a particular university include that and the reason behind it.
Any inspiring mentor you look up to and why.
You can also write about your experience if you or someone close to you have suffered from any disease/medical condition and how you got the inspiration to pursue that particular field/ meaningful contributions you can make since you were involved personally.
Do you have any medical cause that you care deeply about? Why do you feel so and how can residency factor in to make life better for people suffering from it?
Bonus tips:
Download Grammarly. I cannot stress this enough. Get the paid version, it's worth it.
Get it edited by atleast 3 people you trust to give you genuine feedback. Try to get a US resident/ Physician or a native English speaker to be one of your editors.
Start early, let the first draft be as disorganized as possible. Then pick and choose and make a story.
Google some examples of Residency PS to get an idea about the flow but don't copy from them.
It is recommended to keep your PS limited to 1 page (about 700-800 words) in ERAS.
A good personal statement (no grammatical mistakes and a good flow) might not do much but a bad one can certainly harm your chances.
In the end, it doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be a reflection of you.
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