The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative

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1. Christopher Adams says

   January 21, 2020 at 8:42 am

   “Hold your head back for me, Mr. Jenkins.” I gently cupped Mr. Jenkins forehead with my right hand and pulled his head back so that he did not slouch forward. I hurriedly paged the paged the floor nurse who oversight of him that shift, “Tiffany, Mr. Jenkins is losing consciousness in the shower room.” I ran through possible plans of action in my mind while I waited for the nurses to arrive. Mr. Jenkins gave out two forced, dry gasps before he completely lost consciousness, and I did not observe any further respirations during the several seconds of my message to Tiffany. The only appropriate procedure I could perform would be cardiopulmonary resuscitation, as a last resort. The nurses showed up after what seemed to me an eternity in a moment but was probably no more than eight seconds. I heard a call for a rapid response to my floor as the shower room door opened. Tiffany hastened to Mr. Jenkins and began checking pupil response. No response. I was ordered to push Mr. Jenkins back to his room and helped load him onto a stretcher so the nurses could begin CPR. I suspected a stroke to be the culprit for this ordeal, but Mr. Jenkins’ blood pressure had only bottomed out in the shower, likely due to the high temperature of the water. Nurses commented on how well I handled the situation, and I replied that situations like that are why I chose the field healthcare. There is a sobering excitement to facing dynamic scenarios in healthcare. It is not the excitement that stops you in your tracks and produces sweaty palms; it is a feeling of reassurance and readiness in knowing that you are doing something that you are meant to do. It is a feeling I have encountered throughout my career in the healthcare field, and it is the reason why the most memorable shower of my life is the one I shared with Mr. Jenkins.

   I have always known what I wanted to be when I grew up. As a child, I once made a vow to my uncle who lost one of his legs in a vehicle crash that I would become a physician and reattach his leg, proving that I was equally as cognizant as other five-year-olds about medical prosthesis and nerve regeneration. My vow is undoubtedly a tall order to carry out, but I have dedicated my whole academic and professional career to fulfilling half of that promise. My foray into the arena of healthcare first began when I was 16 years old. I drove to the Johnson City Medical Center and spoke with the volunteer department about the opportunities open to me. I volunteered at the Patient Rehabilitation Center and watched physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists perform their daily duties. I was eager to learn and soon appreciated the multi-faceted nature of healthcare. I went on to volunteer in the Emergency Department three years later, while I simultaneously worked as a Designated Hitter doing the work of a pharmacy technician at my local retail pharmacy. I constantly made connections between the separate aspects of healthcare to which I was exposed. I saw how a grueling a process recovery is for some patients. Patients who were victims of a car crash would enter the trauma rooms of the ED, and I would formulate mock paths of recovery for them. I had an idea of how their physical therapy would go and how eagerly they would be to carry it out. I also had a dreadful idea of how difficult it would be for some patients to receive the medications needed to make recovery as smooth as possible. These experiences engendered in me a good baseline education on the realities of what it means to work in medicine.
   I met and observed a physician assistant during my time volunteering and became interested about his position. He was always heavily engaged in assessing the trauma patients who would be wheeled into the trauma rooms, gauging cognition and helping choreograph everyone’s duties during the process. He always had an answer for patients and their families when they were confused about their case, and he would command the room without escalating tensions whenever he was confronted with difficult patient behavior. He told me about the career mobility that PAs have due to their being trained in every realm of healthcare. I was intrigued to find out that one could switch fields if they chose, and I admired the idea of having a depth of knowledge and experience in multiple fields over a long career in medicine. Witnessing his expansive knowledge of treatment and observing his masterful method of communicating with patients inspired me to become more knowledgeable about what it means to be a PA, and it certainly played an essential role in my decision to pursue this career.

   My education and experience while studying at East Tennessee State University cemented my path to becoming a physician assistant. I studied a myriad of scientific subjects that sparked an even deeper interest in the science behind my future practice: biology, cellular biology, ecology, human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology, virology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and neurology. Medical conditions were no longer defined only by their effects on the patient in my head; I could then explain the mechanics behind the ailments as well. I learned how the medications I regularly handed out bind to specific proteins in the body and elicit a cellular response, hormonal or otherwise, that would aid in the healing process. I understood why the patients with traumatic brain injuries were impulsive and temperamental. My newfound knowledge gave me the ability to think innovatively about solutions to patients’ problems. I saw this ability performed regularly by physician assistants when I began my work as a certified nursing assistant on the trauma and med-surg floors of Johnson City Medical Center.

   Working as a CNA was the best decision I made to prepare myself for real-world healthcare. I was no longer reading procedural literature in a cushioned room; I was on my feet for twelve hours a day carrying out medical duties alongside other medical professionals. I got to see PAs explain the plan of care to their patients, and counsel their family members. I talked to physician assistants about how they carry out plans of care, and I was excited to learn about the surgeries in which they took part. I wore my curiosity on my sleeve and learned about procedures that were so counterintuitive as to seem comically crude, such as kyphoplasty (which involves pumping a vertebra with cement). I learned that being a medical professional comes with responsibility beyond only carrying out the mechanics of medical procedures; one must also function as a counselor and educator of a sort. I implemented what I learned into my practice as a CNA. This payed off because hospital surveyors later congratulated me on my patients’ testimony about my care and the fact that all my patients knew me by name. These PAs with whom I worked took the time to educate patients about prevention and recovery instead of just prescribing medication to them and leaving summarily. I think educating patients is essential to the recovery process. I have seen what damage simple ignorance can wreak on vulnerable patients. My father passed when I was eight years old due to poor lifestyle habits and lack of education on medication. I feel that if I were older at the time of his passing, I could have stepped in and encouraged lifestyle changes and monitoring of his own health. I do not take these things lightly because I have seen what change even a little bit of education can make to a patient’s well-being. These PAs diligently kept the nurses informed of any changes in the plans of care, and they always had a closed loop of communication between them and their colleagues. I consider myself blessed to have had such a fulfilling tenure as a CNA. It taught me how every level of care is meaningful, and it allowed me a detailed look at the everyday practice of PAs.

   My time shadowing, studying, and working has taught me many things – many things about the value and transiency of health, the practice of medicine, and human nature. However, what I hold dearest in my mind are the lessons I learned about myself. I learned that I want to be a part of the recovery and healing process for patients in need. I learned that being a physician assistant is in my mind a lifestyle choice, not only a career choice. I have learned that becoming an effectual healthcare practitioner is my lifelong goal, and I am bringing that goal to life by constantly expanding my skills and experiences in healthcare at every opportunity.

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2. Katie says

   January 17, 2020 at 7:01 pm

   My mom often reminds me of her favorite quote from Sheryl Sandberg: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”. When contemplating what this means to me, and how I can act as a fearless leader within my own life, I know pursuing my dream of becoming a physician assistant (PA) embodies her message. As a clinical dietitian, I’ve become comfortable in my way of life: a job I can rely on, patients who know me, and a foundation of knowledge I am confident in. Although the work I do everyday is impactful, I aspire to have more direct involvement in patient care as a PA.

   When I first entered the world of nutrition about 7 years ago, I envisioned myself working in preventative care exclusively through a dietary lens. Being in the intensive care unit (ICU) during my dietetic internship gave me a whole new perspective on the impact I can have on a patient’s life. Every morning I had the privilege of rounding with the interdisciplinary team to design life-saving treatment plans for patients. I listened as the practitioners spoke in what seemed to be a foreign language, and realized my interest in medicine overshadowed that of nutrition. I wanted to know every detail, and went out of my way to seek out further medical education by seeing intubations, endoscopies, and learning to interpret imaging. These encounters solidified my desire to be directly responsible for the outcomes of those in my care.

   After my internship, I began working at a level 1 trauma hospital, and subsequently met a cardiac ICU PA named John, who inspired me to pursue this profession for myself. He believed in the importance of nutrition for his patients, and depicted the type of practitioner I hope to become. I will never forget one patient, Brian, who was on multiple vasopressors after an extensive triple coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Due to this, he was unable to receive enteral nutrition for over two weeks. John and I collaborated daily to ensure Brian was put on the proper parenteral nutrition regimen to fit his medical needs and hypermetabolic state. I believe he survived because of the flawless care plan John executed. He advocated for all members of the care team, including myself, to do what was best for his patient. This is the exact work I strive to replicate as a healthcare provider, and now a future PA.

   Since committing to the path of becoming a PA, I sought out a position that would better reflect these roles and responsibilities. In my current job at a dialysis clinic, the staff rely on me for many aspects of patient care, including reviewing labs and making appropriate medication changes. This is something dietitians rarely assist with, and this small taste of expanded practice has confirmed my desire to become a PA. That being said, I still find moments throughout the day where I am not able to make the impact I desire. Patients confide in me about conditions I cannot treat, such as chronic pain or substance abuse. As a PA, I would be able to address these confounding issues directly.

   Becoming a PA will allow me to hold on to the part of being a dietitian that I love most: providing direct patient care, while also broadening my scope of practice. No matter my role, I will always consider my patients and their families to be my number one priority. While my job is to focus solely on nutrition, my duty is to support my patients in their overall well-being and goals of care. For example, I actively seek resources for my patients that are food insecure, and am starting a food pantry to increase community access to good nutrition. As a PA, I would have further qualifications to support patients in even more monumental ways.

   While I enjoy working individually with patients, being a part of my clinic team has brought out the best in me as a provider. This is the main reason I aspire to be a PA over another practitioner. Working under multiple physicians throughout my career, I have developed a balance of autonomy and teamwork that is vital to the PA role. I communicate with my attending physician daily to relay important patient updates, but am also confident adjusting treatment plans on my own. Becoming a PA would give me the capabilities to more readily accommodate the needs of my patients.

   My unique experience as a dietitian is parallel in many ways to that of a PA, and has prepared me to be successful in this profession. I have cultivated skills in managing treatment plans, communicating with teams, and developing a patient-centered mindset that cannot be derived from a classroom. Simply put, I aspire to be a PA because when I imagine the provider I hope to become, I think of the PAs that have inspired me. For now, I will continue to serve my patients however I can as a dietitian, and wait for this dream to take shape.

   What would I do if I wasn’t afraid? This is the first step.

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3. Alison Bean says

   January 16, 2020 at 8:20 pm

   Here is a first draft of my personal statement:

   It was my first trip to a hospital and at 12-years old, I had no idea what to expect. The air in the car grew thick with anxiety as it cruised ever closer to downtown Boston along the winding turns of Storrow Drive. The goal of the day was to figure out why a 12-year-old was consistently outputting systolic blood pressures in the 150 range. I nodded along to the explanations of each test that was planned, though I had no idea what each one entailed. As I underwent the various tests my nerves started to transform into curiosity. My thoughts faded away as I watched in amazement when the outlines of my renal blood vessels appeared on the monitor during an ultrasound. I had dozens of questions about how the IV contrast dye I was injected with for a CT scan was going to allow the doctors to see abnormalities in my body’s vasculature. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the day was when I got to see a 3D projection of my heart and kidneys on a computer screen. It turned out that all it took to lower my blood pressure was to focus on the science and not the scary needles. From that day on, I was hooked. The seed harboring dreams of a future in medicine was firmly planted.

   My studies and experiences at the University of New Hampshire nurtured the seedling planted that day, but my first job after college as a medical assistant really started to pave the path towards becoming a physician assistant. It felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the various undirected positions I held in my youth. My role in the office was exciting and engaging, but having the opportunity to observe a cohesive, talented team of providers was perhaps the most valuable aspect of the experience. The foundation of kindness, trust, and confidence that the doctors and nurse practitioners all worked to build with each other and with their patients was inspiring. I can remember one instance with a nervous patient who arrived for a knee joint aspiration. I watched as the nurse practitioner skillfully put the patient at ease while assisting the doctor to remove a copious amount of yellow colored fluid from the inflamed joint. When the patient had arrived she could barely walk, but she left taking strong, pain-free strides.

   Following my time at the practice I spent time exploring the field of scientific research in cardiothoracic transplantation where I learned from amazing surgeons using science to try and improve patient outcomes after graft placement. I worked as an EMT where I developed the confidence required to administer patient care in a unique healthcare environment. I returned to my roots as a medical assistant in a hospital setting with dedicated nurses who helped me improve in all aspects of my patient care skills. By involving myself in this wide array of interests and environments I developed a versatility similar to that of physician assistants who have the opportunity to transfer their knowledge and skills between specialties.
   It wasn’t until I started shadowing a PA that I realized truly how influential their role can be as part of a medical team. I had the opportunity to shadow PAs in cardiac surgery, and having never seen surgery first-hand before made the experience all the more exhilarating. I watched in awe during a triple coronary artery bypass while the PA located, isolated, and removed the radial artery from the patient’s left arm. He moved with such precision and confidence, all while taking the time to explain to me his every move. I observed as he worked with the surgeon to attach the radial artery to the heart and bypass a blockage that could be deadly to the patient. Each aspect of surgery I had the opportunity to witness relied on the skills and expertise of the PA to be successful. I aspire to be valued as part of a team where each member’s skill set is appreciated and utilized to help a patient have the best outcome, and I have seen this dominating in the PA role.

   Every opportunity I have pursued since I was that anxious 12-year-old girl experiencing the world of medicine for the first time has brought me towards my decision to become a PA. I found an outlet in medicine for my strengths as an empathetic listener, a curious mind, and compassionate caregiver. My experience in diverse environments such as primary care, scientific research, and emergency medicine will undoubtedly make me a more skilled and confident healthcare provider. The ultimate goal is to work hard every day to provide exceptional care to patients as part of a collaborative team, and I am excited about the possibility of reaching this goal as a physician assistant.

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