The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative

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1. Gabrielle Barron says

   July 18, 2019 at 11:58 am

   Hello!

   I am a second time applicant. I am unsure about my first and last paragraph. Thanks for the help!

   For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Both of my parents are physicians, so I couldn’t imagine pursuing a different career. As a child of two doctors, I was able to personally witness the importance of their work. While it was clear that my parents’ careers could sometimes be challenging, it was also obvious that they found great satisfaction in being able to make a difference in the lives of their patients. By witnessing this, I realized I wanted to become involved in healthcare as well. Although I knew, without question, my purpose was to serve people, it wasn’t until two years ago that I realized the best means for doing so was by pursuing a career as a physician assistant. This realization came as a result of several important experiences, the first of which was my involvement at Ele’s Place.

   In 2017, I started volunteering at Ele’s Place, which is a grieving center for children and adults. In this role, I was able to work with the Pre-Kindergarten group as a Support Group Facilitator, assisting children in mourning the death of their parents or grandparents. I soon learned that I was well suited for this position because I, myself, had dealt with the death of my childhood friend, Jake. Because I had personally dealt with my own grief, I was better equipped to help these children cope with their loss. While working with the parents and children, I realized a very important relationship exists between grief and mental health. I learned that, as a clinician, it is critical to create a trusting and comfortable environment for patients in order to facilitate their own grieving process. Overall, this position helped me foster and develop the empathetic listening skills I will need to become an effective physician assistant. This experience was the first of several that helped me to understand that becoming a physician assistant is the ideal choice for me.

   Along with volunteering at Ele’s Place, I was also working as a Patient Registration Clerk at North Ottawa Family Medicine. In this facility, I was able to assist patients in relaying medical information to and from providers in our office. I also had the privilege of shadowing Theresa Pebbles, PA-C, who is extremely personable with her patients. She incorporated many different aspects of health and patient care into her practice with every patient. She is an expert at balancing psychology with internal anatomy and physiology of the human body. She also understands the importance of considering the patient’s environment, nutritional needs, and personal lifestyle. After witnessing Theresa’s interactions with her patients and those around her, I was able to see how she works as a team player with everyone in the office. The teamwork between the physicians, medical assistants, managers, and front staff helped the office treat patients thoroughly and efficiently. Ultimately, it is this experience that showed me what it takes to ensure patients receive exceptional care.

   Another important experience that contributed to my decision to become a physician assistant is my current position as a Patient Care Nursing Assistant at the Cleveland Clinic. In this role, I have experienced a multitude of moments that have shaped who I am as a person and who I want to be for the individuals I serve. Over the course of the past year, I have learned that I truly live for the rare opportunities where I can slow down and establish a personal connection with my patients. Too often, in the medical field, patients can feel as if they are simply a “number.” I never want a patient to feel this way, and I believe by becoming a physician assistant, I can make sure patients are given an experience where they feel cared for and valued. It is this belief that has guided my decision to pursue a career as a physician assistant.

   Ultimately, these experiences have shaped both the physician assistant that I want to become and how I hope to grow in my career in the future. I believe physician assistants are an integral part of our growing American healthcare system, and the demand for proficient healthcare providers has been increasing and will only continue to do so in the coming years.

   I am eager to enter this program, as becoming a physician assistant will allow me to explore a wide variety of interests, which is a goal I have always considered essential in my future success. As an aspiring physician assistant, I hope to utilize my knowledge of psychology and my background from my various places of healthcare employment to assist me as I train and learn to serve a diverse population of patients. As I continue to pursue my career goals, I am committed to ensuring that my patients feel as though they are people, not numbers. I am excited to continue this journey and make a positive impact in the lives of my future patients, as my childhood dream of helping others has never waivered, and it never will.

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2. Bri says

   July 12, 2019 at 7:30 pm

   (I am a third time applicant. I have interview twice and not gotten in yet. I am about 60 characters over.)

   “Ricardo!” I yell out into the waiting room, ready to begin rooming my next patient. A pale-faced young man slowly began walking towards me breathing heavily and carrying an emesis bag. After arriving in the exam room, I began taking his vital signs. “O2 is 98, pulse is 98 and blood pressure is 168/102. Tell me what has been going on, Ricardo.” Sitting on the edge of the exam table, Ricardo stated his symptoms through labored breathing: vomiting, fatigue, bruising, and bloody stools.

   After examining and visiting with Ricardo, Melanie, a PA in the urgent care, approached me unsure of his ailment and asked that I order lab work. Melanie looked over his lab results and somberly said, “I have never seen lab values this critical. I need you to call an ambulance, and I will call the hospitalist. He needs to be on dialysis.” Ricardo, a 26-year-old male checked in for nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath, which are all common in an urgent care setting; however, today it was not just a virus or bacterial infection. Today, it was end-stage renal failure and congenital heart failure.

   Throughout my volunteering, shadowing and work experience, I have been exposed to many different professions within the medical field. However, I have been drawn to the compassion, versatility, and collaboration within the PA profession. Witnessing Melanie’s knowledge and ability to diagnose Ricardo’s medical condition furthered my resolve to become a PA; however, my ambition is also fueled by the warm and compassionate care that extends beyond the patient. Connie, another PA in the urgent care, effortlessly showed me how when losing a patient, caring for a child, or providing care for a very sick individual, the family becomes your patient as well.

   Kip looked at me with a haze in his eyes and struggled to speak through his labored breathing, “my body is hot, been coughing, and I breathing like this.” His O2 saturation was 88, but the way he spoke, often times not making sense, was just as alarming. The results from his blood work and chest x-ray made it possible for Connie to diagnose Kip with bilateral pneumonia. Based on the combination of Kip’s lab work, x-ray, and delirium, Connie insisted on admitting him to the hospital for IV antibiotics. She was afraid he had become septic.

   Kip had checked in alone because his wife was at work, and it was clear to Connie that she needed to be informed of Kip’s physical situation. When Kip’s wife arrived at the clinic, Connie compassionately spoke to her about his condition and her plan. Tenderly and attentively, she answered any question Kip and his wife had. Connie understood that the patient’s family is vital in the healing process, and treated Kip’s wife as if she were her patient as well.

   Within the past two years, I expanded my medical knowledge beyond the urgent care setting by working as a medical assistant in a family care facility and as a nursing assistant at Mercy Hospital. With these experiences, I have witnessed how primary care is the core of healthcare and learned the ins and outs of the hospital environment. I now have a better understanding of common blood tests, medications, diagnostic exams and medical equipment. Throughout my time in patient care, I have embraced my experiences with my patients. I make sure to listen, communicate and connect with them to ensure that my patients feel heard and that their needs are met. Recently, I was reminded why this connection, verbal or not, is important to patient care.

   “I’m all nasty. I’m so uncomfortable” Katherine whispers to me. Sitting in her own urine, desperation gleamed from her eyes asking for help. Katherine was admitted to the hospital after her hip replacement surgery, and with her neutropenic typhlitis, a stage three bed sore, and cancer she was not in good shape. I spent a lot of time feeding, bathing, and cleaning her up after incontinent accidents, and in this time I was met with grateful smiles, nods, and a quiet “I appreciate you.” It is times like this when I am affirmed in my decision to become a PA. I want to connect to and treat vulnerable patients like Katherine so they can live their best lives and fulfill their purpose.

   There is something special about the PA community. As a coworker and a patient, I have witnessed PAs go out of their way to create meaningful, personable and unique relationships with their patients. Each experience, old and new, has cemented my decision to become a PA and influenced what kind of PA I strive to be. I want to have the education to diagnose and treat patients as Melanie did with Ricardo. I want to be able to extend patient care to the patient’s family as Connie did with Kip and his wife. I want to uniquely connect with the hearts of my patients while providing quality care for patients like Katherine. Together, these experiences have taught me how to be a compassionate advocate for every patient’s tenacity, resilience, and quality of life. I am ready to extend medical care and education to more individuals across our community as a PA.

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3. Corrie says

   July 10, 2019 at 4:14 pm

   Hello and thank you for offering a free service option. This is my second draft.

   St. Louis, Missouri, on a Saturday. She looked at me, eyes wide, eyebrows lifted. Her hair, once dark and full, is now washed out and sparse. Its strands couldn’t possibly bear the weight of a single touch. Her frame once plump is now drained of life. Her chin, neck and arms tell a story her words can’t. “What can you do for me?”, she asks. “What could you possibly do?”. In truth, I had tools that could help, but in that moment, I realized that it wouldn’t be enough.
   My journey to becoming a physician assistant is, admittedly, delayed but was always sure. When I changed majors in my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to continue learning medical science but I wasn’t sure which path was right for me. “You’ve always like to cook, why don’t you try nutrition?”. My mom has always been supportive, lending an ear to all my questions. In taking cooking classes and learning about food service, I was glad I took a chance to learn more about this field but I found that I had a greater desire to learn medical nutrition. As a student, I was told I thought too deeply about things. I believe this is why I excelled more in subjects like physiology than chemistry. This habit of mine would continue to serve me well in practice as a dietitian. In practice, I would be seeing a variety of patients but my passion was the intensive care patients. I looked forward to rounding with the care team and listening to the recommendations and input from other disciplines. By experiencing the world of critical and long-term acute care, I knew that I wanted to continue beyond nutrition and go back to my medical science roots.
   Every day I am consulted for nutrition therapy. I’m sure most patients hear nutrition and believe I’ll be talking to them about how they should lose weight and that “clean” eating is the only lifestyle. Soon after, they hear these words, “it will be more difficult for you to heal without adequate nutrition”. I have conversations with doctors, nurses, therapists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants on a regular basis about nutrition. In one specific instance, I was fortunate enough to talk to a PA one on one about a nutrition plan. In my hospital, most PAs work in the emergency department. Rarely are dietitians referred in this setting however, one afternoon, I received a phone call from a PA to discuss nutrition support. It was only by experiencing this interaction did I learn more about what it meant to be a PA. I see and talk to physicians on a daily basis but my interactions with PAs are uniquely different. I believe it was by practicing with a PA that I could really appreciate how they practice.
   For me, being a physician assistant is the perfect combination of passion for medical science that I’ve always had and the desire to work within a care team that I learned was so important.
   “Thank you”, she’ll say. “All of you, thank you”. She looked at me. Eyes still wide but now gazing clear. Her smile stretched wide revealing pearly new teeth, pink gums. Her hair, now styled, not shedding. She’ll steadily walk towards me and hand me her doll as if to say “will you accept my gratitude?” Holding a snack in the other, her hands will be plump and full of life. So, this is what it feels like. To give life to knowledge that can heal and inspire hope.

   Thank you

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4. Steve F says

   July 9, 2019 at 10:46 am

   As is true for most veterans, training for the military put me in the best physical shape of my life. We have the strength and stamina to carry half our weight in gear all day, fast rope out of helicopters onto moving ships, and carry members of our unit out of a hot zone. Our performance must be maintained at peak levels for peak performance at all times. However, this level of intensity has its drawbacks. The constant running with heavy weight takes its toll in the form of ankle, knee, hip, and spine osteoarthritis. Whenever we jump behind cover and climb a Jacobs Ladder in heavy seas, we are in a higher risk for sprains, fractures, and dislocations. And that does not take into account injuries from enemy fire or environmental contact. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to see why our veteran health system is overworked. While steps are now in place to help get veterans the best treatment possible, up until a short time ago the main remedy involved opioids.
   In the United States, only about a fifth of ordinary citizens see a doctor for chronic pain. However over half of veterans, a significant part of that particular population, are treated for persistent pain due to service-related injuries. One of those individuals is my father-in-law, a combat disabled Vietnam veteran. Through the rigors of intense physical conditioning, exposure to Agent Orange, and the stress of living in a combat zone, he acquired many conditions including knee and spine osteoarthritis, PTSD, and endocrine imbalances. His VA experience until just recently was abysmal, with overworked providers barely even talking to him before doling out treatment. This treatment mainly consisted of opioids to “get him through”. According to my wife, not only did this have a negative impact on his mood and irritability, it soon became ineffective as he developed a tolerance for the medication. He was finally weaned off opioids for better pain management treatment, however this only happened in the past year. As I was away during my own tour of duty while this was happening, my reunion with him was shocking. The morose, cranky guy I knew for 10 years was replaced with a bright, jubilant man who hugged me for the first time since I’ve known him. His back has been successfully treated, his knees are on track for surgery, and his anxiety has been handled. The unfortunate part of this is that it took over 40 years for him to be regarded as a human by his providers.
   My father-in-law is not the only one. I have proudly served with individuals who either are or will be permanently disabled due to their sacrifice. I myself am apprehensive about what the future holds from my time in a combat zone and exposure to open-air burn pits. However, I am not apprehensive about my future care. The shape of the VA is changing, not in small part due to many veterans like me who are focusing on careers in medicine specifically because of our experiences in the military. We have already proven our drive and dedication to both our jobs and to one another. As a Physician Assistant, I can continue to serve my fellow veterans because I know what they have gone through. I will be a part of the solution, helping to fix the problems plaguing the VA health care system. There is a long road in front of us, but we know how to stick together to leave no-one behind.

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