The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative

Comments

1. natalie says

   June 21, 2017 at 10:54 am

   Hello, this is my draft and any feedback helps. Thank you for your time!

   Puberty is a trying time in many adolescents’ lives. While it was trying for me, it was also inspirational. I remember the acne that came along with that stage; it was not something I could easily accept. Over the years, my acne progressively worsened. My face transitioned from a smooth canvas to a bubbly, greasy, irritated plateau riddled with bumps. I decided it was time to visit a dermatologist. The clinician I met with was a physician assistant (PA) who expressed compassion and empathy while treating my skin. While I was feeling emotional about my skin and nervous about the skin treatments, the PA was patient and understanding. She was honest and explained to me the procedures as well as the expected results for my chronic condition. Knowing what the best treatment for my diagnosis was led her to restoring my healthy skin. It was her intellect and professionalism that led me to appreciate and admire her and the PA profession.
   My early experiences with PAs did not end there. I was hospitalized for bilateral pyelonephritis. The urology PAs went above and beyond and took it upon themselves to educate me on my disease state. They addressed my concerns and comforted me emotionally with self-assurance and support. I recall two PAs taking time from their day to play ‘Mad Libs’ with me and encouraging me to stay positive during a difficult time. This showed me that their profession is not limited to an eight hour shift, but rather it is a continuous effort when it comes to personal care. The positive energy, multidisciplinary approach, and empathy that was evident by the care I received further amplified my appreciation for the profession. It was those moments during my pubescent years that played such a dominant role in my dreams of pursuing a career as a PA.
   While my adolescent years played a huge role in my aspirations of becoming a PA, I knew from a young age that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. The human body fascinated me; it is so complex, but yet so fragile. I ventured into the healthcare field in order to get a better grasp of what it entails. I worked closely with a physician at a private cardiology office affiliated with “The Brooklyn Hospital Center.” Moreover, I shadowed PAs in the emergency room and assisted in several surgical subspecialties at NYU Lutheran Medical Center. While I shadowed and worked closely with other practitioners over the years, I got more involved and had diverse experiences while working closely with PAs. I was impressed by the multiple surgical and clinical subspecialties they worked in and noticed how passionate they were about the growing profession. I also noticed that PAs take a more personal approach thus creating meaningful relationships with the patients, which allows them to provide the best care possible. Those aspects increased my desire to pursue a PA career.
   While shadowing PAs and volunteering in the surgery and emergency room, I became accustomed to the workflow of the stressful and labor intensive environment. I was impressed by the team collaboration and how PAs were able to handle multiple tasks, see several patients, and make decisions in a limited amount of time. The PA-patient interaction and the rapid decision making that I witnessed in the emergency room provided an adrenaline rush that inspired me to gain BLS skills and become an EMT. Working for BRAVO Volunteer Ambulance further motivated me to become a PA. I became familiar with the medications and diseases and I always found myself interested in the patient’s diagnosis. As well, it has allowed me to feel confident and be mentally prepared to treat any patient with a life-threatening emergency. For example, my EMT partner and I went to a call for a patient that went into respiratory arrest. We ensured her airway was secured by inserting an OPA, followed by high flow oxygen. Such collaboration and ability to respond quickly as a team allowed us to save her life, as we rushed her to the nearest hospital. Team collaboration, effective communication, and emotional stability are skills that will ensure my success as a future physician assistant.
   My responsibilities are not limited to the medical field. As Vice President of the St. George’s Church Youth Organization, I assisted in fundraisers for Syrian refugees and families impacted by the Syrian Civil War. As a proud member of SAWA, our donations contributed to buying wheelchairs for the disabled Syrian victims. Giving back to the community has increased my awareness of the unprivileged. I learned to respect and accommodate each individual equally, regardless of their diagnosis, financial, cultural, or religious background.
   Balancing my responsibilities has taught me time management, which is an invaluable asset for my career moving forward. My work ethic has strengthened with every experience I have faced. Although I performed poorly in Biology during freshmen year of college, I challenged myself to repeat the course and received an A. I used this learning experience as a motivation to succeed in my future classes and as a reminder that the journey to success comes with bumps in the road. However, with determination and passion, anything can be achieved.
   Pursuing a career as a PA gives me the privilege to be a life-long learner and to be challenged intellectually since medicine is dynamic and constantly evolving. I have the opportunity to work in a range of specialties, in rural and underserved settings. I am an avid learner that is devoted to providing my future patients with the care they deserve. As well, I prefer to collaborate as a team and to ask for a second opinion from a supervisor, to provide the best treatment plan for patients.

   Reply

2. Lauren says

   June 21, 2017 at 10:13 am

   Here is my first draft of my completed personal statement. Thank you for your consideration and comments.

   Every child is plagued with the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Whether it is their parents, teachers, relatives, or friends, they can never escape without having to have an answer. For me, I could not fully commit to one profession. My answer always was “to help others.” I had the desire to be a veterinarian because I could help animals who were unable to help themselves. I could provide comfort for their owners in a time of need, and find solutions to problems for them. As I grew up, I realized I could not be a veterinarian. My love for animals prevented me from being able to deliver the news to a child that I could not save their childhood pet. However, my overwhelming desire to help remained. Once in high school, I stumbled on the pharmacy profession through working at an independent pharmacy as a cashier. I was intrigued by their knowledge of medications used to treat different disease states, and thought this was more up my alley. I focused on my grades and extracurriculars, and was offered admittance to an undergraduate university as a Pre-Admit student into their pharmacy program. I was elated, and thought this was a step in the right direction. However, upon entering the pharmacy school, my vision changed.

   I had been in the Doctorate of Pharmacy program for almost three months, and could not see myself as a pharmacist. The desire and passion had gone out of me after listening to the countless pharmacists explain their careers in the roundtables provided for the graduate students. While pharmacists help patients with medications and their questions regarding them, I realized I also desired a critical thinking position that will allow me to utilize other members of a healthcare team to formulate a treatment plan for a patient. Pharmacy did not fit the bill for me. It was in my Biomedical Sciences class that I felt compelled to explore some other healthcare opportunities available. After doing so and talking with a current physician assistant student, I realized where my heart truly lies. I was determined to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become a physician assistant.

   In December 2015, I came home after completing my first semester of pharmacy school and got straight to work. I enrolled in a Certified Nursing Assistant class and the few pre-requisite courses needed for the physician assistant program. After graduation, I accepted a Medical Assistant position with Patient First in June 2016 and have grown since being hired. It is a fast-paced, high-energy position that allows me to work with laboratory technicians, radiology technicians, physicians, physician assistants, and nurses. The collaboration between the various professions is astounding to watch – they all have the same goal of providing the best care for every patient. I was intrigued by the physician assistants specifically because they are responsible for a patient care plan, including gathering a health history, diagnosing the patient and creating a care plan. However, they have a physician to discuss options with if the need arises.

   One shadowing experience opened my eyes to a palliative care opportunity available to physician assistants. The physician assistant works in a Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care facility where she is responsible for establishing care plans for patients needing to regain their activities of daily living, while also caring for patients who will not leave the facility. It was inspiring to see and understand how she balances the workload, while taking each patient case individually and giving them her full attention. It is rewarding to know that some of her patients will get to go home and live their life like they did before their accident or medical condition.

   The physician assistant career is more than a job – it is a calling. It takes a certain type of person to be able understand someone’s’ pain and suffering, work with them and their fears about medicine, and come out with a positive result. Through my experiences I have been able to see what drives others to the profession, and now fully understand why I desire to be among them. I crave the autonomy the path provides, but also respect having another healthcare professional to ask questions to if I get stuck on a patient case. The flexibility will allow me the opportunity to explore various job settings and schedules to find the one that fits my lifestyle. The ability of physician assistants to switch specialties is appealing to me because I do not want to be grounded. I like knowing I can work in the Emergency Department setting, but can switch to private practice with a set schedule if my life requires it. Above all, I am passionate about being part of a profession that is focused on providing optimum care for every patient they encounter.

   Reply

3. Daniela says

   June 20, 2017 at 9:52 pm

   1st Draft Thanks for your help!!

   We sat quietly in the exam room looking at one another in the background you could hear the footsteps of nurses and doctors rushing in and out of rooms. My mom always looking quite nervous and uncomfortable to be there. I was eleven years old when I began to serve as my parent’s medical translator. At a very young age, I became familiar with feminine health and watched my mom undergo invasive and private exams. During those visits its as if our roles were reversed and I was responsible for her often standing by her side reassuring her everything would be okay. I would never mind accompanying her to doctors visits hearing medical terms and translating them to Spanish was a challenge I enjoyed. Sitting in that exam room with my parents while skipping school to do so became a common occurrence throughout my childhood, teen years, and adulthood.

   I grew up in a small rural community in Southeastern New Mexico where you have to commute to nearby towns to receive healthcare services. It wasn’t hard to notice the number of healthcare disparities my community was facing like the lack of specialty doctors, lack of healthcare coverage, and poor health literacy. When I began to notice these things my interest for science and medicine began to flourish. I enrolled in a dual-credit Phlebotomy program while in high school which fueled my interest to pursue a Bachelors of Science in Biology. While obtaining my Bachelors I felt a little lost being a first generation college student. My grades suffered as a consequence of this because my head wasn’t in it. At one point I even considered changing my major to Secondary Education. I visited middle and high school students interacting with kids who faced challenges similar to mine growing up. I knew I wanted to help people and impact rural communities like the one I grew up in.

   In the end my love for science and the motivation for obtaining a career where you are continually learning prevailed. I moved to Phoenix, Arizona a larger metropolitan area after receiving my Bachelors. It was here that I’ve been able to acquire extensive medical knowledge working as a flow cytometry aide in a clinical pathology lab and later as a research technician in Hematology with Mayo Clinic. Working in a lab has always come natural to me as I excelled in the lab courses I took during my time in the university. I have had the privilege to collaborate and acquire knowledge from medical doctors, physician assistants, doctoral students, clinical research coordinators, and fellow technicians. For the past three and a half years I have been handling patient samples and there are a couple of healthcare lessons I learned.

   In the clinical lab, I learned that although the patient was not present maintaining the integrity of the sample during processing was imperative. The patient is counting on you to receive the correct lab results and/or diagnosis. When samples arrive at the lab patient’s can be reduced to a name and number on a tube. I would take it upon myself to read every clinical history and summarize it for the Pathologist. Doing so reminded me of the importance of the diagnostic services we were providing not to a nameless John Doe but to a mother, father, sister, or child. My time working in cancer research has taught me an entirely different lesson. Clinical research samples are donated by patients solely for the purpose of advancing medicine. Without these samples creating biobanks would not be possible and therefore experimental data for different diseases could not be collected leaving many illnesses uncured or poorly understood. Even though my work is not hands with the patient I’m impacting the lives of many people by seeking to better understand Multiple Myeloma and find a cure in collaboration with my colleagues.

   Becoming a PA was not something I envisioned as a child or even as a college student. A combination of all the experiences listed above is my motivation for applying to PA school today. My experiences have allowed me to discover and appreciate what happens behind the scenes. The things patients do not see but which are vital to their care. Without the technology, research, and individuals who dedicate their lives to advancing science and medical care where would we be? I’m now seeking a medical career where I can continue to collaborate with different health care providers. While having the opportunity to directly interact with patients not to mention practice in a rural community because that’s where my heart is. I want to have the opportunity to ease the fears patients who are undergoing invasive procedures by breaking down those communication barriers my parents so often faced. Lives can be changed through patient education and I cannot help but feel excited that I too can be part of that change by becoming a PA.

   Reply

4. Sara says

   June 20, 2017 at 4:04 pm

   This is my first draft for my first time applying, I appreciate any constructive criticism!

   The first life I ever saved was my own fathers. Recognizing the symptoms, assessing the situation, administering medication in the hopes that I was wrong. Unfortunately, I was right, and my father was admitted to Mary Washington Hospital for a non ST elevated myocardial infarction. The next week was the most harrowing yet blessed week of my life. Blessed, because a 99% blockage was found with some time to spare, harrowing that my father now needed a quadruple coronary artery bypass graft and my mother was out of the country.

   I’ll never forget Dr. Harish Chandra pointing out the extremely narrow, barely visible artery to my younger brother and I in the cath lab, and commending me on my efforts to get my father there alive. If I had any doubts about becoming a healthcare provider prior to this event, they were certainly diminished during this time. My place was right where I had made it, diagnosing and treating patients, beginning with my father.

   I was raised to value all life on earth, regardless of whether it is human or animal or plant. I was raised to improve that life if needed; to ice and elevate a sprained ankle, to house a malnourished street cat, or to water a wilted plant. It is this value at my core that drives my decision to become an exemplary physician assistant for every life. During my time at Chippenham Medical Center as a medical scribe, I witnessed these values from every physician assistant I worked with. No job was too menial for them, no patient less important than the next. Now as a cardiology medical assistant, it was my turn to offer my patients the same care. Through the positions I have held in healthcare over the last three years, I have gained an immense understanding on emergency medicine as well as cardiology, which help me provide the best care and knowledge to my patients. There is no better feeling than when a patient tells me that they feel educated and are at ease before a cardiac procedure because I was able to explain medications, the procedure, and be honest about outcomes with them beforehand. Seeing a patient leave the office smiling before a procedure that they were full of fear about just a few minutes ago solidifies my reason to become a physician assistant every day.

   As a medical assistant, I am already changing lives of patients every day, as I hope to as a well rounded physician assistant. While my grades may not be the most impressive due to a time in college where I did not have direction, I believe my experiences and my drive far outweigh what my GPA says about me. I want to be the physician assistant that is the reason for another student to consider medicine, the type of physician assistant that inspires a child to heal others, the type of physician assistant whose care speaks volumes about her intellectual ability as well as her compassion for her patients.

   Reply

5. Kaley says

   June 19, 2017 at 3:32 pm

   This is my first draft. Any advise is much appreciated.

   Picture this. You are 19 years old, a sophomore in college, majoring and doing amazing in a rigorous under-grad program, getting to know new friends, experiencing the best years of your life. You have everything going for you, the world is in your hands, you have so many opportunities. And it all comes to a halt just like that, in the snap of a finger, you find out you are pregnant at the age of 19, at what seems to be the worst time in your life for this to occur. All your plans and dreams go out the door, you feel as if your world is crashing down… or so I thought.
   Finding out I was pregnant at the age of 19 was a feeling I will never forget. Nervousness, failure, disappointment, sadness, I felt it all. The reaction I got from my friends and family was all the same, “you’re never going to be able to finish school, you had so much going for you, your life is going to be changed forever.” I agreed with these words that everyone was telling me. I had so many plans and goals that now seemed unreachable. A certain Google search was what really tore me down the most- “less than 2% of teen moms graduate college by the age of 30”. How would I, out of all people, fall within this 2%. I would never be able to graduate college on time.
   But then it hit me, I wasn’t going to let a statistic scare me and hold me back, instead I would use it to drive me forward. I was going to prove every single person in my life who told me I wouldn’t be able to still accomplish my goals and dreams wrong. I was going to put my whole heart and soul into accomplishing all that I had previously hoped for, but I was going to do just that and more. I set the bar even higher than it had previously been. And just like that, my life had taken a complete turn. Partying and socializing was no longer an every weekend thing. Being a Mom was my full-time job. Aside from being at school, I spent all of my time with my son. In between feedings, and during naps, I would squeeze in all the time of studying that I could. In the free time that I had to take a break from being a Mom and go out, I chose to go to Starbucks to study and do homework. Graduating on time was always one of the top priorities on my list. I did everything in my power to make sure that this happened for me. Summer classes, winter classes, taking classes at other colleges so that it fit into my schedule, I did everything that I could to make sure that being a Mom at an unexpected time didn’t set me back but actually push me forward. I was no longer ending my semesters with a 3.4 GPA but now a 4.0. I finally found balance in life. I finally had a purpose, a motivation, someone to live for. On May 21, 2016, I graduated college alongside all of my friends with whom I had started off college as a freshman in 2012 with. I did it- not only for myself, but for my son. As he grows older, I want him to see that no matter the obstacle, if you have the motivation and the heart, you can overcome it.
   So where, do you ask, is the want to be a Physician Assistant fit into all of this. It was the influence of the person behind the curtain, or should I say the waiting room door, during this roller-coaster of a ride- my OBGYN, Sarah. She was’t just my OBGYN, she was a friend, my #1 confidant. She pushed me to finish school and pursue my forever dreams in healthcare. She supported me and was there for me when it seemed as though no one else was. She genuinely cared, and not once did she judge. She helped me navigate a job in which I could get a diverse set of patient-care experience prior to attending PA school, and made me realize that my aspiration of being a PA was not in the distance but more so in the forefront. It was clear that she put her whole heart and took much pride into the care in which she provided to her patients. It is these characteristics as I provider that I wish to instill in myself when caring for my own patients someday. I want to connect to my patient’s on a personal level, rather than just a provider-patient level. I want to positively impact my patient’s lives, just as Sarah did mine. “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do”- Edward Everett Hale.

   Reply

6. Jasmine says

   June 16, 2017 at 2:05 am

   This is my first draft so help is appreciated!

   A young man waved at me one day and said, “Hi, what’s your name?” On a rainy day, Nathan was standing in the grass outside playing a game of tetherball as I approached him. We introduced ourselves and began playing and talking about school, work, and our families. I then asked, “It’s pretty cold out, do you want to go inside?” He stopped, stared at me with a perplexed look on his face, and suddenly started falling forward. Putting my EMT skills to the test, I reacted quickly and was able to brace his fall before he hit his head. With grass and dirt all over his wet clothes, he looked up and asked, “Hi, what’s your name?” He had forgotten that he had fallen and why he was even in my arms. One year ago, Nathan suffered from a brain anteriovenous malformation bleed and CVA, which caused short-term memory loss. He is just 20 years old.
   A young woman smiled at me once; she could not take the grin off of her face when I walked into the room. She was in her bed as usual, with her mother by her side feeding her dinner. Rebecca’s left side is weak, so I began massaging her left arm. This being the third time meeting Rebecca, I asked her if she remembered my name. “Oh, no she doesn’t remember stuff like that,” her mom said. Then, I heard Rebecca whisper, “Hi, Jasmine.” Her mother began crying tears of joy. Two days after giving birth to her second child, Rebecca suffered from a CVA that rendered her hemiplegic and with short-term memory loss.
   I met both Nathan and Rebecca while volunteering at Ryan’s Reach, a group home for people with traumatic brain injuries. I work alongside other volunteers including speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. With my experience as an EMT, the owners took me in with alacrity. I began volunteering at Ryan’s Reach because my boyfriend’s dad Troy also suffered from a traumatic brain injury. He fell 10 feet and landed on his head. The fall caused much adversity for both Troy and his family. His personality and motivation was altered, and this shifted the entire dynamic of the family. Witnessing the hardship and burden this toll took on the family drove me in the direction of patient care.
   I began working as an EMT because I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. The EMS field has taught me a great deal in regards to fundamental healthcare. I have a strong desire to care for patients, but working as an EMT is not enough to fulfill that desire. Every day, I transport different patients and hand off care, not knowing what happens next and not being able to help each patient take the next step in improving his or her health. Volunteering at Ryan’s Reach gave me the opportunity to interact with and care for the same patients on a regular basis, but my scope of practice is limited. As a physician assistant, I will be able to take that next step with each and every patient and follow through to the end of each patient’s care.
   In my time shadowing a physician assistant at an urgent care clinic and family practice, I witnessed the PA’s compassion, understanding, empathy, and desire to help – attributes that I respect and to which I ascribe. Whether it be suturing lacerations and ameliorating a patient’s stress level or reviewing treatment options for a follow-up back pain patient, the PA came to work every day with a passion in providing exceptional patient care.
   Now when I visit, Nathan comes up to me and exclaims “Jasmine! It’s so nice to see you!” Providing Nathan and every patient with the compassionate and loving care they deserve is something I hold close to my heart. I have experienced countless moments with patients such as those with Nathan and Rebecca that have motivated me to pursue the PA profession. I am confident that my compassion to learn, my commitment to patient care, and my drive to succeed will lead me to success in the PA profession.

   Reply

7. amber S says

   June 15, 2017 at 3:22 pm

   This is my second draft of my personal statement. Please let me know if my paper is all over the place.
   As I stepped onto the iron stool, I took one more look at my patient’s mother and I began thrusting into her son’s chest. I had his life in my hands and I could feel the direct penetration to his heart every time I pushed down; I knew his ribs had cracked. I was sweaty, tired, and uncertain her son would even gain his pulse back. Nevertheless, I continued pushing as firm and as swift as I could. I knew we couldn’t give up. Her face pleaded for us to continue. I looked at my team and I knew we all hoped for the possibility of the nurse feeling a faint pulsation against his fingers as the physician yelled pulse check. Unfortunately, after a long, exhausting, and disappointing 30 minutes he never regained his pulse. I watched as the physician asked his mother if we can stop CPR. Her body dropped to the cold hard floor. That is one of my most vivid memories since becoming an emergency room technician. He was the first patient I’ve ever lost. The ER has given me so many memorable experiences and lessons. Most importantly it has taught me as William Osler said medicine is the science of uncertainty and the art of probability. I’m reminded every day in this position why I choose medicine. I choose medicine because of probability. The probability that I can make a significant impact on someone’s life. The possibility that I could save the next patient.
   My fondness for medicine and the physician assistant profession began in my teenage years when I started to grow a substantial amount of facial hair. I was a seventeen-year-old girl with a full beard and sideburns. I constantly felt embarrassed; I would spend hours in the mirror jabbing into my face trying to find ingrown hairs. My face was smothered with scars and tiny aching pimples. During this time my self-confidence plummeted and I suffered from depression issues. My mother eventually scheduled a visit to the endocrinologist and I was seen by a PA. As I conversed with the physician assistant I began to see how she was a vital asset to her team of medical practitioners. She diagnosed me with polycystic ovary syndrome and recommended that alongside medications, I also get laser surgery. After six months of treatment, my hirsutism slowed down. The PA had given me my normal life back and had boosted my self-confidence but most importantly, she had inspired me to become a physician assistant.
   Upon enrollment into college, I had two goals in mind. My goals were to help young women in the community battle and overcome self-confidence issues and to pursue a career as a PA. In pursuit of these goals, I joined a sorority and other on-campus organizations that contributed to the progressive development of young girls into inspiring women. At volunteer activities, I spoke to women about my college experiences and my future career goals. While attending these empowerment meetings, I realized the question “what is a PA?” was asked too often. As a result, I began to spread awareness about this amazing profession. With the help of my sorority sisters, I began to conduct events dedicated to the PA profession on campus and surrounding areas. With commitment and dedication, I was able to educate young ladies on the academic and professional values of being a PA. The impact I made through this endeavor was a constant reminder of my encounter with my physician assistant and the boost she gave my self-confidence which heavily influenced my future aspirations of becoming a PA.
   While an undergraduate student, my time management skills were substandard. I was working two part-time job positions and was an executive board member of my sorority. I was consumed by my engagement in multiple activities and it began to take a toll on my academic performance. However, I continued to strive and improved my grades. My grades are not a strong reflection of my academic ability, but I have since learned how to manage and utilize my time effectively. In the past year, I have worked hard to ensure my route into the PA profession isn’t altered. I finished my prerequisites, earned a B.S in biology, shadowed, became a medical scribe and I’m currently an emergency room technician. My determination and dedication to my goals have continued to drive my pursuit of becoming a well-rounded physician assistant and I want nothing more than to prove that I am worthy of your strongest consideration.

   Reply

8. Rachel says

   June 15, 2017 at 1:18 pm

   Through thirteen-year-old eyes, I watched with curiosity as my godmother, Emily grimaced in pain. Her husband wiped her head with a cool, wet towel and calmly told her to breathe. “Would anyone like to help?” asked the doctor as he pulled rubber gloves over his hands. To my surprise, he threw a blue gown over my head, snapped latex gloves on my hands, and told me to stand in front of the birth canal and prepare to deliver the baby. As instructed, I felt for the baby’s head, cusped it with my fingers, and gently pulled as Emily pushed. “It’s a boy,” I choked as tears poured down my face. In the illuminating glow of a mother’s face as she sees her baby for the first time, I was overcome with joy.

   Witnessing the miracle of life and the amazing changes the human body can endure initially sparked my interest in medicine. While shadowing a PA at the local hospital in Gainesville, I was introduced to triaging and transitioning from diagnosis to treatment. This exposed me to the immense responsibilities of a healthcare provider, but my experience volunteering in the NICU was where I learned the necessity of humanity in a medical professional. The newborn lying before me was screeching in pain. I watched as the nurse injected Methadone into his IV and tried to calm him. “Would you like to hold him?” she asked as she lifted him out of the crib. I volunteered without hesitation, cuddling him close to my body. It was not long until his crying dissipated and his eyes slowly drifted shut. I was overcome with emotion, realizing the suffering baby just went through his first episode of drug withdrawal. This changed my perception of medicine and, ultimately, sent me on the path to becoming a physician assistant. I realized medicine involves more than technology and science; medicine is an art that blends physical treatment with compassion. As a future PA, I intend to embrace this art and treat patients with knowledge and empathy.
   After a few years I decided I wanted to do more than make people comfortable. I wanted to be involved. My CPR certification and experience working in Dr. Kay Lowney’s Family Medicine and Express Care office subsequently prepared me for a position as a physical therapy technician. One day at work, a woman smiled at me as I called her from the lobby. Her name was Pam. She was slumped over in the chair, a walker sitting in front of her. I grew close to Pam as I coached her through each of her exercises. I listened to her talk about her pain and played a supportive role during her treatments. “I can’t do it,” Pam said each time I assigned an exercise. “I have faith you can,” I replied. She slowly gained confidence in her abilities as she successfully completed each exercise. As her muscles got stronger, the exercises became easier, and she grew more independent. We celebrated when I finally weaned her from the walker because her legs were stronger and balance improved. As Pam was leaving the clinic on her last day, without assistance, she confidently walked to me and embraced me in a hug as her eyes filled with tears. Without a word, she made perfect sense.
   It was during this time working as a physical therapy technician that solidified my desire to become a physician assistant. Working in physical therapy was a fantastic experience, but I craved a wider scope of practice; I wanted to be involved in diagnosing patients and creating treatment plans, rather than merely following orders. I decided to shadow physician assistant at the local hospital. Watching Norman obtain a thorough history and physical exam on patients made me yearn for more knowledge. I admired the relationship he and his supervising surgeon had; they trusted each other and worked in tandem providing quality, evidence-based care to each of their patients. Frequently Norman and the surgeon would rattle off statistical data that correlated with their objective findings in order to come up with a plan of care for their patients. Working in this capacity made me value the wealth of knowledge Norman had and how well it complemented that of the physician he was working with.
   Over the past year, I have accumulated more than 2000 hours of HCE through my job as a technician and a medical research coordinator while also taking and retaking post-baccalaureate classes to improve my overall GPA. There have been more than a few very long nights and days, but I have done my best to prove that I am able to handle a rigorous academic schedule. After the 12 hours of science-based courses I have taken over the past year, I have accumulated a post-baccalaureate GPA of 4.0.
   Despite the birth that brought me to the hospital at 13 years old, the sounds, the residents, and the organized chaos of the halls have become an integral part of this new chapter in my life. As I move forward in my journey to become a PA, I never lose sight of my ultimate goal: to turn the suffering face of that NICU baby into the overwhelming happiness of a healed patient, like Pam. While I realize all patient encounters will not be this idyllic, I believe that with the right treatment and a provider’s compassion, sickness can often be defeated. In time and with hard work, it will be a privilege to possess the responsibility of caring for precious lives like those who have influenced this journey of mine to become a physician assistant.

   Reply

9. Amanda says

   June 15, 2017 at 12:17 pm

   This is my second year applying to PA school, and I would like help in addressing this issue in my essay. I would appreciate any help I could get, Thank you!

   An athlete approached my athletic training room with chest pain after a weekend of competition. She stated her chest felt tight and she heard cracks and pops. This patient was familiar with this discomfort due to her previous episodes of spontaneous pneumothoraces. I immediately took the patient to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with atypical chest pain and was released the same day. The patient’s chest pain was increasing into the next morning. I called our team physician for advice, and we went back to the emergency room where she was released again. I called a pulmonologist for an appointment, and the doctor could see the her the following day. The pulmonologist listened to the patient’s lungs and immediately sent the patient for chest x-rays, which showed a pneumothorax. The patient was admitted to undergo a pleurodesis to repair the plural cavity. A few months later, the patient was cleared by the surgeon to begin her return to play protocol. I created a unique return to play protocol so this athlete felt confident in her return to Division I athletics. The protocol was successful and the patient was able to participate in the last competition of the season. This patient and I had a long journey, but she taught me patience and perseverance.
   As an athletic trainer, I have a variety of patient experiences in the high school and collegiate settings. I have also continued to develop my skills in evaluating and treating sports related injuries and illnesses. I learned how to work efficiently with other medical personnel as a team to provide patients with the appropriate care. I have also gained experience with the special needs community assisting with their personal care needs. All of these experiences have been rewarding and I continue to learn from each new experience. However, my current position as an athletic trainer will always limit my medical practice. I have treated and diagnosed many athletic related injuries, but the handful that I must refer to a physician weigh on me. I want to be educated to understand the person as a whole, not just sports related injuries. Once I realized this limitation in athletic training, I began to research the career and shadow physician assistants.
   During my last years as an undergraduate, I questioned my advisor about other career paths. He informed me about physician assistants, said my academics are excellent, and I would make a great candidate. After this discussion, I found opportunities to shadow with a physician assistant regularly. I saw the great team the physician assistant and physician made together along with their positive and upbeat attitudes they greeted their patients with. I saw my future self working in a setting like theirs. However, my Senior year of undergraduate was approaching, and I decided to finish my last year of undergraduate on the athletic training path so I could gain patient contact experiences towards my physician assistant school application. After receiving my bachelor’s in 2014, I accepted a scholarship to become a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Texas at El Paso. I obtained a Master’s of Arts while working with the women’s volleyball team, and also graduated early. Since I graduated early, I was able to take undergraduate courses required for physician assistant school under my scholarship.
   I am applying to physician assistant school for the second time. I took more upper-level division science courses to make my academic transcript more competitive, and I also was an student intern at the Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin. At this internship I was able to be part of a physician and physician assistant’s clinic. I took histories from the patients and updated the physician before he did his evaluation, assisted with the ethyl chloride spray during injections, and learned how to dictate patient notes. I also viewed numerous orthopedic surgeries, and got real-life anatomy lessons from the physician and physician assistant. This internship reassured my drive on becoming a physician assistant. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity and the physicians and physician assistants who have taught me things beyond what I knew as an athletic trainer. I was not discouraged when being denied from physician assistant school, and I knew I had to work hard at making my application stronger. Becoming a physician assistant will always be my goal, and I feel confident my application has improved since last year.
   Physician assistant school will give me a strong background to assist a wide variety of individuals, and give them a better quality of care. Athletic training has given me an excellent health care foundation, but even with my experiences, I want more. I want to understand medicine for all people, not just the elite athlete. My passion to learn is strong, and I would be honored to gain a strong foundation in Physician Assistant Studies in 2018 to continue my medical career.

   Reply

10. Kristen says

    June 14, 2017 at 6:37 pm

    Hi there! I think I’m finally getting somewhere with this, any advice or critique is welcome!
    Something bad happened. You had the green light, but the other driver was looking at their phone and smashed into your car at 45 mph. It’s all a blur, and your ears are ringing with the sounds of sirens. As you lay on the stretcher and the paramedics roll you under that neon red “EMERGENCY” sign, you suddenly realize how precious your time on earth is. Your eyes tear up as you remember that you were on your way to your son’s baseball game. You begin to beg for the only thing that matters; time. Time with your family, time to say the things you never said, time to reach for the dreams you never pursued. As that patient arm band is wrapped around your wrist and someone in a white coat puts a cold stethoscope to your chest, you reach for their arm “Please, help me! Someone call my wife.”
    During my time working as an emergency department technician, I have cared for patients in this position hundreds of times. I have learned that time is the greatest gift one human being can give to another. Right now, the best I can do is give my time to my patients, providing comfort and helping their doctors and nurses fight for their life. As desperately as I want to heal their wounds and treat their illnesses, my scope of practice is limited to basic tasks. But as a physician assistant, I would have the skills and knowledge to help my patients live longer and survive to have even a few more precious hours.
    I initially pursued my current role as an emergency department technician because I wanted to challenge myself, grow in my skills and knowledge, and do more for my patients than I could in my prior work as an EMT. I didn’t know at that time that my job would also open my eyes to the immense medical need in my community. The hospital I work for is in a low-income area with a high population, and many of our patients struggle with poverty and drug addiction. Even when we are fully staffed, we cannot possibly keep up with the volume of patients who check in every day. Thankfully, we have several physician assistants who have joined our team and whom I have the privilege to work alongside. Each shift, I observe and learn from these medical professionals as they work side-by-side with our doctors to care for our patients. I have been impressed by their knowledge and skill, and inspired by their compassion and work ethic. My interest in being a physician assistant was sparked when I first shadowed a PA while I was in high school, and it continued to smolder over the years as I explored different paths within medicine. Each time I worked with or shadowed a PA, I took the opportunity to ask them questions and attempted to learn more about their position. Now that I work with physician assistants every day, that smoldering interest has been fanned into a hungry flame.
    It was actually one of my patients that hardened my resolve and made me absolutely determined to become a PA. She was a sweet 63-year-old lady who waited four hours in our lobby with shortness of breath. When I met her in the exam room, she was pale, diaphoretic, and obviously in great discomfort. As I completed her EKG and started drawing labs, I apologized for the long wait. She sighed and patted my hand, then looked up into my face and said “No honey, it isn’t your fault. It’s just the way things are these days. You don’t get to see a doctor anymore until you wind up in the ER half dead.” Unfortunately, she deteriorated rapidly and several hours later she went into cardiac arrest. I put my heart and soul into our efforts to resuscitate her, and tears rolled down my face as I remembered our conversation during round after round of chest compressions.
    Her statement struck me then, and has echoed in my mind since that day. I can’t help but think that if we had more physician assistants, we could have provided earlier treatment and prevented her from reaching the point of arrest. She put into words what I have observed dozens of times every shift. Many people with chronic conditions cannot access a physician for a variety of reasons, and resort to checking into the ER when their illnesses progress to the point of being life threatening. It’s nothing unique to my area, it’s a health care issue that is widespread across the nation. People can’t afford to pay for doctor visits, or their physicians are over booked and the patients end up waiting months for an appointment. It’s a complex system that needs fixing. I don’t have all the answers, nor do I understand the subject in its entirety. But I know one solution is to have more providers that are accessible and affordable for those with few resources. I want to be a PA for the people in my community who are suffering because they have limited or no access to a healthcare provider. My greatest aspiration is to become a PA, and give them just a little more time.

    Reply

11. Mina says

    June 14, 2017 at 3:57 pm

    Hi there! This a rough draft, so any feedback would be great! Thank you so much!

    As a child growing up in sunny California, I would spend my days playing outdoors. From the moment I got home from school, till the last light in the sky was barely visible. My mother would sometimes have to get my father out looking for me, but that itself was whole other game to me. I didn’t have a care in the world, the fact that we were a family of seven living in a 3 bedroom apartment meant nothing to me, after all it wasn’t to long ago that we were all separated by a war that threatened the lives of many in Ethiopia. To me, life in our cramped apartment was perfect.
    As all things in life and balance, you can’t have perfection without imperfection. As refugees from Ethiopia, my family did not always have the ability to be together. My older brother and sister, myself, and my parents were the first to arrive in the United States, prior to that we lived at one of the largest refugee camps in Kenya. It was actually where I was born. In a semi makeshift hospital, my mother gave birth to me with no one but a midwife by her side. By the time my siblings had returned with my father, I had already taken my first few breaths of life. I remember my mother telling me about the kind women next to her who had shared her porridge to help her regain her strength. This wasn’t your everyday hospital that we experience here in America. If you wanted water or food you couldn’t buzz the nurse in to help you, you had to get up and do it yourself. My mom had to pull herself out of bed to wash the bloody sheets she had just delivered on, to have something to wrap me in. It was one of the many displays of strength and sacrifices she showed me.
    Swahili became my first language I learned during our time at the camps, my entire family spoke it to be able to better communicate with out Kenya neighbors. It wasn’t until we arrived in California I learned English and when my other siblings arrived from Ethiopia, I learned Oromo. Prior to that, I couldn’t communicate with them for the first few months due to the language barrier. I had learned Swahili from being in the refugee camps and they, being raised in Ethiopia by my grandmother, had learned our native tongue Oromo. Life was always a struggle for us, whether it was emotionally or financially, but we managed to get through it because we always had each other. Like the role of a Physician Assistant, we understood that to get through an obstacles in life we required all members of the team. I learned at a very young age, that there was no such thing as a successful person without the supporting team behind them.
    Adjusting to a new culture was hard, I quickly had to learn that telling kids that Santa Clause didn’t exist wasn’t the best thing to do to try and make new friends. I eventually did make friends and we used to spend our days letting our imagination run wild. My favorite game was “doctors”. I used to think that I would cure my dad of his seziures, which we later found out was due to an arteriovenous malformation, and save my little sister who passed away due to a heart condition at birth. I used to bandage us our scarred little knees with careful concentration, and be amazed at the way our cuts and scrapes used to heal itself. I continued through school with hopes of working in the medical field but it always wasn’t easy with no one there to guide me. Both my mom and dad had elementary school knowledge, so school and life in general in America was always trial and error. Though I was a pre-med major in the first year of my college experience, I changed majors to criminal justice. I felt as though my dreams of working in the health field were just that, “dreams”, and I felt like an imposter next to classmates. I did what I hope I will never do again, feel as though I wasn’t good enough! One pre-requistes at a time, my insecurities of feeling as an imposter went away until I realized I was the only barrier in my lifelong passion. Even though I did enjoy the criminal justice field, in which I hoped to ultimately become a dectective since mystery’s always intrigued me, it wasn’t until my younger sister went through heart failure shortly after giving birth, due to systematic lupus erythematous, did my passion of working in the health field fire up again. During our 3 month stay in the cardiac unit, I was reintroduced to the medical career, Physician Assistant.
    The physician assistant was an amazing person who used to break down the confusing medical terms of what was happening to my sister. I remember the care, and time she took with my family and I to try and help us cope with what was happening. The more time I spent learning from her, the more I came to realize this is what I was suppose to be doing! Not putting criminal mysterious together but instead piecing together medical mysterious to come up with a diagnosis, and helping those that, in that moment can’t help themselves. When I started to work as a medical assistant for a refugee clinic, it became more relevant and clear to me that this was my calling. Life has a way of making a full circle. With every patient that came in, I could see myself and my family in them. The frustration written in the lines of their faces, the struggles apparent in their eyes, but the hopes and relief in words they spoke when they knew they could communicate with us. Language is the barrier that I hope to overcome in the underserved community, I’ve experienced the relief our patients feel to come in and be able to tell us what is going on in their native tongue. Through our diversity in our clinic, we are able to help our patients feel comfortable and most importantly, heard. I hope to be able to continue that no matter where I end up, as diversity accomplishes the goal of deeper understanding, respect, and acceptance.
    Shadowing and working in an underserved refugee community has helped me realized that I have so much to give. My passion for putting together mystery’s, my ability to relate and speak different languages, and my passion for serving the underserved community makes me feel that being a physician assistant is where my calling is. I remember one of our patients getting interviewed by a local professor who taught journalism at a nearby University. Her story of how she become a refugee included losing one of her eyes, losing her daughter and her son in law to a liver disease, and ultimately being the sole caretaker of her granddaughter. They asked her if she had developed any friends in Colorado. Her response? “ Yes!” She continued naming people at the clinic. It was deeply touching and fulfilling to know that you can help someone not only medically, but also on a level of deeper understanding. I hope I can continue being that friendly face to not only Hafsa, but to all of the Hafsa’s of the world. The underserved community deserved to have services available to them, and I hope I am one of many this cycle to fill in the gaps of society.

    Reply

12. Anna says

    June 13, 2017 at 4:14 pm

    This is my very first draft of my personal statement so any feedback is much appreciated. Where I’m going in the right direction and where I’m not. I’m also over the character limit a bit, so things to cut back on would also really help. Thanks so much for any help!

    “Smile because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” The words are written in pencil on plain printer paper and hang on my bathroom mirror. Under the quote is a big sunburst flower drawn in yellow crayon. The drawing was given to me by a patient of mine when working a shift in the emergency department, and every morning I read her words, hoping she’s out there smiling with me. Her name was Sarah and she was only 16 years old. Sarah was in the emergency room for a third suicide attempt. She was my patient, and as her NA, I was going to do all I could to get her smiling again. I worked with Sarah throughout that shift, practicing relaxation drills and coping mechanisms during times when her anxiety seemed to close in around her. Giving me the biggest hug at the end of my shift that day, she handed me the paper with the quote and flower drawing. It wasn’t until I had already left the hospital that I flipped it over and found a handwritten note. “Thanks so much for hanging out with me. It was so nice to know someone truly cares. I wish you nothing but the best.” Sarah was wishing me the best and I hadn’t even been able to tell her if I would be back next shift. Despite doing all I could for my patient, I left wishing there was more I could do, as often happens with many of the people I care for at the hospital. As a physician assistant, I hope to do more and work with my patients throughout their journeys.

    I discovered my passion for caring for others very early in life. At age 6, my cousin was born without a fully formed esophagus, which rendered him unable to eat. With my grandmother often watching over many grandchildren at a time, the responsibility of caring for and feeding Jack frequently fell to me. Jack would drink from a bottle, which emptied from a surgically created hole in his neck, while he was simultaneously fed through a feeding tube. The process was complicated and messy, but it ensured Jack learned how to eat and learned the connection between eating and satiation. At such a young age, caring for Jack really excited me and ignited my passion for health and helping others. From then on, my yearning for knowledge only continued to grow. I was taking medical science courses in school, and by the time I began shadowing a PA in high school, I knew this was the field I wanted to pursue. Working at a cardiology clinic that was also connected to a major hospital, I was able to observe Mrs. Riddle in both outpatient and inpatient settings. She created relationships with her patients and assured them about their care while she also effectively maked diagnostic decisions. I had the chance to witness the stenting in a catheterization lab of a patient experiencing a myocardial infarction. The simultaneous care and compassion Mrs. Riddle showed for her patient while also making sure the correct decisions about her treatment were being made truly opened my eyes to a career as a physician assistant and solidified my decision to pursue this field.

    Throughout my undergraduate and post-baccalaureate career, I have continued to enthusiastically pursue opportunities that would bring me closer to my goal of becoming a PA. Working as a CNA at a large hospital, I have cared for a wide variety of patients. Whether it’s Sarah in the ED for attempted suicide, a 50-year old man in the Trauma ICU with multiple gunshot wounds, an 86-year old in the psychiatric unit with severe dementia who just wants to understand where his wife is, or a 4-month old infant in the children’s hospital with a congenital heart defect, they are my patients and they have my complete attention from the very start of my shifts until I leave that night. Though the days can be long and tiring, I wouldn’t give my patients up for the world. The interactions and relationships I build with each person are so important to me, so that they know am there for them during their process of healing. I celebrate even the smallest steps of progress with my patients, whether it’s with Sarah, who when anxious, used deep breathing to calm down instead of scratching at her wrists, or my patient on the Intermediate Coronary Care Unit who took his first steps with me after his heart surgery. Their successes make the work worth it, and though I get to experience their small steps forward, I yearn to be able to cheer on my patients along their entire journeys.

    Every shift and experience drives me towards my goal of becoming a PA and making a difference in my patients’ lives. To make things a little better for them, to keep each patient smiling, makes it all the more worthwhile for me in return. Though I attempt to do all I can for my patients, like Sarah, and to make their illnesses a little more bearable, I strive for the opportunity to do more for those I care for. Instead of leaving work not knowing if I will see them again or if they will be okay, I want to leave knowing I’ve started my patients down a path of healing and excited to see their progress the following shift. I want my patients to know someone is there caring for them through the entire experience and reminding them, just as Sarah reminds me, that “life is a beautiful thing.”

    Reply