The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative

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1. Rachel says

   October 29, 2018 at 7:16 am

   My journey towards becoming a physician assistant began my junior year of high school. Many people share the experience of having family members in and out of the hospital. My junior year was the start of a very long, and continuing road to try and keep both of my grandparents in decent health. My grandparents fit the typical southern farmer couple description. Fried food was their staple meal, and after years of it, they became obese and their health problems became apparent. High blood pressure and cholesterol, Type II Diabetes, and chronic heart failure all started to take their toll. There has been a lot of routine visits with teams of doctors and physician assistants, as well as many emergency hospital stays and surgeries. What made them all bearable were the teams of capable healthcare professionals. My grandparents always took a liking to the physician assistants due to their availability. They always seemed like they were able to spend more time with my grandparents explaining things and answering their questions, which in turn made my grandparents more trustworthy and less stressed. My goal is to make people feel like I am there to help them personally, and not make them feel like patient number 47 that I’ve seen today. I think that physician assistants have this capability more so than M.D.s which is why I’ve chosen this route.
   Not only do I think physician assistants have more available time for their patients, but they have more options to jump ships and change specialties, if they choose to do so. I’ve always challenged myself to be versatile and well-rounded. I grew up being a multi-sport athlete, and versatility was always the main goal. A versatile player has more options and therefore a greater chance at success. I played softball for Young Harris College as a utility player. My freshman year, I was a relief pitcher. My sophomore year, I played second base. My junior year, I was a pinch hitter and played third base when needed. My versatility made me more valuable than if I had just been able to play solely one position. My vision for being a physician assistant is to grow as a medical professional and to become capable treating the body as a whole, through the many different stages of life.
   Going hand in hand with my last point, I have always seen physician assistants as team players. They might not be team lead, but their role is important and leaves a lasting impression on the patient. I was never the All-American stud, but I was always the player who did whatever was best for the team, and I got more satisfaction out of being dependable and respected from doing so, than receiving any award. I want to be the type of physician assistant that rounds out a medical team and helps keep that team cohesive and efficient to give a patient the best quality of care.
   Lastly, family is the most important thing to me. I want to be a medical professional and help others, but I also want to be a wife and mother. I want to be able to provide financially for my future family, but still have time available to spend making memories with them. The physician assistant occupation allows me to not worry about the responsibilities of running my own practice and gives me the freedom to have a separate work life from my personal life. At the end of the day, I want to be able to treat my patients like they were my own family, and my family as my most important job.
   In conclusion, I have seen first-hand the impact that physician assistants have. Up until this point, I have been molded into a versatile, team-player and I believe that I could be an asset to medical teams as a PA. I think I would truly love this profession and wake up excited to go to work every day, and still be able to be a proactive and present wife and mother someday.

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2. Matthew Milton says

   October 19, 2018 at 12:43 pm

   As a twenty three year old fee clinic volunteer, I sat on the coast of Saint Elizabeth Parish in Jamaica overlooking the Caribbean Sea. As I reflected on the day, one question that was fastened to the front of my mind was “why?” Why was I so lucky? I grew up in an environment that nurtured me and supported any dream I had. I have access to medical care. I have food on the table and a roof over my head. I have parents that provided for me and made sure that I wanted for nothing. After assisting in the treatment of patients who were limited by their economic status, I felt undeserving of everything that was handed to me. I knew there had to be a reason why I was so fortunate and why my blessings had yet to cease.

   As a young child bubble baths were my exam room and my patient was a small rubber duck that accompanied me every night as I administered his medicine, warm water from an empty soap bottle. From that point I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare but I did not know which profession was right for me. I went into my first year of college at Xavier University of Louisiana pursuing a premed focused biology degree. I had no knowledge of any other health professionals besides doctors and nurses and naively decided on a career as a physician. After a year away from home, I decided that Xavier was not the right school for me. I was challenged academically but the distance from my family affected my personal happiness and eventually my grades. I left and continued my degree at Kennesaw State University. I thought that a larger school would be a great for me but I was mistaken. The massive class sizes made learning almost impossible and the huge student population came with many distractions. My grade point average suffered and I knew that if I stayed, my chances as a health care professional would diminish. I transferred to Armstrong State University where I fell in love with the small class sizes and personal relationships with processors. With the abundant resources I was able to hunker down and improve my grade point average.

   Through my shadowing of a geriatric nurse practitioner I noticed that there was a difference in they type of care given by a nurse practitioner verses a physicians assistant. The nurse practitioner seemed to focus on the emotional and mental needs of the patient where as physicians I shadowed seemed to focus more on anatomy and physiological systems, which better matched my interest. During my time on the mission trip I shadowed a physician assistant and several physicians. I noticed how the physician assistant treated a wide variety of patients, outside of her specialty. I watched as she thoroughly examined every patient and explained in detail the diagnosis and how to treat the illnesses with the limited resources. One patient interaction stood out to me more than the others. As the physician assistant and I walked into the room we were greeted by a woman and her young daughters. . As we examined her the young girl, we noticed that every one of her teeth were black and rotting. I knew that they had no access to dentist in the area but there was access to tooth paste and tooth brushes. The mother informed us that the daughter falls asleep every night with a bottle of juice in her mouth. They sugar from the juice and the lack of proper cleaning caused every single one of her teeth to have several cavities. The physician assistant proceeded to tell the mother there isn’t much to be done since they were all temporary teeth and would fall out within the next year. We informed the mother about the importance of brushing daily, especially after sugary drinks. After the clinic was closed that day, I asked her why she chose to be a physician assistant. She proceeded to explain to me that she searched for a medical career that gave her variety and a work-life balance. She explained that she has the ability to switch between specialties if desired which impacted my career decision.

   My journey to become a medical professional has been extensive and is far from over but I am glad that I was able to answer the question as to why all my opportunities were presented in a beneficial fashion. My patients would benefit from my compassion, attention to detail, and my situation awareness gained from my shadowing of a variety of healthcare professionals. In the future, my goal is to bring health care to places where it is not readily available. Those who have access to health care take for granted the importance of modern medicine within a society. It took me years to find my path and I am ready for any challenge I encounter in the future. I am prepared to become a physician assistant.

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3. Caio says

   October 17, 2018 at 8:38 pm

   La Clinica del Niño is a pediatric clinic in Atlanta that serves mostly low income latino children. As a medical assistant at this clinic, I have the privilege of conducting nearly all of my patient encounters in either Spanish or Portuguese. It brings me great joy to provide quality, compassionate healthcare while communicating effectively with patients who do not speak English. Throughout my time at the clinic, I have learned valuable technical skills such as injections and catheterizations, as well as how to implement care plans for patients by performing nutritional and asthma action plan visits. Although I find my job tremendously rewarding, the satisfaction it brings me always leaves me wanting to do more to serve my patients. This desire confirms the decision I made years ago to pursue a career as a physician assistant.
   My journey to becoming a physician assistant began in my senior year of high school when I took an anatomy and physiology class. My unexpected fascination in the subject led me to achieve an outstanding grade. I began to spend countless hours researching different healthcare careers. Although I would go back and forth between different careers, I was intrigued by the high job satisfaction rate, increasing job market and great debt-to-income ratio that a physician assistant career offers. As I began college, I continued to inform myself about this career path as I dove into a medicine-related degree.
   Although I am proud of having been the first in my family to graduate from a university in the United States, my college experience was not like that of many of my American colleagues. When I was young, my parents moved our family from Brazil to the United States in an effort to provide a better future for my sister and me. They took on low paying jobs which made it necessary for me to work throughout college in order to pay for tuition and help with bills. This hindered me from graduating in four years and achieving A’s in all of my classes. However, over the course of this experience, I learned to value my education and dedicated myself increasingly more to my studies which resulted in a substantial upward trend in my grades during my last few years of college.
   Much of my work experience has been as a server in restaurants where I worked alongside many hispanic people. Thanks to my insistence in communicating with my coworkers, I was able to quickly pick up the Spanish language. In addition to Spanish, the restaurant industry taught me many skills that are extremely valuable in the medical field. Communication, time management, multitasking, teamwork and attention to detail are just a few of these transferable assets.
   In addition to serving, my work experience also includes a variety of healthcare positions. As a sophomore in college. I obtained a certification in phlebotomy, and soon after, a volunteer position at a latino-focused gynecology clinic where I performed many blood draws each day. It became evident that I was on the right track as I realized how much I enjoyed interacting with the patients and that I had a knack for performing procedures such as venipunctures. Throughout my college career, I continued to volunteer with several other organizations, including an international medical outreach program with which I found myself in the slums of the Dominican Republic working closely with local physicians to provide free healthcare to people living in poverty. I have also volunteered to aid physical therapists in reteaching disabled patients to walk at Shepherd Center, one of the top rehabilitation centers in the United States, and shadowed an orthopedic physician assistant as he performed procedures that relieved many people’s pain. After graduating college, I began volunteering at La Clinica del Niño. Approximately a month later, the clinic sponsored me in obtaining my medical assistant certification and I was hired as a full-time employee.
   Since starting at the clinic, I have worked closely with physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Although I have learned so much from them all, I am most compelled by the way the physician assistant works in a team with her supervising physician and how much the physician trusts and depends on her. I am also moved by the compassion that the physician assistant shows her patients. Whether they are there for a runny nose or an emergency room follow-up, her ability to treat and develop relationships with her patients is inspirational.
   I am fortunate to have had the experiences that have led me to where I am. I learned to integrate the qualities and characteristics that I developed while balancing college and restaurant work into different fields of healthcare. My journey has shaped me into an amazing healthcare professional with a love for what I do and a will to achieve more in my career. I truly believe that I am prepared to take the next step in order to fulfill my desire to do more to serve my patients and my community.

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4. Sonitha Louissaint says

   October 7, 2018 at 7:24 pm

   I grew up in Haiti, and I have seen what a lack of doctors and nurses can do to a person’s life. Once, my grandmother burned herself badly on the back of a motorcycle. She had to go to the hospital because she was diabetic and could not heal easily; her blood could not coagulate in the same way as the blood of others. The staff did not do much for her when she went to the hospital since they were both understaff and underequipped. Her foot became infected and then gangrenous. At last, an emergency surgery was required to amputate the whole foot. Unfortunately, it was too late for her; she had already become septic. She died in November 2011, one day after the surgery and one year after I came to the United States. Since then, I have been set on following my dream and staying in the health field.
   The physician assistant program offers me the greatest opportunity to expand my education in my field of interest. I have always wanted to work in a healthcare profession that helps improve the life quality of individuals, especially those in need. I feel that the physician assistant program is the best choice to help me attain this main goal. Becoming a physician assistant will be an expeditious way to join the healthcare field at a higher level while continuing to support my immediate family.
   I have worked as a caregiver/home health aide for about three years at multiple companies, such as Northwest Human Services, Child and Family Focus, Home Helpers, and Integrity Home Health. As a result, I have had the opportunity to experience and enjoy working with different types of individuals, from senior citizens to people with intellectual developmental disorders. When I worked with seniors, I kept them company, took them grocery shopping for the week, and assisted them with taking their medication. At the end of the day, I would also sometimes document blood pressure levels. With my experience working with people, I have developed a sense of compassion that aids me in approaching and committing to assisting others.
   I graduated in December 2017 with my bachelor’s degree in life science and look forward to continuing my education. After I completed my undergraduate degree, I decided to go to a program to become an EMT, which I recently completed. I have been volunteering since then at Warrington Ambulance Services, which has been a great experience for me and has allowed me to get some of my direct patient care hours. I have already taken most of my requirements for this program, and by the time the program starts, I will have completed them.
   I look forward to speaking with you soon. Thank you for your consideration.

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5. Madisen says

   September 24, 2018 at 10:33 am

   My journey to Physician Assistant School is unlike many others. I initially set out to become a physician and spent years researching and completing requirements. I spent many hours shadowing physicians and reading articles. After exposure to many different careers in the healthcare field, I became very interested in the physician assistant (PA) profession. I have seen many PA’s when it comes to my own healthcare and I have also had exposure to them as a volunteer.

   Volunteering at Cincinnati Children’s has completely changed my life. I began volunteering about a year and a half ago and am so thankful I did. I began volunteering in the same day surgery department and had the privilege to interact with and occupy children before they headed back for surgery. I was in college at the time and due to a change in my school schedule I needed to switched departments. I transferred to a department that cared for cancer patients, tracheotomy patients, as well as extended-stay general medicine patients.

   The cancer and tracheotomy patients had the biggest impact on my life and my clinical views. Due to their conditions, many of the patients were in the hospital for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. Many of these patients did not have good family lives and rarely received any sort of family visit. As a volunteer, my job was to spend time with the children and comfort them. I was able to play with them, hold them, watch movies, take them on walks, and many other things. It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch a child cry as your visit with them ended, knowing the only company they had was hospital staff. I have had countless patient interactions with that same outcome and it sent a big message to me: medical staff, of any level, is so important to the life of the patient. In many cases the only people a patient interacts with are nurses, therapists, physicians, PA’s, and other medical staff. I admire the difference these medical professionals make in the patients’ lives each and every day and after being exposed to that, I would love to be able to make the same impact. As a volunteer in the hospital, I found that I love patient care and interaction. I love having the ability to make a positive difference in a patient’s life.

   My most memorable experience at the hospital was when I helped volunteer at a Christmas event. The hospital put on a Christmas shopping event that allowed the guardians of patients on my floor to go pick out gifts for their child free of charge. My responsibility was to assist them in picking out gifts and wrap them up to give to the child. I was assisting one lady that I had never seen before and she asked if I knew her grandson. I knew her grandson very well and knew that the family was not able to visit him very often. When she discovered I did know him and frequently spent a lot of time with him, she almost burst out in tears as she hugged me. She thanked me for spending time with her grandson and shared that her family would not know what to do without people like me. It was at this moment that I truly felt I was making a difference in both the patient and the guardian’s lives.

   I want to be a physician assistant for several reasons. I like that as a physician assistant I would be able to begin direct patient care in just 2-3 short years, which means I would be able to make a positive impact on more people. I also like the idea of being able to switch specialties relatively easily if I find I do not enjoy one I have chosen. I like that being a PA gives you the option to work in a variety of different environments as well. A major reason I want to be a physician assistant is because it allows you a greater opportunity to have a flexible work schedule and spend more time doing things you enjoy. From my personal experience with PA’s, they seem to spend more time with their patients and they explain things more in depth to their patients. Being a physician assistant will allow me to enjoy working with patients, but also allow me to spend time with my family. I desire a career in the medical field because it would allow me to make a difference in someone’s life every single day, the field is always changing and improving, there will always be a need for healthcare, and it is something that I will always have an interest in.

   Medicine is such a rewarding field because you have the privilege to positively impact others’ lives. There are very few careers where you get to use your skills to help others every single day. Being a physician assistant would provide me the opportunity to use my skills and interests to benefit others. A career as a PA would allow me to use something I really enjoy to continue to make a difference. I would love to be a physician assistant because it would allow me to live the lifestyle I envision as a parent as well as fulfill the career I desire to have in healthcare.

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6. Diana Wu says

   September 18, 2018 at 4:25 pm

   My parents fled mainland China in fear of persecution. My mother became pregnant premaritally and in the eyes of the government, the pregnancy was deemed illegal. My parents were faced with the options of either a forced abortion or fleeing their home country. They were given refuge in America and gave birth to my oldest brother. This story has profoundly impacted me because there was a possibility where I wouldn’t be alive. I was raised in a low-income, underserved, minority community. Living in a community of mostly African Americans and Hispanic immigrants, it has taught me how to see life differently. To be faced with discrimination and mental abuse for being a poor immigrant have deeply impacted me to the point where I wanted to make a difference in this world. However, I never thought that I had the ability to pursue a career in health care. Being the only Chinese family in the entire community allowed me to experience first hand what it is like to be looked over and discriminated against.

   At the age of 16, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In the following month, she had her ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus removed. During her treatment, Robin, a PA explain the whole operation in detail as I translated everything back to my mother. It was at this moment, I knew that becoming a PA was something I wanted to do. The field of medicine has always intrigued me and how innovative it has become in saving lives fascinated me. The appreciation and gratitude that I felt Robin for taking her time to go over every medication and follow up after the operation showed that she truly cared about her patient. This is something that is often rare in healthcare.

   My relationship with school has always been tough. From a young age, I viewed having a strong work ethic as the most important thing, especially seeing how hard my parents worked. There was a time my mother left my brothers and I for 5 months to see her passing mother and we were left to support ourselves and pay the bills. I worked more hours than I had attended classes and because of this, I placed on academic probation. All the stress from home and the fear of being inadequate developed into anxiety and depression. I was faced with the fact of getting kicked out of school, I had to make a selfish decision and began to work harder in school knowing that this was the only way to make a difference. I eventually worked hard enough to be placed on the Dean’s List for the next two subsequent semesters.

   My first job in healthcare was as a medical receptionist and assistant in a physical therapy clinic. I enjoyed working at this clinic because on the weekends, it provided treatment to people did not have insurance. Once a young Mexican child aged 7 had a dislocated shoulder and couldn’t afford treatment was so scared to talk but was so appreciative of the service, he started crying. This was amazing to me because this shows that health care providers can care more about people than paychecks. Outside of work I volunteer with the American Red Cross as a Disaster Control Relief, helping people going through traumatic experiences such as losing their homes due to natural disasters. I was able to help people during difficult times in their lives get back on their feet and start over. I also volunteer at Best Friend Animal Society, as a dog trainer and cat caretaker, helping retrain animals to get adopted into new homes and opening shelter space for more animals in need. I currently work at a cardiology office as a CCMA, where the majority of the patients are very old and have many chronic conditions. Explaining what medication is used to treat which chronic condition they have is so satisfying because when they ask for refills they exactly which medication they are asking for. I have learned that education is a powerful resource. Educating patients on their blood results and explaining to them how they can improve and then a few months later, seeing that improvement indicates that by spending a little extra time can go a long way.

   What appeals to me about the PA role is the fact that it is a team-based system. It focuses on patient interactions and the communication between the physician and its team of healthcare members. Having a team of medical professionals with different background can truly beneficial. With the growing population and expansion of medicine allowing people to live longer, there is going to be a growing demand for healthcare professionals. To treat each patient with respect and dignity during a low time in their lives is extremely important. Being able to show that there is a diverse team with different roles to help care for them can be appreciative. From my upbringing, I know how easy it is to be overlooked and discriminated based on social economic status and race, and I want to make sure that this kind of interaction has no place within the healthcare community. This is the reason why I want to become a physician assistant.

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7. Z says

   September 12, 2018 at 5:08 pm

   Quietness never bothered me. I would welcome it in as it gently eased my worries, wrapping its supportive arms around me. I savored the silence of libraries where written words told impactful stories and students gathered to study. I took pleasure in the faint whispers of summer wind rolling over a northern lake, softly ruffling leaves as it came. However, what I did not realize was how loud quietness could be.

   Tuesday evening, 21:46. IU Arnett Hospital, emergency department. Nurses rush, room to room. An alarm clamors – sepsis alert. The hospitalist is consulted. There is hurried chatter. Radiology calls back to the physician assistant (PA).

   I hear the bustling between providers, the comments from the social worker, the explanations from the pharmacist. I hear the communication, see the dependent connections of healthcare providers, and observe the outcomes of quality patient care. Quickly I am clicking, updating, time stamping, typing, populating charts with completed labs and radiology reports. A nurse peaks into the providers’ computer bay. “Martti is down,” she reports in passing about the hospital’s translation monitor, “and this patient is deaf.” What I heard is stored in my memory. I open a new chart for a young female patient, Elle, who is here for evaluation of a seizure with a history of strokes.

   Outside of a patient’s closed door is noisy whirlwind of ordered commotion. Inside the room is the familiar quietness – a patient waiting to explain their troubles and depend on their provider’s commitment to find answers. In Elle’s room though, I have never experienced such resounding quietness.

   Distress sheets her face as worry fills her eyes. She points to her ears, shaking her head side-to-side. Sam, the PA I was working with this day, glances to me, then repeats her question louder, “What brought you to the ER today?” My mind rushes back. I remember what the nurse said about a deaf patient – it is Elle. “Sam, she is deaf, she cannot hear you… And Martti is down.” We both look to Elle to guide us.

   My mind races on ways to form a line of communication. Through hand motions Elle relays that she is nonverbal, but that she can write. My laptop crashes onto the supply cabinet as I burst from the room. Running to the providers’ bay and back, I return with paper and my blue pen. Sam and I worked together to compile written questions for Elle. We gave the questionnaire to her, but her writing was nearly illegible and her answers incoherent. Is this due to her history of strokes and seizures? I kept a reassuring smile on my face, even though both Sam and I were still puzzled.

   Hushed tears began to fall from Elle’s already worried eyes as the quietness grew louder. Looking up to Elle’s eyes, my heart ached as I yearned to alleviate her pain and bring her a sense of peace. She reached out, grasping my one hand in between hers.

   Since that Tuesday evening with Elle, my desire to become a physician assistant has never been more tangible. I have worked with hospitalists managing patients in critical care, providers in the emergency department, and have gained a tremendous amount of healthcare knowledge throughout my scribe experience. Through this my desire to be a PA has solidified as my ideals draw closer to their versatility, compassion, and ability to continue learning. I have now found my grit and drive for education, I had spent my first two years of college struggling to apply myself. I did not know how to manage my time nor did I understand the weight of importance that my studies had, resulting in my inadequate grades. However, after rededicating myself to my education at Purdue University, my grades dramatically improved during my last two years (even with a full-time job). These years are more representative of the student I am today and I my commitment to becoming a PA.

   Quietness never used to bother me because it is something that I found support in. Now though, is my turn to be those supportive arms for Elle, and all of the other patients, who need someone to be their voice — to provide them with the best patient care.

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8. Stacey says

   September 11, 2018 at 3:17 pm

   I was seven years old when I first encountered an emergency. My mother took my younger brother and I to our pediatrician’s office for a routine check-up. That evening, I began to have severe abdominal pain. We had family in town for the summer and my grandmother suggested I drink a home remedy of garlic and lemon juice; at the time, she thought I might have ingested a parasite. No relief came and the pain intensified. By the third day, I was bed-bound, febrile, weak, and in excruciating pain. My parents made the decision to run me up to the local children’s hospital. The triage nurse noticed how unwell I looked and rushed me into an examination room. At such a young age, I did not understand what was going on. The ER nurse pressed on my lower stomach and I screamed. She took my vitals and left the room. An ultrasound was performed shortly after for confirmation. By then, an ER doctor came in to the examination room and explained what was going on to my parents. My appendix had burst and I was septic at that point. The doctor stressed to my parents that I needed emergency surgery or I could potentially die from infection.
   That time of my life influenced the direction I took with my academia. I was fortunate to be a part of a rigorous, biology program at the University of Tampa. I attended classes, immersed myself into school activities, and enjoyed those four years of my life. However, too much enjoyment took a toll on some of my classes. I did not apply myself as much as I should have the first year of my undergraduate program, which affected my GPA. I spent the rest of my college years working hard to correct the damage I did. All that hard work came to a screeching halt when I began taking Organic Chemistry. I struggled with the subject and, unfortunately, had to retake the classes. Senior year came around and my peers were getting ready to apply to graduate school. I felt I was not ready due to my lower GPA and lack of work experience. I decided that I wanted to take a step further and seek patient-care experience through EMS.
   I attended EMT school, learned as much as I could during clinical hours, and earned my certificate for advanced-emergency medical technician. It was not until I started my first EMT job that I got a taste of the world of medicine. I worked for a private service doing non-emergency medical transport. I was exposed to so much, but I felt that it was not enough. I am continuously striving for more and I knew I had to take the next step. I had amazing coworkers who happened to be firefighters/paramedics/EMTs for DeKalb County and with their guidance they helped me get to where I am now.
   I currently work for American Medical Response in DeKalb County as an advanced EMT. I am part of one of the highest-call volume, 911-agencies in the nation. It was not until I worked in a high-stress, emergency environment where I finally understood what I wanted to do with my life. All the sweat, tears, and blood I spilled with my public safety family helped shape the EMT and person that I am today. To successfully work in an emergency setting, you must work as a team. Teamwork is everything in a medical profession. Patient care requires all hands on board. That is the most important lesson I have learned in my four years of EMS. Rushing a critical patient into a trauma/examination room helped me understand the dynamics of a hospital. Watching doctors, physician assistants, nurses, ER techs, and x-ray techs work as a team solidified my decision to be a physician assistant.
   I have done my share of shadowing in an ER. I learned the day-to-day activities a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner accomplishes within a 12-hour shift. They start their day walking around the ER, greeting their colleagues/co-workers, asking if anyone needs helps with anything, and checking e-mails. From the get-go, you think to yourself, “what a low-stressful job they have.” However, that is just the beginning. The ER gets slammed with patients by noon, some more critical than others. The most important thing I learned from shadowing was to treat each patient you encounter with respect and professionalism. It does not matter if they are complaining of a toothache or chest pain; each patient deserves the medical provider’s undivided attention. EMS was a stepping-stone for me. It taught me teamwork, mastery of my skills, and how to work under duress. I feel it is time to put away my trauma shears and tactical boots and take the next step in my career. Becoming a physician assistant would not only challenge me mentally and physically, but it would also allow me to become the medical provider I have always aspired to be.

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9. Louise Osborn says

   September 10, 2018 at 8:59 am

   When I was a child, I told anyone I could that I was going to be a doctor when I grew up. I think now, that statement is often met with encouragement and excitement regardless of a person’s gender, but 40 years ago in rural Florida this was not the case. I was gently told that maybe I could be a nurse…. but my mother was a nurse, and although I respected what she did greatly, that wasn’t what I wanted to do.

   Fast forward from the five-year-old me to sixteen-year-old me and I was starting to put that thinking behind me. I was ahead in school by almost two years and set to graduate early. My interest in science and medicine was opening doors no one anticipated a girl from such a small town having opened, and suddenly this dream of becoming a doctor wasn’t so crazy. My life went wildly off track however when human traffickers from Texas took me from another small town that neighbored ours when I answered an ad in the local newspaper for a temporary job over spring break. Even though the police rescued me after only 36 hours when the couple attempted to cash a bad check near the airport, my confidence and faith in myself and everything I thought I knew was so shaken, that it took me many years to get back to a semblance of normal.

   At Cornell, I was able to be exposed to different types of research and science and really begin to understand the difference access to medicine makes in people’s lives. I was given the opportunity to work with the underserved and impoverished and see how grateful they are for the medical help they receive and my confidence returned as did my love for medicine and the fulfillment that comes from being part of something bigger than myself.
   Unfortunately, the return back to my hometown resurrected demons that I thought were long buried and when I should have been applying to medical or physical assistant school in 1994 which was the plan, I was instead entering into an abusive marriage which took me ten long years to break away from.

   During the years of my marriage, school and work, for the most part was highly discouraged. But as soon as I found my freedom, with the help of a great therapist, I found myself and immediately began working on rejoining the world of medicine. I began working in the pharmaceutical industry which, although I wasn’t able to directly help patients, did allow me to learn. My love of learning about the disease states the medications I represented treated, moved me up quickly in the company and earned the respect of the doctors I worked with. When the company sold to a company more focused on sales, I decided to go back to school instead of compromising my values.

   Many people have asked why I became a mental health therapist instead of a physician assistant at that time. There are two reasons really, at the time I felt it was more important to be a mother to my children who at the time were very young. But in retrospect I am glad I made the choice because I have developed a level of understanding and empathy that I didn’t possess before. The demons of my past have served to truly make me a stronger person now, and I can understand why I had to go through every trial that I endured. The years that I have worked as a therapist have been in a family practice clinic and I have been able to work with a great variety of patients as well as shadow our physician assistants, assist with minor procedures such as stitches or biopsies and fill in as a medical assistant when we are short staffed.

   A year ago, when the Zika virus became a concern, I volunteered to take the certification course and serve as the office “expert” meeting with patients who were concerned that they had the virus in our office and acting as liaison between our office and the health department. I am also the one who steps in when a life changing diagnosis is being delivered, staying with the patient and providing the resources they need to move forward, and understand their diagnosis.

   Now, after counseling patients and helping in the clinic for the past six years what has become clear to me is the best way for me to help people is as a physician assistant. This path combines my passion for medicine, helping others, teamwork and acting as a resource for patients.

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10. Carlie says

    September 7, 2018 at 7:05 pm

    “It’s all in your head,” she said, “there’s nothing wrong with you.” I could feel my heart sink, and confusion set in, but as questions began to fill my mind I could feel the anger well up inside. I had been experiencing pain, unbearable pain, in my lower pelvis and all I was meet with was a haphazard diagnosis of vaginismus. No tests, no ultrasounds, no explorative procedures, just a poorly constructed diagnosis that matched few of the presented symptoms. My faith in the healthcare system was lessening, and I was left feeling discouraged and defeated. Hoping to find the true problem, I went to another clinic where I was seen by new practitioner named Michael, who quietly and patiently listened as I rambled off my problems. He explained that I needed to have an explorative laparoscopy and did not hesitate to answer my questions. It was discovered that I have with endometriosis. In retrospect, this practitioner unknowingly had given me a new hope and drove me toward the P.A. profession.

    My gaze shifted as I heard hurried footsteps coming from the hall. Her blue scrubs indicated to me that she was cardiac monitor technician, and her frantic manner brought me to my feet. “One, go check one,” the urgency in her voice propelled my feet forward. I rushed myself into room one, my fingers automatically reaching for the woman’s carotid. No pulse. My mind went into overdrive, as I reached for the code button. Fluidly, my hands slide into place as I began to push against the lady’s chest. I could hear as the room began to fill with people, just before switching out compressions with another. Silently, I watch as a man in a white coat called out what to do until hearing the beeping of the vital monitors signaling that she had made it through. He inspired me, and my want to work in the healthcare field intensified.
    After these moments, I did not immediately gravitate toward becoming a physician assistant; however, I did know that I wanted to partake in some type of health-related occupation. After thorough research, I believe that working as a P.A. is the perfect fit for me. I love the commodore of working as a team. In my experience, working alongside others of diverse academic backgrounds is refreshing. It offers a deeper insight to how to give both patient-based and scientific-based care. In addition to this, it also gives a different perspective of how to give the best care possible. I also enjoy working with patients. Growing up, I was always approachable to others when they needed assistance or advice. I enjoy this role, and the prospect of being able to have that as part of my career is appealing to me. I entertained the thought of nursing, but I have always been an analytical thinker and enjoy diagnostics; so, I know I want to be the one to diagnose and create a plan of action for my patients. Although there are nurse practitioners who are able to diagnose and treat, but unlike P.A.s nurse practitioners tend to specialize in a field. The same is true for medical doctors, such as M.D.s and D.O.s. As a P.A., I would be able to move from one specialty to another. I have many different interests and a passion for learning. So, the ability to work in many different fields and to continue my education as part of my occupation is an enticing prospect.

    During my life, I have seen healthcare from both the patient perspective and the provider perspective. For me, both have something in common. They have inspired and propelled me toward a career as a P.A. In both situations, I wished I could have known and done more. I want to be able to give my patients the best care possible, so that none feel disheartened like I have. I want to be able to be an active part of the healing process, and I want to be able to reassure my patients just as Michael reassured me. As a physician assistant, I would be able to fulfill these wishes. I would be able to help my patients overcome their illnesses and go on to better tomorrow.

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11. paola says

    September 6, 2018 at 10:33 am

    First time applicant, any help is welcome!
    My love for science didn’t point me to a career in the medical field until the day my sisters were born. My mom’s pregnancy became chaotic when she felt sharp pains long before her due date. The hospital was a blur of scrubs and people frantically moving. It all happened so fast and I just sat there on the verge of tears, afraid for both my mom and sisters. They rushed my mom and dad out of the room and down the hall, all the while no one said anything to me. All I could do was hope the people in the white coats would take care of my mom. After a while, a lady in a white coat came up to me and told me my mom was okay and that she would be back very soon. I was instantly relieved and thought these white coat people were heroes. When my mom came back safely with my two sisters, I decided I needed to do for others what these heroes had just done for me. I wanted to someday give someone as much reassurance as they had just given me.
    With my sisters being a part of the family, things were different at home. Like any immigrant family, my parents always instilled in me that I was to set an example. As I got older, I had to babysit them after school which meant that homework and studying were pushed off until they were put in bed. I remember powering through these nights with the image of one day wearing my own white coat and being a role model for my sisters. These long days also taught me about responsibility and empathy.
    Eventually this motivation to set an example led me to be the first in my family to go to college & chase after my dream of being a physician assistant. I began my college career at Virginia Commonwealth University. The courses prompted me to think in ways I never had before by exploring topics such as the importance of the directional rotation of molecules in organic chemistry. Some things stayed the same, like my love for science classes and the processes involved. I had always loved science because the processes made sense and the findings could be used for the greater good. In college, my appreciation only grew by taking more in-depth classes such as cell biology. Later I would find that this appreciation for processes and its similarity to the medical model is what interested me about physician assistants.
    I began volunteering at my first free clinic, the Fan Free Clinic, which was also my first exposure to working in a medical setting. Here I learned to be flexible by going above my front desk duties and helping with interpreting and rooming patients as well. I joined Be the Match, which is an organization dedicated to encouraging people to join the bone marrow registry to aid those with blood cancers. Then due to monetary issues, I transferred to the University of South Carolina. This change pushed me to really consider where I fit in this vast college environment and thus where I could fit in the medical field. I showed consistency by sticking with causes I was passionate about like advocating for Be the Match and volunteering, eventually finding a more precise career goal at a free clinic.
    Amigos del Buen Samaritano is a clinic where I met my first PA, Lily. I interpreted her advisement from English to Spanish, so the patients could understand her. I did this for other doctors and nurse practitioners as well. While doing so I found Lily focused and spent more time on the patient than doctors did. The nurse practitioners seemed to do this as well, however their focus seemed geared completely toward the patient and not so much the pathology. I admired the balance Lily kept between spending time on the patient but still putting an emphasis on pathology. As I have always been enthralled by the processes and progressions of disease in the human body. It became clear to me that this path was best for me.
    After graduating, I worked as a medical assistant at an internal medicine and pediatric office. I loved getting to know patients and putting faces and names with tangible struggles and symptoms to diseases. To my surprise, one of my favorite things about my position was interacting with individuals of all ages and walks of life because of the variety it brought. This realization only fueled my desire to continue my education as a physician assistant, because of the freedom physician assistants have to service different age groups in their career. While I loved the work, I found that the more I was immersed into the medical field, the more my ardor to continue my education grew. There were questions that patients asked me which I couldn’t answer, I felt restrained by my knowledge. It made me feel helpless to not be able to help them further. While I have the utmost respect and admiration for the doctor/ owner of the office, I witnessed firsthand the toll it took on her personal life and I knew I needed more of a balance in mine. This desire to not feel helpless, to have balance and to give others reassurance is why I want to be a physician assistant.

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