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Single Edit One-on-one Service Supplemental Essays
Your success is our passion. (See just some of our 100's of testimonials and comments below). We are ready to help. Our current PA school essay editing service status (8th May 2024): Accepting New Submissions
(Photo: Me circa 1987, just thinking about my future PA School Essay)
- Are you struggling to write your physician assistant personal statement?
- Are you out of ideas, or just need a second opinion?
- Do you want an essay that expresses who you truly are and grabs the reader's attention in the required 5,000-character limit?
We are here to help perfect your PA school essay
I have written countless times on this blog about the importance of your personal statement in the PA school application process. Beyond the well-established metrics (GPA, HCE/PCE hours, requisite coursework, etc.), the personal statement is the most crucial aspect of your application.
This is your time to express yourself, show your creativity, skills, and background, and make a memorable impression in seconds. This will be your only chance, so you must get it right the first time.
For some time, I had been dreaming about starting a physician assistant personal statement collaborative.
A place where PA school applicants like yourself can post their PA school essays and receive honest, constructive feedback followed by an acceptance letter to the PA school of your choice!
I have been reviewing a ton of essays recently, so many in fact that I can no longer do this on my own.
To solve this problem, I have assembled a team of professional writers, editors, and PA school admissions specialists who worked to revise and perfect my PA school application essay.
Beth Eakman has taught college writing and worked as a professional writer and editor since the late 1990s. Her projects have involved a wide range of disciplines and media, from editing technical reports to scriptwriting for the PBS Kids show Super Why! Her writing has appeared in publications including Brain, Child Magazine, New York Family Magazine, and Austin Family Magazine. Beth lives with her family just outside Austin, Texas. She is driven to help each client tell the best version of their story and achieve their dream of becoming a physician assistant.
Deanna Matzen is an author with articles featured in Earth Letter, Health Beats, Northwest Science & Technology, and the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. With an early career in environmental science, she developed a solid foundation in technical writing. Her communication skills were further honed by producing and editing content for a non-profit website, blog, and quarterly journal. Inspired to extend her craft, she obtained a certificate in literary fiction, which she draws on to build vibrant scenes that bring stories to life. Deanna loves working with pre-PAs who are on the cusp of new beginnings to find their unique story and tell it confidently.
Carly Hallman is a professional writer and editor with a B.A. in English Writing and Rhetoric (summa cum laude) from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. She has worked as a curriculum developer, English teacher, and study abroad coordinator in Beijing, China, where she moved in 2011. In college, she was a Gilman Scholar and worked as a staff editor for her university's academic journal. Her first novel, Year of the Goose, was published in 2015, and her first memoir is forthcoming from Little A Books. Her essays and creative writing have appeared in The L.A. Review of Books, The Guardian, LitHub, and Identity Theory, among other publications.
Read more client testimonials or purchase a revision
We Work as a Team
Our team of professional editors is wonderful at cutting out the "fluff" that makes an essay lose focus and sets people over the 5,000-character limit. Their advice is always spot-on.
Sue, Sarah, and Carly are amazingly creative writers who will take your "ordinary" and turn it into entirely extraordinary.
I mean it when I say this service is one-of-a-kind! We have spent countless hours interviewing PA School admissions directors and faculty from across the country to find out exactly what it is they are looking for in your personal statement.
We even wrote a book about it.
To collaborate, we use Google Drive. Google Drive is free, has an intuitive interface with integrated live comments in the sidebar, the ability to have a real-time chat, to collaborate effortlessly, and to compare, revise, or restore revisions on the fly. Google Drive also has an excellent mobile app that will allow you to make edits on the go!
Our team has worked with hundreds of PA school applicants within the Google Drive environment, and we have had enormous success.
The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative
I have set up two options that I hope will offer everyone a chance to participate:
- One-of-a-kind, confidential, paid personal statement review service
- A collaborative, free one (in the comments section)
Private, One-On-One Personal Statement Review Service
If you are interested in the paid service, you may choose your plan below.
The Personal Statement Review Service is:
- Behind closed doors within a private, secure network using Google Drive.
- It is completely interactive, meaning we will be able to provide real-time comments and corrections using the Google Drive interface.
- Telephone consultations are included with all edits above the single edit level. It’s often hard to communicate exactly what you want hundreds of miles away; for this reason, we offer the option to edit right along with us over the telephone while sharing in real-time over Google Drive. This is an option available to all our paid clients who purchase above the single edit level.
- We provide both revision and editing of all essays. What’s the difference? See below
- We will provide feedback, advice, and help with brainstorming and topic creation if you would like.
- We will help with a “final touch-up” before the big day, just in case your essay needs a few minor changes.
Why Choose Our Service?
- It’s not our opinion that matters. We have gone the extra step and personally interviewed PA school administrators from across the US to find out exactly what they think makes a personal statement exceptional.
- We are a team of PAs and professional writers, having worked over ten years with PA school applicants like yourself, providing countless hours of one-on-one editing and revision.
- Our clients receive interviews, and many go on to receive acceptance into their PA School of choice.
Because we always give 100%, we will open the essay collaborative for a limited number of applicants each month and then close this depending on the amount of editing that needs to be done and the time that is available.
Our goal is not quantity but quality. We want only serious applicants who are serious about getting into PA school.
Writing is not a tool like a piece of software but more like how a photograph can capture your mood. It’s more like art. The process of developing a unique, memorable personal statement is time-intensive, and it takes hours to compose, edit, finalize, and personalize an essay.
As Antoinette Bosco once said:
And this is why I am charging for this service. We love helping people find stories that define their lives, and we love helping individuals who have the passion to achieve their dreams. It’s hard to describe the feeling I get when an applicant writes back to tell me they were accepted into PA school.
There is no price tag I can place on this; it’s the feeling we get when we help another human being. It’s just like providing health care. But this takes time.
Interested? Choose your plan below.
Read more client testimonials.
Free Personal Statement Review
Post your essay in the comments section for a free critique
We want to make this opportunity available to everyone who would like help with their essay, and that is why we are offering free, limited feedback on the blog.
You post your essay in the comments section, and you will get our critique. It is that easy. We will try to give feedback to every single person who posts their COMPLETE essay here on this blog post in the comments section.
Also, by posting your comment, we reserve the right to use your essay.
We will provide feedback on essays that are complete and fit the CASPA requirements (View CASPA requirements here). We will not provide feedback on partial essays or review opening or closing statements. Your essay will be on a public platform, which has both its benefits and some obvious drawbacks. The feedback is limited, but we will try to help in any way we can.
Note: Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, I will delete your stuff. Otherwise, have fun, and thanks for adding to the conversation! And this should go without saying: if you feel the need to plagiarize someone else’s content, you do not deserve to go to PA school.
* Also, depending on the time of year, it may take me several weeks to reply!
We love working with PA school applicants, but don't just take our word for it!
How to submit your essay for the paid service
If you are serious and would like to have real, focused, and personalized help writing your personal statement, please choose your level of service and submit your payment below.
After you have submitted your payment, you will be redirected to the submissions page, where you can send us your essay as well as any special instructions. We will contact you immediately upon receipt of your payment and essay so we may begin work right away.
Pricing is as follows:
Choose your plan, then click "Buy Now" to submit your essay, and we will get started right away!
Every purchase includes a FREE digital copy of our new 100-page eBook, How to Write Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement, Our 101 PA School Admission Essays e-book, the expert panel audiobook, and companion workbook. This is a $65 value included for free with your purchase.
All credit card payments are processed via PayPal over a secure HTTPS server. Once your payment is processed, you will be immediately redirected back to the essay submission page. There, you will submit your essay along with some biographical info and all suggestions or comments you choose to provide. You will receive immediate confirmation that your essay has been securely transmitted as well as your personal copy of "How to Write Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement." Contact [email protected] if you have any questions, comments, or problems - I am available 24/7.
The hourly service includes your original edit and one-on-one time over Google Drive. It is simple to add more time if necessary, but you may be surprised at what a difference just a single edit can make. We find our four-hour service to be the most effective in terms of time for follow-up and full collaboration. We are open to reduced-rate add-ons to suit your individual needs.
Writing and Revision
All writing benefits from rewriting when done well.
When you are in the process of writing a draft of an essay, you should be thinking first about revision, not editing.
What’s the difference?
Revision refers to the substantial changing of text. For example, it may include re-organizing ideas and paragraphs, providing additional examples or information, and rewriting a conclusion for clarity.
Editing, on the other hand, refers to correcting mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
On all submissions, we perform both revision and editing.
How to submit your PA school essay for the FREE editing service
Follow the rules above and get to work below in the comments section. I look forward to reading all your essay submissions.
- Stephen Pasquini PA-C
View all posts in this series
- How to Write the Perfect Physician Assistant School Application Essay
- The Physician Assistant Essay and Personal Statement Collaborative
- Do You Recognize These 7 Common Mistakes in Your Personal Statement?
- 7 Essays in 7 Days: PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 1, “A PA Changed My Life”
- PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 2, “I Want to Move Towards the Forefront of Patient Care”
- PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 3, “She Smiled, Said “Gracias!” and Gave me a Big Hug”
- PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 4, “I Have Gained so Much Experience by Working With Patients”
- PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 5, “Then Reach, my Son, and Lift Your People up With You”
- PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 6, “That First Day in Surgery was the First Day of the Rest of my Life”
- PA Personal Statement Workshop: Essay 7, “I Want to Take People From Dying to Living, I Want to Get Them Down From the Cliff.”
- Physician Assistant Personal Statement Workshop: “To say I was an accident-prone child is an understatement”
- 9 Simple Steps to Avoid Silly Spelling and Grammar Goofs in Your PA School Personel Statement
- 5 Tips to Get you Started on Your Personal Essay (and why you should do it now)
- How to Write Your Physician Assistant Personal Statement The Book!
- How to Write “Physician Assistant” The Definitive PA Grammar Guide
- 101 PA School Admissions Essays: The Book!
- 5 Things I’ve Learned Going Into My Fourth Physician Assistant Application Cycle
- 7 Tips for Addressing Shortcomings in Your PA School Personal Statement
- The #1 Mistake PRE-PAs Make on Their Personal Statement
- The Ultimate PA School Personal Statement Starter Kit
- The Ultimate Guide to CASPA Character and Space Limits
- 10 Questions Every PA School Personal Statement Must Answer
- 5 PA School Essays That Got These Pre-PAs Accepted Into PA School
- 7 Questions to Ask Yourself While Writing Your PA School Personal Statement
- 101 PA School Applicants Answer: What’s Your Greatest Strength?
- 12 Secrets to Writing an Irresistible PA School Personal Statement
- 7 Rules You Must Follow While Writing Your PA School Essay
- You Have 625 Words and 2.5 Minutes to Get Into PA School: Use Them Wisely
- What’s Your #1 Personal Statement Struggle?
- 31 (NEW) CASPA PA School Personal Statement Examples
- How to Prepare for Your PA School Interview Day Essay
- Should You Write Physician Associate or Physician Assistant on Your PA School Essay?
- Meet the World’s Sexiest PA School Applicants
- PA School Reapplicants: How to Rewrite Your PA School Essay for Guaranteed Success
- How to Write a Personal Statement Intro that Readers Want to Read
- PA School Reapplicant Personal Statement Checklist
- How to Deal with Bad News in Your Personal Statement
- Inside Out: How to use Pixar’s Rules of Storytelling to Improve your PA Personal Statement
- Ratatouille: A Pixar Recipe for PA School Personal Statement Success
- Personal Statement Panel Review (Replay)
- Mind Mapping: A Tool for Personal Statements, Supplemental Essays, and Interviews
- Start at the End: Advice for your PA School Personal Statement
Emily says
“Well I’m so glad I found you! I’m glad I found you.” I laugh and let Vera know that I as well, am glad that I’ve found her. I would go on to hear this phrase every ten minutes for the next two hours, until the end of my shift that night. I’ve had the joy of working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) on a dementia unit. Being a CNA, especially on a dementia unit, means having a mix of inspiring, joyful, and heartbreaking experiences everyday. Despite the challenges of comforting distressed family members, maintaining composure after hours of answering the same questions over and over, and watching the life deteriorate from people with whom I’ve come to care for and love, my job has been nothing but fulfilling. I have truly learned the value of patience and compassion; because regardless of how patient I thought I was before, nothing has taught me more about patience than repeating the same thing to the same person every few minutes during an entire shift.
Day one on this job was an adjustment, and something I feared would set back all of my plans. I had spent the five years leading up to this job with the aspiration of becoming a physician assistant (PA); I feared that caring for people like a CNA does would make me realize I was wrong about wanting to become a PA. By the end of day two, I had not only fallen in love with taking care of each of my residents, but also with the team oriented way we all worked together. Working in this type of environment made me realize the importance of each person on the team- every CNA, med tech, and nurse on the unit that not only cares deeply for each resident and their family, is also always willing to support other team members so that our residents can live their best life. Eight months later, I know that I will undoubtedly spend the rest of my career working with likeminded people to provide care and comfort not only to people suffering, but also to their families that are scared and sometimes forgotten.
Back in 2010, I had my first experience learning about genetics in high school biology when I had to research and write a paper about Huntington’s chorea. Watching a dozen presentations on conditions like Parkinson’s , Tourette’s, ALS, and Tay-Sach’s fascinated me and set me on the course to study science. Advanced courses in biology, biotechnology, and psychology inspired my fascination for neurodegenerative genetic disorders. I had this growing interest in all things genetic, but furthermore, the real-life impacts of these microscopic alterations in a person’s genome. There was nothing more captivating than learning about genetics because I realized that the more I learned, the less I knew. I knew one day I would join the medical field because, yes, I am intellectually drawn to the study of genetics and microbiology; however, I was first inspired by the stories of families affected by genetic disorders.
Three and a half years later, I have completed a degree in cell and molecular biology in which I have focused myself on studying disease in its microscopic form. Virology, pathogenic bacteriology, and genetics have continued to inform my love for experimental and research science; but I have never found the same deep fulfillment in studying and researching these topics as I have found in each unique experience I have with my residents at work.
Nowadays, when somebody asks what my plans are for the future, they question why I do not want to become a doctor; and to be fair, for a few years in high school I fully believed becoming a doctor was what my future had in store. During high school though, many people also asked if I would prefer to become a nurse instead of a doctor for the ease of education and time. Even at that time, I knew that nursing was not an option; I needed to satisfy my curiosity for life at the microscopic level in college. In fact, I knew that I wanted to be far more involved with diagnostics than a nurse would generally be. As time passed though, I learned more about science, medicine, the functioning of a medical team, and myself; and with this I began to realize what exactly I wanted from my career that I could not envision as a freshman in high school. My career needed to be a better balance of close patient care and scientific analysis than that which a doctor is obligated. The role of the PA appealed to my passions for care and medical science, as well as my personality and team-based work preferences.
In the meantime, as I have expanded my exploration into microscopic life, I have learned to relish all of the invaluable moments that I have found with residents like Vera. All of the laughs, reminiscing, and hugs that I share with them in the hopes of relieving what is becoming a very unfamiliar and frightening world has brought purpose to my life. I hope that one day I am able to marry this passion for providing care and comfort with my long-time love for science to improve the lives of patients and their families as a PA.
Savannah says
I felt my stomach fluttering and my heart pounding out of my chest. “Beep, beep, beep” the monitor sounded, as the anesthesiologist checked the patient’s heart rate. I could see the anesthetics dripping slowly from the bag, flowing through the tubes into the patient’s veins. I strapped on my lead suit and surgical mask, preparing myself as the surgeon and his physician assistant washed their hands. I peered into the small window to see the surgical technologist organizing the instruments. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and I nearly leapt out of my skin. It was Carly, the physician assistant. “Are you ready to see your first surgery?” she asked. I timidly shook my head yes as she opened the door. When the sterile smell hit me, I felt a rejuvenating sensation one would have to experience themselves to appreciate. As Carly sat opposite the surgeon they shared a knowing look and a terse nod. “Scalpel please,” the surgeon announced. Witnessing this team of two work so diligently together captivated me. As the surgery neared the end, the doctor turned to Carly and said, “You can take this from here.” I watched her skillfully close up the incision and dress the wound on her own. As a malleable undergraduate student, it was this moment that inspired me to relentlessly pursue a career as a physician assistant.
I have since experienced countless moments working in the medical field that have served to further motivate me to achieve my goal. Seeing how cohesively PAs work with their supervising physicians taught me that medicine is a team effort. Luckily, working as part of a team is a skill that comes naturally due to my life long involvement in team sports as well as my participation and leadership in The Association of Pre-Physician Assistants at FAU. The opportunity to be involved with a growing organization, overflowing with young men and women with like-minded interests was incredibly uplifting. This pushed me to be a larger part of my community and most importantly, a better version of myself. One of the most rewarding opportunities I acquired through this organization was participating in a medical mission to Nassau, Bahamas. During our stay we provided a variety of medical services and helped to educate the underprivileged and impoverished in regards to living a healthy lifestyle. It was empowering to be responsible for these individuals in much the same way a PA is responsible for their patients. Being able to treat and care for these people alongside my peers gave me a glimpse into my future as a PA.
Physician assistants are trained to deliver the best possible care with the intention of improving patient-provider communication. This serves to facilitate a level of comfort and understanding that a physician would have difficulty achieving alone. It may seem outlandish to discuss my experience as a restaurant waitress but this job required the ability to deliver efficient customer service in a fast-paced environment. Eight years working as a waitress has strengthened my ability to interact with people on an objective level. The similarities between customer service and patient care became obvious to me shortly after I began working at Compass Health Systems, a psychiatric clinic. Even with little experience regarding patient care, I found it easy to communicate with anxious and uncomfortable patients. This stems from the social skills I have obtained while working in the restaurant industry. I clearly remember a busy day in clinic; a new patient with a severe panic disorder rushed into the office after being lost while trying to find our building. Without clear direction, I diffused the situation by utilizing the communication skills I obtained through years of customer service. This allowed me to effectively complete the patients screening and ask the necessary questions to facilitate quick treatment by her provider. At the checkout counter she stopped to thank me for being so patient and kind during her state of panic, as if this was an unusual occurrence for her. Her reaction proved to me that the correlation between patient care and customer care, though it seems unparalleled, requires similar skills in order to carry out superior service.
There were many times I have struggled with the decision of pressing forward or simply giving up. The stress caused by full-time school including extracurricular commitments and a full-time job can quickly become overwhelming. As a result of this stress I do admit that at times my academic and personal responsibilities suffered. However, I feel I would be remiss if I failed to mention that without these obstacles it would not have been possible to best my demons and learn the value of perseverance and dedication. These experiences taught me the value of learning from my mistakes and utilizing the positives in ways I never dreamed possible. My progress up to this point has proven to me that I have what it takes to exceed any and all expectations on the path to becoming a PA.
Savannah says
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Savannah says
I stood face-to-face with someone filled with hope for the future knowing we were about to give her a diagnosis that would change her entire worldview. She was a college senior who had gushed about upcoming internships and job opportunities at her previous appointment. Her excitement was palpable and easy for me to understand, as I had been in the same position a mere two years prior. She had come in to have a thyroid nodule removed; being young and healthy, her pre-operative appointments and surgery had gone smoothly. The surgical removal would yield a sample for pathology to ensure the nodule was no threat to her well being, though it was almost surely benign.
When the pathology report came back a week after her surgery, the paper provided cold, hard proof of malignancy. The doctor reluctantly handed her the paper that summed up her future in one word: cancer. Within moments, her face went through quiet shock, to red-faced anger, to a deep, tearful sadness, and finally confusion. She began to scramble for information to understand her diagnosis. Once the doctor left the room, she looked to me to help guide her in this overwhelming situation. All of the opportunities she had talked about with such vigor seemed to melt away and all she saw in her future was cancer. I spent the rest of that afternoon helping her set up her treatment plan. I wanted to assure her that everything would be okay, but found it difficult to be reassuring without making promises that I couldn’t keep.
In my experience as a medical assistant, I have learned that a patient can present with a minor complaint and the diagnosis may range from something as benign as a cold to something as serious as cancer. Larry was one such patient in which the latter was discovered. He came into our office with his wife and nine year-old daughter to have a bothersome lump on his neck evaluated. The doctor looked at the lump and decided to proceed with a laryngoscopy to be sure there was no sinister cause for the swelling. Once he placed the scope, I saw his facial expression darken. It was then that he told Larry that he appeared to have cancer at the base of his tongue. All lightheartedness left the room. His pigtailed daughter dropped the crayon that she had been coloring with. His wife seemed to age ten years in one second. At that point, we were strangers telling him that his life was about to be turned upside down. A surgical biopsy took place soon after, followed by an official cancer diagnosis and swift referral to an oncologist. Despite the grim situation, the doctor and I reassured Larry and his family that this form of cancer tends to be easily treatable with chemotherapy and radiation, and that his life would be back on track soon after treatment.
Larry proceeded with treatment with inspirational optimism and astounding support from his family. However, two weeks into treatment the doctor was called to the hospital for an emergent situation. Larry had acquired an unexplainable neck infection near the site of the cancer. The abscess was restricting his airway. He immediately had a tracheostomy tube placed, which was soon followed by painful procedures to drain he abscess. He became a regular patient as his health fluctuated wildly over the next few months. Each time he seemed to improve, he would suddenly worsen, whether it be due to infection, airway compromise, or another complication. I spent countless hours on the phone with his wife answering questions and setting up appointments, admitting him to the hospital, dressing his seeping wounds, and watching him become an emaciated shell of the jovial man I had encountered months prior.
Slowly, he began to improve. The day we removed his tracheostomy tube was a celebration and I watched him slowly hit milestones as the weeks continued until he was finally clear of the cancer.
Larry’s family, the doctor and I became a team over these many months. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to treat him and advocate for him when he felt he amounted to nothing more than his illness. Being an integral a part of this healthcare team gave me a glimpse into life as a physican assistant, working alongside doctor and patient, often as the stepping-stone between the two. I want to be able to flourish in this role and gain all of the skills necessary to provide patient with their healthcare needs. I always aspired to work in healthcare but gaining these experiences made me confident in my ability to treat patients. In college, I struggled with this confidence from time to time, worrying that I was incapable of the skill set required of a healthcare professional. I doubted myself and even withdrew from a few classes when doubting my abilities. However, seeing the impact I can have in the care of patients like Larry has only strengthened my resolve and confidence to achieve my goals.
In working with patients, you often find yourself acting as a beacon of hope in an otherwise dismal situation. I am fortunate that my patients look to me for guidance and allow me to act as an essential part of their care team, but there is plenty left for me to learn so that I may help them more. As they turn their searching eyes to me for answers, I want to give them everything I have to offer. My motivation to pursue a career as a physician assistant is to provide these patients with the answers and guidance they deserve.
Ariana Stevens says
“I’m calling 911!” I hear my mother scream. I run to my brother’s room to ask what was going on, but he was unsure. We went to our parent’s room to frighteningly see my father lying on the bed struggling to move. My mother quickly told us that our dad was having a stroke. We both stood with tears in our eyes, as we had never seen our father in such agony before. Eyes low, speech slurred, and right side paralyzed, I thought he would never recover from this tragedy. With constant rehabilitation and the unbelievable amount of strength my mother had for our whole family while being in the hospital every day with my dad turned his recovery right around. He re-gained all of his strength on his right side with minimal brain damage.
What my father went through is a mirror image of my time in college. The motivation my father had helped me better improve at what I was trying to achieve. The motivation it portrayed was not only about me. I represent my entire family. This is the mentality that I have taken from my father. It’s the importance of not only thinking about myself but who raised me to be the person I am today. At times throughout my college career I struggled more than I ever did with education. I needed to understand that the study habits I used for easier classes should not have been the same with my harder classes. I began to go to different study workshops and tutoring to properly learn how to study for the classes that I struggled in. Taking steps to not only show that I wanted to improve but that I knew I had more in myself to have better grades and study habits proved that I was better than what showed. My gpa has never equaled the determined person that I am and have always been. I have failed in many different things throughout my life but failure has made me better at what I do and to be able to succeed in the things that I do. Witnessing my father’s perseverance years ago helped me to believe that I can persevere through any obstacle that comes my way.
Science has never been just a subject to me; it has been the way I see life itself. Declaring my major in Kinesiology in college was just the beginning to the years of science I would begin to learn. Not one soul on this planet is the same and that’s what makes us so fascinating and unique. Being one of the captains on my volleyball team in college definitely taught me how to be a problem solver, team player, and how to connect science to volleyball. Through the different dynamics of the how hard to hit the ball, the timing of each step and location of each player on the court, it all had to deal with science.
With volunteering, shadowing doctors as well as physician assistants, and post baccalaureate medical experience, this all set my mind to believe that there was nothing else I’d rather do in life than to show my compassion for others through medical healing. I love the teamwork of a pa and md working with one another. Being the doctor’s first assist is amazing. As a surgical assistant, I am able to review the life I would have as a PA by being the doctor’s first assist in the surgeries we do at my job. One thing that sold me about PA’s are that they are able to change specialties without furthering their education in school, as MD’s have to go back to school and go through another residency to work in their specialty of choice. My heart was once set on dermatology, but with the experience I’ve received working I later turned to love assisting in surgery as well.
MOHS surgery is what made me want to be not only a pa in dermatology, but a pa in surgery as well. I set the path and never deterred away from dermatology as most of my experience has come from there. But for some reason, the distinctiveness of surgery drew me to that. To relieve someone of a life-threatening cancer such as melanoma is an amazing thing to achieve. This brings me back to the time I spend volunteering for the American Red Cross. Hundreds of people every week give their blood just to help someone in need. Self-less, and genuine is what I would call these people. Doing things for the benefit of others without expecting to gain anything back in return. As a future pa, whether I will be in dermatology, surgery, or anything my heart brings me to, I will put my patients needs first to assure them of the best outcome they can achieve.
I’ve learned that everything in life is a lesson and as long as you learn from your mistakes and not repeat it, you can do great things. No matter which field I go into, as long as I am able to display the love I have to care for people as a physician assistant, I will be happy. One of my favorite quotes that I feel relates to me and my passion is from the late Hippocrates. He stated, “Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.”
Audrey says
For the bulk of my registered respiratory therapist/ registered polysomnographic technician (RRT/RPSGT) career I’ve served the pediatric population at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Sleep Lab and as you can probably imagine, I have encountered many arduous situations.
More often than not, patients are nervous and anxious, scared and confused, uncomfortable and sometimes upset about their test. The majority of my patients are under the age of five, so cognitively it is difficult for them to understand the importance of the test. “Tonight, you get to sleep with stickers on! Isn’t that awesome? I bet that’s something you don’t get to do every night at home, right? We can put some on your stuffed animal too if you’re okay with it. I promise to explain every sticker before I put it on you, okay? No surprises, and I really like helpers, will you please help me put some stickers on your animal friend?” Most patients were thrilled to help and it made them feel comfortable, safe, and like they had some control in the test.
“Alright, I love how your animal friend and you are looking, what do you think?” A little girl responded, “Awesome, I feel like a puppet.” “One of the most adorable puppets I have ever seen! And your sidekick really compliments your adorableness.”
With all of the stickers on, there’s just one more crucial piece of equipment to apply, the dreaded nasal cannula. I show her the device and explain, “Now, this is not your average nose piece you might have seen before, this is a very special nose piece, this is an elephant trunk, do you know what sound an elephant makes?” The patient smiles and nods affirmatively. I take a deep breath, and make my very best elephant sound, my patient bursts out with laughter, and I go on “…this special elephant nose is going to help us find out why you’re having trouble sleeping at night, so it’s very important, okay? After I put it on you, will you give me your best elephant sound?” She excitingly nods her head yes, and proceeds to forcibly blow air through her lips as well as she can, attempting to perfect her elephant sound. I can’t help but smile at her wholehearted attempt, “Wow, that’s really good! Have you done this before? Other patients are going to think there is a real elephant in here.” She smiles, and before I leave the room, she stops me, “Can you make any other animal sounds?” she asks. I promptly reply, “You bet! Which one would you like to hear first? My duck or my pig?”
Going the extra mile to provide exceptional care and help patients feel more comfortable is something I pride myself of. I provide each person with the kind of care I would want, or want for a family member or friend. I observed this quality time and time again while shadowing physician assistants (PAs). Because this comes naturally to me, I knew I needed to become a PA to play a larger role in patients care, and serve patients in a greater capacity.
The PAs I observed built quality relationships with each of their patients, displayed passion and patience for teaching and helping others, took time to actively listen and give patients the kind of care they’d want for themselves or a loved one. Working as a team, the supervising physicians, nurse practitioners, and PAs relied and assisted each other, collectively brainstormed about diagnoses or treatment options, and functioned like a ‘well-oiled machine’. After all, the entire team strives for the same ultimate goal; to help people and give them the best care they possibly can with the tools and resources they have.
After my first day of shadowing I was pumped to observe more, “I found my calling; I found where I’m supposed to be! There’s not a doubt in my mind about becoming a PA, I love everything about it.” I exclaimed to my husband. This feeling is very special to me because I don’t want to spend my life just going to work, I want to spend my life loving my work, and loving what I do. I know becoming a PA will provide me with career fulfillment and a chance to become a member of a ‘well-oiled machine’.
Nicole G says
All any one person needs to change the arc of their life, and potentially the life of others, is purpose and an idea; one idea for which they possess a staunch and passionate belief. My idea has been with me in some fashion for more than a decade but, it often had an evolving face and at times acted more as an unnamed, directional force than a homing beacon.
Abusive relationships don’t start out as abusive. In the beginning, they act and feel just the same as a healthy one, save with some ignored red flags. An abusive relationship, especially a mentally abusive and manipulative one, must be cultivated over a span of time. You make small concessions for harmless things. Those small and harmless things gradually become bigger as the abuser flexes their manipulative will. Then one day, you realize just how much proverbial flesh has been stripped from your back and find you are nothing but a haunting, skeletal semblance of your once vivacious, ambitious self. This is where I found myself three years into a long and tumultuous five year relationship.
I was isolated, I spoke to no one outside of work, had no friends. Going to class brought on his displeasure so I attended in sporadic intervals that coincided with times for which he was busy and wouldn’t note my absence. Attendance in this fashion wasn’t enough to maintain the academic prowess I had achieved in the past but, I knew if I ceased these meager attempts I wouldn’t start again. I had a finger tips purchase on the cliff face of my future and knew if I let go even for a moment I would have two feet cemented firmly into the foundations of whatever future he designated.. Still, I didn’t leave. I forsook myself and continued to piece away who I was in every way possible but one; I was working toward being a physician assistant someday. This was the idea that I clung to, the only sense of purpose or directionality I maintained.
Anyone that has worked in healthcare long enough has a collection of their most memorable patient encounters that have left a profound and lasting impression on them. However, if you learn to recognize them for what they are, profound patient exchanges happen every single day.
When you finish changing a patient’s soiled bed linens for the fifth time that shift, give them their first bath on post op day 6 or let them worry openly and honestly, allowing them a moment of private weakness, so they can maintain a face of strength for their kids and spouses, they look you in the eye and say “thank you” in the most deeply meaningful of ways. In those two words is said, “thank you for helping me when I cannot help myself, thank you for accepting me as I am before you, for not judging or begrudging my presence in your day today ”. These thank you’s are the currency of everyday profundity.
Honest and unguarded human moments like these hum in your heart, carrying with them a restoring sense of contentment. I felt absolutely dejected and useless in all ways imaginable as a result of the relationship I was in at the time. When I was at work, serving others, I felt whole. The small moments like these that I experienced while working as an acute cardiovascular CNA served as my rock during the most difficult time of my life. I endeavor to imbue my work and all patient interactions with a healing touch. More often than I deserve I am gifted the healing touch of my patients instead.
The breadth and magnitude of what these patient interactions and my goal of becoming a PA meant to me wasn’t realized until the day my ex made the mistake of stipulating how, if at all, he would allow me to go to PA school. I utterly broke. The meek, manipulated, self-depreciatory me broke. And from the fissures boiled out a snarling, ferocious, vivacious self with a fervently realized need to be a PA . The moment my idea was threatened it ceased to by an arbitrary directional force and erupted into a lightning bolt of understanding that struck at the heart of who I was and wanted to be.
Becoming a PA isn’t something I am doing to complete a task in life, to be able to check the box next to, career. To me, being a PA means being part of a collaborative team effort, delivering state-of-the-art, progressive care to all I encounter and influencing those around me to lead the healthiest lives possible. Above all, I strive to become a PA in memory of the hundreds of patient who have individually touched my every day, and I seek to honor their memory further by touching thousands more. I have found my purpose.
Quint says
At a young age, I was taken to the funeral of my aunt and uncle who were killed on a motorcycle just a mile from my house. It became very apparent to me even then that life and death were very precious and that the right medical care given in the right timing could make all the difference to someone in an emergency.
Shortly after my nephew was born in distress, he was placed in ICU, my grandmother suffered several small strokes and needed extra care in a nursing home, my elbow was popped out of place in a wrestling match destroying a ligament, and my father had a large blood clot lodged in his brain requiring brain surgery. All of these experiences that required the attention of the medical community have captured my soul and have made me realize a desire to help people through the trials in their own lives. I watched as my nephew lay in a tiny bed in ICU and the physician’s assistant came in to the room to check on him. A physician’s assistant was the one who most frequently visited my grandmother in the nursing home to assess her condition and relay instructions from the doctor to the nursing staff, and ultimately help her transition through the Hospice experience. A physician’s assistant was the first to see the condition of my elbow when I went in to the clinic after my injury. And, a physician’s assistant was the one to call my mother seeking permission to administer tPA to my father and was a fundamental part of caring for him throughout his stay in the hospital. Life and death were precious and the right timing and the right care made all the difference to the patients and our family members.
After witnessing these situations within my own family, I decided I wanted to be the one who holds the hand of the tiny infant who is struggling for his first breaths of life as his parents stand by watching with hope. I want to be the one who offers a smile and a gentle touch to an elderly man or woman who is needing care and comfort in their last days. I want to help evaluate an injury and decide if further treatment will be necessary. I want to help diagnose strokes and heart attacks to get that person the immediate help they need. And, I want to help alleviate discomfort to a sick person, give hope to family and be a bridge to accomplish God’s will in their lives.
Kailey says
There are a lot of scary things about hospitals. Many people fear needles, some shiver from the sound of moans leaking from next door, and others are frightened simply by the unknown. I was afraid for an entirely different reason. Being only four years old, I did not fully understand what was happening. I was surrounded by too many unfamiliar faces and in more pain than I had ever endured. Worst of all, I was alone. My mom had taken my sister to see Garth Brooks perform, and my father had to go back home because he forgot to turn off the stove. I assure you there is nothing that could make a hospital visit more terrifying than having to experience it by yourself. The staff thought my screaming would never cease, that was until a friendly face appeared. My pediatrician had heard that I was admitted and decided to come check-in. That “check-in” turned into hours of reading stories and playing games. What I thought to be the scariest moment of my life transformed into laughter and smiles. It was then that I knew I wanted to be like “Dr. Buddy”.
Some time had passed and again I was sitting helplessly at a hospital. This time, however, I was not the patient. A close friend was rushed to the hospital and taken straight to surgery. We waited in that room for over nine hours, and in that time I experienced a new kind of pain. The waiting room was across from the surgery entrance where families could say their last “I love you” before the patient was wheeled back. Most parents were there to hug their child and provide them with one last reassurance, but then there were the children that had no one. As cliché as it sounds, my heart hurt for those sitting there alone. I wanted nothing more than to be able to one day stand beside them, to provide them comfort, to be their Dr. Buddy.
Within a couple years it was time to enter college. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to pursue medicine. When it came down to the classroom, it was apparent that I was in the right field, but I knew that I would need hands-on experience because there is a huge difference in studying healthcare and actually providing it. I landed a job as a patient care associate at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, and although I was excited for the opportunity, it brought on challenges. I had transferred colleges after one semester, leading to the loss of my academic scholarship. I did not want the resulting burden to fall upon my mom, so I decided to pay for school myself. I juggled being a full-time student while working full-time hours around my class schedule. This proved to be more difficult than it sounds since the hospital operates on twelve-hour shifts. There were numerous occasions that I would go to class all day, go to work that night, and then go back to class. I grew tired, irritable, and doubted myself for choosing that path, but I stayed persistent because I was constantly reminded that this is what I had to do.
During my time at the hospital I served as a house-float which enabled me to work with every specialty of patients. As much as I loved learning about medicine, I loved getting to care for people and learn their stories even more. I laughed with a woman who joked about breaking her hip after falling at Belk because she was so excited to get to a sale. I witnessed what seventy years of marriage looks like as I helped a man clean his wife up so she would feel a little better. I sat with a child so his grandfather could go home to rest, and we spent the night talking about our dogs. I enjoyed getting to meet and make a difference to all of these people, but there are too many occasions where I wish I could have done more. I want to be a proactive leader in patients’ care plans from admittance to discharge. Getting to work with all different specialties was something I appreciated, and it is a quality that wanted in a future career. I researched the roles of doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, and it was only the latter that offers me both the versatility between specialties and the ability to be on the front line of patients’ care.
My years in the medical field has not only strengthened what I learned in class, but it has allowed me to grow as a health-care worker overall. My patience was tested, my determination nearly broken, my sleep schedule nearly non-existent, and my emotions in a whirlwind. However, I gained confidence when faced with challenges and I developed an appreciation for teamwork. Ernest Hemingway said, “We’re stronger in the places that we’ve been broken”. My struggles have been preparing me for taking on the role of a PA. I am asked why I want to deal with the stress and the heartache, and honestly, I too have asked it myself, but I want to be someone’s Dr. Buddy. Care providers truly make a difference in how a patient copes with his or her diagnosis. It took only one person to change my entire hospital experience, and I am confident that I can do the same for others.
sami tello says
“Hi Dr. Matt, hi Sami!” It’s Thursday afternoon, and my all-time favorite patient rolls into the physical therapy clinic with his Star Wars Legos and two younger siblings in tow. “Hey, Caleb!” I exclaim. I am thrilled to see this little guy. I greet his mom, and take over pushing Caleb’s wheelchair into the gym. “I brought my Lego guys so we can play ‘knock down the city’, I’m totally going to beat you today,” he says. “Hmm, I doubt it, but you can try!” I grab Caleb’s lower body brace and lay his weakened limbs into it. “Alright, if we are playing ‘knock down the city’ then you have to stand for me,” I say as I hoist him upright. I grab the foam rollers we typically have patients use for stretching and mobility and set them up like towers, strategically placing his Storm Troopers on the tops.
Caleb takes the plastic balls I’ve set out and begins throwing them at the towers, bringing the Storm Troopers crashing down. “I told you I was going to beat you today! Watch this!” Caleb shrieks as he musters up all his strength to throw another ball. The fun only last a few minutes before the pain sets in. Caleb is 5 years old and suffers from Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, and standing in his brace is painful. “C’mon buddy, just a few more minutes, you can do it! I think you’re going to win today.” He bites his lip, and with tears streaming down his face, he continues until there are no towers standing. The strength in this child is immeasurable, and to describe him as inspiring would be an understatement.
A career in medicine has always been my goal, but there were times when I wasn’t sure just what that would like. My Movement Anatomy professor in my senior year of college is the one who turned me to the physician assistant profession. The more I researched the skills and duties of a PA, the more it felt like the right fit for me. Having been an athlete for most of my life, teamwork comes naturally to me. Being a team means working together to accomplish a common goal, and the physician-PA relationship embodies just that.
I have spent the last year committed to preparing myself for a lifelong career as a physician assistant. Working in the physical therapy clinic as a physical therapy aide and shadowing a gastroenterology PA has gained me incredible experience, both medically and personally. To name a few, while in the physical therapy clinic I have been able to apply my background in kinesiology to help develop programs for patients, and have expanded my knowledge of treatment courses for common post-operative conditions, work and lifestyle related pain and athletic injuries. Additionally, I perform ultrasounds and set up patients on modalities to help alleviate their pain. Being in the PT clinic, I have had the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with the patients I encounter.
Working side-by-side with the PA over the past year, has allowed me to truly grasp the extent of the level of knowledge and skillset required of a PA. She divulges in her work; changing gastrostomy tubes, treating both bleeding and leaking stoma sites, comforting patients with genuine empathy; a true master of her craft. I am amazed at the level of autonomy in the PA’s daily routine; being able to develop treatment plans for patients, performing procedures and making recommendations. When situations arise that require the physician’s expertise, he is only a phone call away. From their conversations, it is obvious the physician and PA have a very close relationship built on mutual respect and trust. I gained a very clear understanding of the physician-PA relationship and the communication necessary to effectively provide the best patient care.
In these experiences, I have learned that my heart aches for those I cannot help due to my limitations to provide care in my current position. I have never been one to sit on the sidelines and passively watch; I am the first to dive in and help where I am needed. I believe versatility is key in the physician assistant profession, much like an athlete who is capable of playing multiple positions. Becoming a PA will allow me to serve the variety of medical needs in my community. My patients will benefit from my authenticity, interpersonal skills, my compassion to heal, and my adaptability. Caleb reminds me that while there is pain, if we bite our lip and fight through it, there is something greater on the other side; and we can do it together.
Tiffany M. says
This is my first draft of my personal statement. Thanks in advance for the feedback!
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” This quote from Mark Twain comes to mind when describing my journey to becoming a physician assistant. From the time I was five years old, I knew I wanted to be in the medical field. My grandfather was sick my entire childhood. He was diagnosed with coronary heart disease and diabetes. These diagnoses caused him to lose both of his legs. When I would spend the weekends at his house, I would help give him insulin shots and his medications. I was taught early on how to perform CPR, what to do when his sugar bottomed out or spiked, and how to care for his incisions in the event something happened while I was with him. Going to countless doctor appointments with him, I encountered many different medical professions; nurses, doctors, and physician assistants. My grandfather is my “why.”
Working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in a long-term care facility, I work with nurses, doctors, physician assistants, physical therapist, and administration staff. I have also shadowed both doctors and physician assistants. These experiences have led me to the physician assistant career path. I love the flexibility and the greater focus on patient care that comes with the profession. In my two years of direct patient care as a CNA, I have witnessed many different injuries, illness, and diseases that has provided me with a variety of experiences. I have witnessed both tragedy and triumph with my residents and coworkers. I always spend time with my residents, understand their points of view, form a connection with them, and give them the best quality care I can possibly provide. There is no greater reward in life than to share your love and compassion with the word to make everyone else’s life just a little bit better. Becoming a PA will allow me to make a difference by doing something I already know I am great at – helping people in a time of need.
Vanessa Damiani says
In the midst of darkness, there will always be a light. The light will guide you to the end of the tunnel and help you to never lose sight of hope. Growing up, you could say things were easy and then they quickly became challenging when I entered high school. My father is sick; he has an addiction. He put us in a hole that was too deep to be filled and restored. We have jumped house to house, never had a clue how long we would be staying. I had a job at sixteen and began saving all the money I could to be able to support myself because I knew I could not depend on my parents. I was also an athlete, played soccer for a travel team and also my high school. With school full time, soccer, working part-time and the constant worry of financial struggle amongst my family, I was stressed. I was burdened. It has been difficult to watch a life that was once so easy, unravel and become destroyed. I pushed myself to keep doing what I loved while working hard and staying strong for my future’s sake. The worst came in waves. Most of the time I was able to rise above and overcome the difficulties faced, but sometimes money can dictate the outcome. I ended up not participating in college soccer so I could work more and focus on my academics. For a while things were well, I maintained a 4.0 throughout my first year. Then again I was pushed out of another home to somewhere new. Into my hardest, most important years of college I was lost. I lost focus. I regained it when I learned my mom was diagnosed with cutaneous T cell lymphoma. I always had interest in becoming a physician’s assistant, but at this moment I remembered that my purpose in life was much greater than what I had been working at. With school full time, always taking on eight classes or more, I did not have the time or finances to obtain a certification in phlebotomy or medical assisting as I would have liked to. My junior year I made it a priority to find a way to gain more knowledge and obtain experience in the medical field. I began shadowing at AI DuPont Hospital for Children. I was able to gain hands on experience in different departments throughout the hospital. I worked beside doctors, physician’s assistants, residents and other students. I met a variety of patients from in/out patient care, oncology/hematology, dermatology and primary care. Through my experience shadowing, I was able to put myself in the shoes of medical professionals, listen to case studies performed by the residents and participate in the diagnosis or the next step for each patient. Becoming a physician’s assistant became my drive, my drive to fight past my family situation and finish school. A particular PA student took interest in me and gave me the confidence that I was capable of achieving my goal despite my situation. There is always someone in your life, even if they may not know it, that gives you that piece of hope to never stop working towards the light.
Katie says
It was a cold January night and the sound of crunching metal, glass breaking and tires screeching filled the quiet street. I remember regaining consciousness, looking over and seeing blood covering my mom’s face. A woman stood next to my window and said “I’m a nurse, you’re going to be okay, help is on its way.” The next thing I remember, I was in the back of an ambulance crying, pleading with the EMT to not let my mom die, my dad was already dead. I was sixteen years old.
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be in the medical field. I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps in some way. He was a general practice physician. As a little girl, I would follow him around his office, in and out of exam rooms seeing patient after patient. I’ll never forget the day a new mother brought her newborn baby in for a checkup. My father took his stethoscope out and listened to his chest. After a few quiet moments, my father stepped back and took a deep breath. He was about to deliver news that no mother wanted to hear: your baby has a hole in his heart.
Fast forward to that horrific night in January. I’m in the emergency room, a young woman named Christine was sitting across from me asking me questions about my past health and relatives that she could call. I told her my father had died four years prior and I couldn’t remember anyone’s phone numbers due to the concussion I sustained in the accident. I began crying again. Christine sat next to me on the gurney, put her arms around me and told me everything would be okay. She stayed with me during X-rays, she stitched my face with the utmost care, explained my mother’s and my injuries to me until I understood and waited with me until my Aunt arrived. Christine was a physician assistant. To this day, I have not forgotten how kind and caring she was in my time of need. Ever since January 21, 2007, I knew what my path in life was; I wanted to be a PA.
Throughout high school I excelled but when it came time for college applications, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. I made the tough decision to take a gap year and work to help pay bills at home. I signed up for classes at the local community college the following year while still working full time.
After two years, I applied to Saint Joseph’s University. I had all intentions of becoming a undergraduate student that lived on campus and got involved in every way possible. When I was not approved for private loans without a cosigner, that dream quickly fizzled out. I made the decision to drive the 15-miles to campus each day. While I wanted to quit my job and put everything I had into my education, that just wouldn’t be a possibility. I could not and would not in good conscious leave my mom with a $2000.00 tuition bill each month. I continued to work 20-30 hours each week to help lessen my mother’s financial burden.
My time at SJU was certainly not wasted. I joined the cheerleading team and volunteered as much as my time would allow. I cheered sideline at every men’s and women’s basketball game, competed in STUNT as well as at NCA Collegiate Nationals in Florida. I joined Make a Wish Foundation to grant less fortunate, ill children the dream of a lifetime, APEX to build homes and gardens for families in the Appalachian region, and Relay for Life to raise cancer awareness on campus, as well as to make a difference in my community. My grades, however, were not as good as I had wanted for myself. I had lost sight of the real reason I had started this journey: to be a PA.
One job change, basketball games, cheer practices, competitions and endless volunteer opportunities later, I persevered and ultimately graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a Bachelor’s degree.
While sitting in a white fold up chair on the Maguire Campus lawn of SJU listening to the commencement speaker, I thought to myself “what am I going to do now?” My science grades were nowhere near as good as they should be to apply to PA school. At that moment, I made it my mission to register for classes, retake the necessary science classes, improve my grades and continue on with my dream of becoming a PA.
Through my work in the healthcare field, I have learned what patient care really means. It means treating mind, body and soul. It means having dignity, respect, compassion and commitment for patients. It means giving everything you have plus some to giving your patients the care they need and deserve regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.
I’m at a place in my life where I am confident in myself as well as my abilities to succeed in your program and become an outstanding physician assistant. I want to be like Christine and make a difference in people’s lives during those scary, emotional times of need. Like my father and save a child’s life with the listen of a stethoscope. I want to be like those physicians and PA’s assistants that do not give up trying to find the root of the problem when everyone else does. I want to be a part in the future of healthcare.
Rajan Raina says
The idea of practicing medicine with autonomy and being able to collaborate with the physician to provide efficient health care is what has captivated me to become a physician assistant. I have always had a firm grasp of how the healthcare field operates since I have been surrounded by family and friends who are associated with providing healthcare; also having a full-time job in the emergency department, shadowing, and volunteering has also made the hospital ambiance a second home to me. I was introduced to the profession of a physician assistant when I discovered that my mother was diagnosed with a carcinoma. While my mother had a large and amazing team of healthcare professionals to take care of her, one professional stood out to me the most: the physician assistant.
The physician assistant’s role captivated me: his ability to display superlative communication amongst the physician and as well as their outstanding teamwork ultimately, saved my mother’s life. It was not difficult to see the physician assistant and physician’s ability to trust one another was unquestionable. The interaction between the two professionals lured me in like a child walking past a candy store. I learned that these characteristics are essential to have in the healthcare field. The physician assistant’s genuine efforts to consult with my family on each decision and answer our numerous questions without hesitation was relieving and inspiring at the same time. The amount of compassion the physician assistant had for my family helped me understand and gain a holistic side to medicine and treatment; one that includes compassion, time, and emotion. The unfortunate case of my mother’s carcinoma helped me understand the functions of physicians, physician assistants, nurses as well as other various healthcare professionals and the importance of operating and behaving as a team.
I have personally witnessed that physician assistants are the pinnacle of efficiency and collaboration in regards to the healthcare community and in the scope of medicine, physician assistants provide stability in patient care. Working in the Emergency Department at University Hospital, the physician assistants help expand the access to care and control the volume of patients which ease the burden of the physician who may be involved with a critical patient. Working as a medical scribe, I am confident in my ability to understand pertinent positives and negatives from physical examinations, interpreting physical exam findings, and developing adequate differential diagnoses. I am eagerly learning how specific treatment and medications can influence the patient in terms of blood pressure, heart rate, or pulse oximeter changes. I am also interpreting imaging studies which further evaluate my understanding of essential clinical findings such as a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or an intracranial hemorrhage.
I am inspired by the dedication and commitment physician assistants must have and Scribing at University Hospital has opened my eyes to the fact that physicians and PAs must focus on the patient from many different perspectives in order to best treat the patient as a whole. For example, I was working with a physician assistant who was about to perform a facial reconstruction for a 14-year-old girl with Treacher-Collins syndrome. Although the physician assistant was convinced he could perform the surgery with marvelous results, he realized that the patient may not benefit from the surgery until her post-traumatic mental scarring was treated first. The PA and I spoke afterward about the importance of looking at the whole patient and not getting too consumed with the detail of one specific problem which has taught me to pay attention to detail, however, focus on the patient as a whole.
Jessica says
“Are you still going to become a PA?” my grandma asked with a hint of doubt in her voice. It was blunt, but having just graduated, it was a question I was prepared for. So without hesitation, I looked her straight in the eyes and replied, “Yes, grandma.” She smiled approvingly, but what was ironic to me was that I do not think she even realized that this whole journey for me started because of her.
Over the course of my lifetime, I have seen my grandma beat cancer four times and survive a massive stroke. This translated into a lot of doctors’ appointments, surgeries, and recovery time. I took care of her a lot during these times and when I did, I was always given a strict set of post care instructions to follow from her doctors. I was in charge of tasks such as making sure she took her medications, changing her bandages, keeping her surgical sites clean, assisting her through her physical rehabilitation exercises, helping her increase her lung strength after her lobectomy and clearing out her drainage tube from her mastectomy. This was a lot of responsibility for a teenager to handle, and something that many people would find overwhelming, but not me. These experiences, coupled with my strong interest in the sciences, sparked my interest in medicine and solidified my belief that it was the right path for me.
I grappled for a long time with the idea of becoming either a nurse or a physician as most students in the pursuit of medicine would. Each offered the opportunity to be directly involved in the care of patients; however, each also had its limitations. Nursing lacked in terms of not being able to examine, diagnose and treat patients autonomously whereas, the career of a physician lacked in flexibility with regards to scheduling, the time allotted for each patient and specialty mobility. I first learned about the PA profession during my sophomore year at the University of Connecticut in a class titled the Sociology of Health. My professor discussed the history of the profession as well as the role of a PA. As she was speaking, each word resonated within me because a PA was the middle ground between a nurse and a doctor that I had been searching for.
Once I knew what I wanted to do, it became a question of how I was going to get there. Academically speaking, my grades were stellar, but I needed to take what I was learning in the classroom and apply it. Volunteering as an EMT for ** was my first leap into healthcare and it was the first time I was able to interact with actual patients. My training and experience as an EMT has provided me with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills that I could build upon as a PA. However, the hardest part of being an EMT was that I never knew what happened to a patient once the call was over. One of the biggest appeals of the PA is profession is that he/she is the one who is examining the patient, ordering and interpreting the test results, making the diagnosis, formulating the treatment plan and tracking the patient’s progress along the way. As a PA, I would no longer have to wonder what happened to a patient because I would be there through it all.
After graduating from college, I started working as a physical therapy aide which exposed me to an area of healthcare that was different from that which I was used to as an EMT. As an aide, I developed a relationship with the physical therapist I worked with that was in many ways similar to the dynamic that develops between a PA and their supervising physician such that the PT instills in me a level of trust to carry out my responsibilities efficiently and with the best interests of the patients in mind. Another attraction of the PA profession is that it allows me to have the autonomy I want, but with the added benefit of having the supervising physician there as an additional resource if needed. As an aide, I have also been able to get to know patients on a more personal level, allowing me to see them as a whole rather than just a set of physical symptoms or test results. I strongly believe that the more you know about a patient, the more you can render care that is individualized for that patient and make it a more positive experience for them.
I remember one day while I was working as an aide, I had already finished assisting an elderly woman named Theresa through her exercises but the PT was still working with another patient. Instead of walking away and letting her wait alone, I pulled up a chair beside her and started talking to her. She told me all about her life and I could tell by the ways her eyes lit up that she loved having someone to tell all her stories to. When the PT came over, Theresa told the PT how wonderful and kind I was for listening. These are the moments that motivate me to give the best care that I can and makes it that much more rewarding to see patients like Theresa progress and be able to do things like chase around her energetic grandkids again. Whether I am in the role of an EMT, a PT aide, or even a future PA, moments like this are what makes answering questions like the one my grandma asked so easy to answer.
Heather says
About five of his closest friends, his girlfriend, and mother were gathered around, nervous smiles glimmering on their faces. The moment seemed an odd combination of private and public, with the hospital room door opened halfway. As the last clump of hair fell to the ground, everyone in the room provided their approving (and thankfully sincere) remarks. He glanced through the door to me in the
hallway, and I offered an exuberant thumbs up. The group smiled and giggled in reply, and I felt a sense of camaraderie that almost made me forget why I was there. A pre-chemotherapy haircut was a surprisingly joyous occasion for a twenty-something leukemia patient when they’re equipped with a healthy dose of optimism. This simple moment stayed with me, ingrained as a flashbulb memory. Unfortunately, the patient would die within a year.
The human aspect of medicine was not what initially drew me in. Like many, my love of biology began early, in high school. I chose to attend a university that would challenge me academically, and figured I would find my path along the way. When I graduated, still feeling somewhat aimless, I moved to Dallas for a change of pace. It was here that I began working in clinical research at Baylor Scott and White
Research Institute. My experience in clinical research more than prepared me for being a clinician myself. Due to the particularly strong team working environment in the oncology department, I was able to collaborate with colleagues on many different projects. I feel this is particularly applicable to the role
of a physician assistant. I feel comfortable deferring to someone more knowledgeable than myself, and do not mind taking the lead when appropriate. Through this teamwork I was able to learn a great deal about a variety of cancers, including breast, colon, pancreatic, leukemia, multiple myeloma, melanoma,
and lymphomas. This only sparked my curiosity further. I learned all I could, attending grand rounds, learning the basics of phlebotomy, and observing as many bone marrow biopsies as possible. This passion was mirrored in my academic life. I began taking classes in the evenings to complete the prerequisites I had not in undergrad.
Being a part of clinical trials that have the ability put cancer patients into remission was incredibly fulfilling, but I still felt separated from the true work that was being done. I wanted to be more closely involved in the decision making processes, and have more in depth knowledge of the science behind them. As a physician assistant I would be able to directly impact and help the lives of those in need. Characteristics of the best physician assistants are those that I also see in myself. Professionalism can been observed in the way they interact with both physicians and patients. Working in two well respected academic institutions more than prepared me for this. The attention to detail I paid in my work in clinical research will directly translate to that of a physician assistant’s. Whether auditing a study, answering queries in electronic data capture systems, or recording fluctuations in lab results;
everything was went through with a fine tooth comb. This will assist me and taking an accurate history and picking up small pieces of information that are key to a patient’s diagnosis.
Any interaction I have had with a physician assistant has been overwhelmingly positive. Those that I have personally been seen by have been extraordinary. The nature of the career is perfect in attracting people who truly value their patients and take the time to make them feel heard. They can provide a more holistic approach to healthcare, understanding that bedside manner and the patient’s emotions are vital components to healing. Never have I felt rushed or unwelcome. This warmth is an incredible ability, and it is something I feel that I bring to the table. My background in medical anthropology uniquely prepares me to care for a variety of patients in a culturally competent way. As someone who has seen patients in two distinctive regions of the United States- the South and Midwest- I am acutely
aware of small cultural differences. Reacting appropriately to these can make a large impact on therapport going forward. In addition, my experience with a wide range of age groups will make me aninformed clinician. I have seen patients ranging from 18-90 years of age, and can swiftly adjust my
demeanor appropriately.
It wasn’t one moment that made me want to become a physician assistant. It was countless little moments like the one above. Every patient’s wife who tells me I’m good at what I do, every story about a patient’s grandchild, and even a hug from a patient dealing with difficult news validated the fact that I was on the right path. Working with these incredible patients showed me compassion I didn’t know I
had, which led to a calling I cannot ignore. For me, the perfect fit wasn’t something I always knew, it was something I happened into. The amazing health care professionals I met along the way helped mold my decision at every turn. I took my time and listened to each person who could give me guidance:
physicians, nurses, medical assistants, nurse practitioners, ophthalmic technicians, certified clinical research coordinators, pathologists, phlebotomists, and radiologists each provided me with a unique perspective. With this knowledge I feel confident that the physician assistant’s role is best suited for me.I am ready for my next challenge, and am excited to face it head on. Most of all, I am excited to impact
the lives of patients as much as they have impacted mine.