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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 (18th April 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 seven 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
kristen says
Six years protecting our country’s freedom in Korea and World War II and countless school pick-up lines, my grandfather has always been my hero. My love and respect for him only grew deeper as he aged. He was eventually placed in the VA hospital toward the end of his life due to lung cancer. During this time, I was only a high school student, but I knew the kind of compassion and quality care my precious grandpa deserved. This was my first exposure to a physician assistant. While this was several years ago, I still remember the PA as she took time to listen to the concern from my grandpa and family members and collaborated with the health care team on behalf of her patient. Her empathy, initiative and work ethic when my family and I needed it most has remained in memory since then.
As a freshman in college, I continued to pursue my interest in healthcare by taking pre-PA courses and completing a degree in psychology and a minor in biology. I have been unwavering in this endeavor since then and have since sought out opportunities to gain hands-on patient care and medical experience. Volunteering weekly at Open Arms free clinic for the past two years, I have learned to communicate and interact with patients as I take vitals and a brief history and preformed basic laboratory tests. While I have learned to listen to heart and lung sounds at the clinic, I have, more importantly, learned to be an active and empathetic listener to the personal issues and concerns of each patient. I am often rewarded by their true appreciation of a caring, empathetic acquaintance.
Through shadowing multiple PAs in several specialties and working in the emergency department as a medical scribe, I have further developed my understanding of the PA career. I gained understanding of the flexibility and varying roles of this career in different settings as well as the differing relationships and dynamics between the physician assistant and physician. With over a year of working in the emergency department, I noticed how PAs, physicians and specialists often work together on patient cases and have seen first-hand the team effort that is necessary in healthcare on behalf of the patient. Though their roles and responsibilities and relationships change across specialties, the team-oriented mindset and genuine care for patients the PAs provide, remains consistent.
As a medical scribe in a busy hospital, I assist providers with their management of the large volume of patients documenting accurate medical information and communicating effectively. This job requires thinking ahead, actively listening, and confidently communicating with my provider and other health care staff. I also become familiar with common medications and diseases, as well as the medical decision-making process. Through volunteering at charitable clinics, I have also developed initiative and resourcefulness. Additionally, a background in psychology will facilitate practicing holistic patient care one day.
Growing up in a small town and shadowing and volunteering in many rural cities, I desire to continue serving those in rural cities by providing more accessible and quality healthcare as a physician assistant. I understand that the population of patients in these areas often struggle to receive prompt care or even find transportation to a facility. Additionally, being a clinic volunteer, I have been met with language and culture barriers but have learned from this and found ways to overcome these to better relate to the patients. My goal as a future PA is to provide for them quality care, treating each with dignity, no matter their background.
I received a C in anatomy and physiology in my undergraduate career as a sophomore and junior. However, I used my year off to retake these courses as well as additional science courses. I understand these will be one of the first classes to take in PA programs and that they are foundational to my knowledge of medicine and I deemed it necessary to retake the course. Since doing so, I now have a thorough understanding of these topics and feel well prepared to continue to deepen my knowledge.
Combining my desire to serve others in a more direct way, my experience with diverse patient populations and settings, my understanding of the role of a PA, and my personal skills, I am confident I could fulfill this role. From observing the characteristics of service, empathy, communication and teamwork from the PAs I have encountered and my learned skills in my medical experience and my personality, I am excited to thoroughly fulfill the role of a PA one day. I wish to become a PA to join health care team and use my background, experiences and skills to address the need of comprehensive and quality medical care in my community.
Josephine says
FIRST TIME APPLICANT! I’D APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK.
THANK YOU!
A seventeen-year-old female, with no past medical history, presented to the emergency department via emergency medical services for evaluation of post-syncopal episode. She arrived unconscious, thus history of present illness is derived from the patient’s mother. She states that the patient quickly walked over to aisle six of the supermarket and grabbed a package of cashews. Upon returning to the checkout counter, the patient complained of a horrific scent of burning rubber and fainted. She noticed that the patient had a generalized body muscle contractions, followed by bladder incontinence. There was no head injury, as the patient’s mother prevented the fall. The patient’s mother recalls that her daughter has not slept well, over the past month. The mother denies history of seizures, recent fevers, illnesses and travel. The patient’s immunizations are updated.
After a series of tests, including a full neurological exam, complete metabolic panel; which was indicative of electrolyte imbalance- hypomagnesemia, hypocalcemia and hypoglycemia, and a CT scan which showed an abnormality in the left hemisphere, the mother was informed that the symptoms were classic signs of Grand Mal seizures. I was the seventeen-year-old girl mentioned in the above scenario. From what I recall, admire and appreciate the most, was not only the fact I was given the correct diagnosis, but most importantly, how the physician assistant, in charge of my care, abolished the look of fear and agony of my mother’s face and turned it into a look of understanding and relief. With a busy emergency department, instead of crossing patient’s off the board, she took the time to sit down and educated my family and I of my symptoms and test results. This was, in fact, the moment when I was captivated and inspired to pursue the remarkable profession of becoming a physician’s assistant.
Throughout my academic journey; my desire, drive and passion towards learning, education and to one day provide high-quality healthcare, has led me towards rewarding experiences in medicine-such as hosting blood drives, help underserved schools, work as a medical assistant/phlebotomist at both a pediatric/geriatric office, work as a medical scribe/concierge in the emergency department and intensive care unit, obtain a leadership role as a research associate for undergraduate research and study abroad and volunteer at Hospice in Antigua and Barbuda. Particularly, my experience at Hospice was a memorable one. It was the first time, that my character and passion for healthcare had been challenged. The majority of the patient’s families had abandoned them due to their terminal illnesses, financial burden and other reasons. I, a few other volunteers and staff personnel, were the only people they had left. Saddened by this, I decided to make their last moments into memorable ones. I took it upon myself to arrive early, feed them breakfast, change their diapers, wash and fold their sheets/clothes and turned television time, into a small social gathering within themselves and the staff. This allowed the patients to share childhood stories and life events and offer life advice to myself and the staff- to often I heard was “whatever you do, do not get old”.
My exposure to doctors, nurses, mid-level providers and other allied healthcare, as medical scribe/concierge position in the emergency department and intensive care unit, helped me understand the role of a physician’s assistant. I was captivated by the physician assistant profession, as I witnessed that the physician assistant in the intensive care unit, worked independently, as he was in charge of all of the patient’s on the floor, three to four times a week. Other physician assistants worked in the cardiac cath lab and assisted in surgeries, and most of the time, the physician assistants were on call when I made a call to a patient’s primary care provider, after office hours. I was then truly mesmerized by the endless opportunities to work in different specialties. I ultimately realized that my love for medicine is not a dead end street. The physician’s assistant profession allows me to keep learning, practice multiple specialties and ultimately provides the perfect balance of autonomy and collaboration that best fits my interpersonal skills.
My personal socioeconomic status and the death of my father took a hardship on my GPA during freshman and sophomore year of college. Ironically, after returning back from Antigua, I had just started my junior year of college. I, psychologically, started to accept my father’s death and made peace with it and it showed in my grades, as through graduation, there is an upward trend in my grades. I started to comprehend its concept and personally its idea. The concept of death allows you to appreciate the fragility of life and served as a reminder of the importance of pursuing and achieving personal happiness.
Moreover, these personal and clinical experiences, have helped me acquire the skills and the morale necessary to, not only work passionately, effectively and collaboratively with a team but personally, has helped shaped my character into being more empathetic, humane and eager to assure that every patient encounter is a personalized compassionate one, like mine was when I was seventeen.
Erica A says
Robert Williams’ character Patch Adams once said “You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.” Any clinician is trained to discover the cure or treatment for a disease, but it takes an extraordinary person to go above and beyond to yield the time to connect in addition to, becoming the patients’ ally in their struggles to recover. Health is not only about the physical aspect anymore, but as well as being able to tackle the other components such as social, mental, etc. This is crucial in making a positive impact on one’s life. This is the mentality I have had all my life with the intention of becoming a bigger part of the health care movement. The desire to provide this to others has brought me to the path of becoming a physician assistant.
In the pursuit of completing my undergrad degree, I faced the challenge of providing for myself likewise striving to be the first of my siblings and only one to complete college in its entirety. I became lost in just obtaining the degree and this affected my GPA at the beginning of my college years. It wasn’t until my first employment, within healthcare administration along with interacting with both physicians and physician assistants about their obstacles that lead to my epiphany. It wasn’t just academics that I needed to become an extraordinary physician assistant, but to also gain patient care experience to guide me to that destination. With that, I bounced back and remained resilient in improving in my core science courses. Upon completion, I decided to enhance my direct patient care involvements in different roles of health care and serving the underserved.
Taking time off before applying for a graduate program in physician assistant has been rewarding and beneficial to my growth even more than I thought possible. I completed a Pre-Med internship in Thailand through GapMedics where I observed surgical physicians and physician assistants in specialties like trauma, emergency medicine and urology. What made it more fulfilling was the consultation prior to the surgery where the patient would tell me their story coupled with how they arrive to that moment. I would be in awe seeing the relationship between provider to patient subsequently, the physician assistant was able to provide confidence and ease to a worried parent or significant other by explaining the procedure and address any underlining concerns. In a country with limited technology, these individuals provide comfort as well as optimism firsthand.
When returning home, I enlisted in a local volunteer ambulance corps to hopefully be a glimmer of hope to my own community when few have lost hope themselves about their health. Being a certified emergency medical technician has built on the indisputable concepts such as hard work, appreciation, compassion, integrity and determination needed as a first responder. Perseverance for my passion and ambition to provide the best standard of care for my future career as a physician assistant.
Titi Kawonise says
Any and all feedback given is highly appreciated! Thank you
From the time he was born I always knew my little brother was sick. I never understood his sickness and his pain at my tender age of 11 or 12. He wasn’t bleeding, nothing was broken, “so why is he screaming and crying in agony” I would think and say to my mom. It wasn’t until one night that my mom came back from work late in the evening with a very heartbroken look on her face that I understood. The right side of my baby brothers neck and jaw was swollen, just about half the size of his own head. My mom cursed the devil and said, “Isaac get dressed, I am taking you to the hospital right now”. Isaac’s extremely swollen neck was a result of gallstones in his gallbladder, which I later learned can be common in a person with sickle cell disease.
Learning more about his disease, as I grew older, contributed to my interest in the medical field. It was hard seeing my baby brother having pain crisis’ every few months and not having any remedies to ease his pain. During my sophomore year in college I accompanied Isaac to one of his doctor’s appointments at the Children’s hospital in Minneapolis. Being there I assumed he would be seeing a doctor however I noticed that the woman who saw us did not identify as a physician. Very curious, I asked her what her title was, and she said she was a physician assistant. This was my first time ever hearing about this profession. She gave me a brief rundown of what a PA is, and I was very intrigued. As I did more research I fell in love with the PA profession. I love the idea that the PA has even more of an opportunity to have a personal relationship with their patients as the physician can get extremely busy. I will be there to relieve stress from the physician, enabling each of us to see more patients and improve their quality of care. As a PA I want to know my patients even better; their name, hobbies, what they are passionate about, how their pain feels, how often it occurs and the like so that our personal bond will drive me to care for my patient to the fullest potential.
Working as a medical scribe for a year directly under an orthopedic surgeon allowed me to experience the ins and outs of bedside manner. I was able to observe the physicians and the PA ‘s approach and attitude towards a patient. I also documented these encounters between the provider and their patient as a medical scribe. I have become aware that mental and behavioral health plays a significant role in one’s ability to maintain good physical health. Currently working as an ILS (Independent living skills) worker, I have gained some insight into the realm of mental and behavioral health. As an ILS worker I assist individuals with mild to moderate mental and behavioral disabilities with everyday tasks such as filling out paperwork, making a list to go grocery shopping, interacting with others out in the community, finding a job, setting up an appointment, etc. I believe healthcare is imperative for all individuals and the fact that I can help others get a jump start on finding a resolution to their health issues gives me a great feeling and drives my passion to pursue the PA profession.
I am appreciative of my work as a medical scribe as I was granted many great opportunities such as observing multiple orthopedic surgeries including total and partial knee arthroplasties and arthroscopic surgery. I was able to see the huge role that the PA plays in the operation room and how their assist brings much benefit to the surgeon. Through my work I have been exposed to the many aspects of healthcare and all that the PA can do.
I am passionate about the PA profession because I will be on a team of like-minded individuals working to provide optimal healthcare. Throughout my college career I have learned that no one can go it alone and everyone needs help. As cliche as it may sound “Teamwork does make the dream work”. Working as a medical scribe I have seen that this is true and realized how much of an asset I was to the team. With my diligence to writing accurate and thorough notes my provider had the information and background needed to provide further productive care to his established patients.
As a result of working late nights all throughout my undergrad, my grades suffered. However, during my last year and half of school I realized that significantly decreasing my work hours would benefit me and it did. With this I hope that my work experience and passion will outshine my average GPA in the eyes of the admissions team. I am eager to be a part of a team as a physician assistant and provide the utmost patient care I know I can provide.
Sam says
A young girl, only nine years old, had her seemingly perfect world crash down on her when her mother walked out the door and left her behind. Up until this time of her life, she had everything she could ever imagine. She was an only child, went to catholic school, was a member of the competitive dance team, and had a loving family who didn’t have much but gave everything they did have to her. Until one day her mother walked out on her and her father. This young girl spent years trying to understand what she did wrong and why her mother left her behind. Luckily, this young girl had a tremendous father who stepped in and took over the role of both mother and father. However, it was not always easy growing up with only one parent, without a mother.
Money was tight, her father worked long hours, she often sat alone at school functions while the rest of her classmates were accompanied by their parents. As she grew up and attended school dances, she found herself standing with a group of classmates as their parents took pictures but the only thing that was missing was someone taking pictures of her. She did everything she could to help her father; she learned to clean, cook, do laundry and other household chores. They did the best they could with what they were handed.
As the young girl grew up, she devoted herself to dance. She spent fourteen years on the dance team. She poured her heart and soul out on the dance floor. Things weren’t always certain in her life, will her father have enough money at the end of the month? Will she be able to take the class trip at the end of the year? Through all the uncertainties there was one thing that always remained constant, her passion for dance and her ability to use it as a form of therapy.
One day, she was dancing and fractured her ankle. She was devastated and shortly after began physical therapy in order to return to her passion. That’s when she became fascinated with the career. She was determined to become a physical therapist to help others return to their passions. When senior year of high school approached, she was determined to start her path to becoming a physical therapist. With the astronomical cost associated with college, her father sold his house, took out an enormous amount of student loans, and gave up everything he had to send her off to college.
Shortly after the day came where she arrived at college to pursue her dreams and to become the first person in her family to obtain a college degree. She spent the next four years completely devoted to her studies. She spent her summers shadowing physical therapists and working at a restaurant to help her father. After four years of college, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.9 GPA. She did it, she was the first person in her family to graduate college and she was one step closer to perusing her dreams.
Prior to graduating college, one of her requirements was to complete a 350 hour internship; she spent her last semester before graduating completing it. Less than half way through the internship, her director offered her a job. She was extremely excited to accept the position. She finished her internship, graduated college and continued to work there. She was one step closer to pursing her dreams when reality sunk in.
She was preparing herself for graduate school applications when she found out there would be no way for her to afford the cost associated with the program on top of the cost she was going to be paying back for her undergraduate degree. Her father was no longer eligible for further loans. She was heartbroken. She had devoted four years to her studies, nearly perfecting her grades.
After realizing she was unable to immediately afford graduate school, she began to work every day; seven days a week. She spent five days of the week in the clinic assisting patients and two days on the weekend working at a restaurant. She applied for a credit card, built her credit and better prepared herself financially. She worked day in and day out.
Then, one day her boss approached her about a learning opportunity that involved shadowing an orthopedic physician assistant and observing several different surgeries. Initially, the objective was to develop a better understanding of what the post-op patients went through prior to arriving at physical therapy. However, the moment she stepped into the operating room she fell in love; some may argue that it was love at first sight. She was never exposed to this side of medicine before. She continued to shadow the days to follow, observing physician assistants performing their rounds in the hospital.
After her time with the physician assistants, she returned back to work at the place she used to love and fascinate over. However, with this new found knowledge she found it difficult to not find herself day dreaming of what it would be like to be a physician assistant herself. She then applied to be a volunteer in the emergency room of a level one trauma hospital. After, spending several months in the hospital observing physician assistants and confirming her desire to be one herself, she began to register for prerequisite classes in order for her to pursue her new found passion.
This young lady has always been drawn to the medical field, she has never shown interest in any other field, her passion has always been medically related. However, her major focus has shifted from physical therapy to physician assistant after discovering the wonders of the career. Now, she has spent the past two years working towards her goal of remaining in the medical field while becoming a physician assistant. She has spent these past years working towards this goal; working seven days a week (65 hours a week), volunteering at the hospital, shadowing physician assistants, and taking prerequisite classes all while positioning herself to have a better financial grip on tuition. This young lady did not have it easy growing up however, she faced adversity and overcame it time after time again. She is a fighter and will not give up the fight until she reaches her goal and spends the rest of her life fully devoted to her passion while eliminating the chances of ever ending up like her mother or struggling like her father.
Ari says
DRAFT PT. 2:
The eyes are never quiet; they tell in depth more about something than words can ever express. Whether it is the eyes of desperate children and families who fled from war or the eyes of a girl with a muscular neurodegenerative disease that has big dreams and does not let her illness hinder her progress or the eyes of the underserved, nonetheless the eyes do not lie.
Mary. Insulated with a layered heap of clothes, huddled over her shopping cart, which she considers her home. Her face crimson from the coldness and her dispiriting blue eyes laced with moon crescents. With wind chills well below freezing and slick sidewalks, she decided to stay on her regular bench at Wayne State and skip lunch. Not because she wanted to, but because her ankle was still hurting from her fall this morning back from the soup kitchen, despite her stomach gurgling for crumbs. She rocks herself back and forth to fight the winning battle of the coldness. The cold seethed through the holes in her gloves and the crevices of her attire as she shivers. As we sit on the bench with her foot propped up on the cart, what can I do besides feel helpless? How do I heal her? I am in Detroit taking a study break, sharing my lunch with Mary and I feel helpless.
Dirt. Faces pigmented in dust and muck. Eyes pleading the soul to help. Clothes decreased to one thread holding it together. Holding a ragged doll more rusted than the war-destructed homes nearby. Bones baring through and the scar adorned skin unveiling. As I get closer to the camps, there is more children of the same parallel. Never have I seen so many children in the streets, dripping in sweat as their skin is garnished with streaks of dirt, bruises, and scratches. I hear the familiar cries in Aramaic as the mothers hold on to their children and yell for God. How can I delight in my family vacation if I am surrounded by clusters of families in search of necessities: shelter, food and medical aid? I am in Iraq, witnessing the atrocities of war and the lack of aid and I feel helpless.
Red. Small dilated blood vessels dominate her soft brown eyes. As I assist her with her albuterol nebulizer, her sleepy eyes tell me she didn’t get a restful sleep the night before. Next, I strap on the chest wall oscillation vest and finally, we do cough assist. After I feed her breakfast, I give her daily vitamins and medication including Charlotte’s web. Her mouth tremors as I gave her water. She tells me when she grows up she wants to rescue animals and open a vet clinic as well as become a doctor specializing in her disease. At her swallowing therapy with an occupational therapist, she is challenged by the OT to discuss how many swallows it took to eat a gummy. She turns to me silently, with her chin trembling to burst into tears. I am a caregiver, witnessing the face of a child acknowledging the trials of her disease; she does not believe she is sick, despite her weekly visits to various therapists and doctors. She is a 13-year-old girl with ataxia telangiectasia and I am her caregiver. I do not feel helpless, but rather compassion and hope.
I savor the team-based effort, which has taught me how vital it is to function together to connect with and deliver aid to those in need. I have learned how to be continually patient as we lace our responsibilities to ensure greatest healthcare. As a caregiver and the chance to have one on one interaction, I have learned various ways to go about skill development to achieve maximum mobility and sensory-motor skills though leisure activities. This has taught me that working in the medical field is a calling, not a job.
As a first-generation college student immigrant, life bestowed challenges in my path. My dad is medically disabled and that left a huge weight on my shoulders as the oldest sibling in the family. I worked my way through college all the while providing for my family. Upon completion of Wayne State University, I was the first in the family to ever receive a degree. Upon completion of physician assistant school, I will be the first to receive a graduate education. I am breaking barriers and achieving things I could not ever have dreamed of. I did not come this far to only get this far.
Throughout my academic year, I had come to the realization that I would love to be in the medical field but did not know which route to go about. Initially, I thought about medical school, but I like the ease of switching specialties that the physician assistant profession offers. A PA can spend more time interacting with the patient. Also, I admire the aspect of teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration of PAs. Another aspect that I greatly appreciate is that I am never alone; I always have others to go to for help.
My love of medicine is a wide spectrum and the opportunity to experience all scope of medicine whilst treating and diagnosing patients is truly alluring. In this line of work, I will have the honor and precious privilege to change lives and that is unparalleled.
I have faith that I will be a seed to others in this lifetime learning profession and spread my positivity, kindness, and attentiveness. I strive to be in the front line of this evolving health care system to promote medicine and combat diseases and most of all, fulfill wellness.
Elisabeth says
Thank you for your generosity in offering this free service!
I was 12 years old the first time my year-round swim coach forced me to swim the 500-yard freestyle in a meet. Despite the mixture of anxiety and dread I felt at having to swim such a long race, once the starter beeped, my adrenaline kicked in. I dove into the cold water, paced my way to the end of the first lap, flip-turned, and then it happened: I choked. I tried to calm myself down, but to no avail. My heart raced as I gasped for air. I struggled just to reach the other wall and complete my first 50 yards. When I finally got there, I had to stop swimming because I couldn’t breathe. Tears streamed down my face, as I climbed out of the pool mid-race, feeling utterly defeated. I’d not only let down my coach and my mom, both of whom had patiently waited five hours for my one event, but most of all, I’d failed myself. Both my coach and I thought the 500-yard freestyle would be a great event for me, given my endurance in practice. After having failed so spectacularly on my first attempt, however, I wasn’t so sure. Nevertheless, I decided that, regardless of how much anxiety it might provoke, I was going to conquer the 500 free. Over the next several years, I taught myself relaxation techniques to utilize prior to the event, and I swam numerous mock events during practice to help figure out my pacing for the race. My hard work and determination eventually paid off: by the time I reached my junior year of high school, I’d successfully raced that event at least 10 times. Five years after that disastrous showing, I even voluntarily chose to swim the 500 yard free at the NC 3A High School State Swimming Championship and I placed 11th in the state of North Carolina for 3A division schools.
Swimming taught me a number of invaluable life lessons, including the importance of endurance and perseverance, and the value of discipline in accomplishing a goal. That innate drive to succeed has allowed me to be successful not just in my extracurricular activities, but also in both school and work environments. Regardless of the various barriers I’ve encountered, I’ve discovered that what matters most is not whether I initially fail and/or fall short of my own (and/or others’) expectations, but rather, how I respond to adversity.
Indeed, my path to becoming a PA has not been all “smooth sailing.” Rather, it has been a somewhat circuitous journey, as I initially planned to become a registered dietitian — a career that seemed well-suited to me, in light of my weight struggles as a child. Approaching my junior year in college, however, I began to reevaluate that career choice. I noticed I’d become increasingly preoccupied with dieting and my own weight. I questioned whether I wanted to pursue a career where those issues play such a central role, worrying that, if I continued in that field, it might trigger unhealthy dieting and weight issues for me, personally. Coincidentally, around that same time, my father (a cardiologist) had begun working with a PA who’d previously worked as a registered dietitian. Her story, as relayed to me by my father, resonated with me and sparked my initial curiosity in the PA field.
As I further researched what the life of a PA looked like, practically speaking, I was intrigued by the various positive aspects of the career: work/life family balance, greater responsibility of care for patients, the ability to choose a concentration in medicine (yet flexibility to switch to a different concentration, if my interests changed) and the opportunity to acquire a vast fund of knowledge about various diseases, rather than focusing primarily on one area of health (such as nutrition and wellness). Conveniently, my major in nutrition science also aligned perfectly with the prerequisites necessary for PA school. By my senior year in college, my career goals had changed. I no longer felt that being a registered dietician was the best fit for me. Being a PA seemed to be the better choice.
Since graduating from college, I’ve become even more drawn to the PA occupation, as I’ve gained clinical healthcare experience, performing receptionist/administrative duties and medical assisting. My healthcare work has had its challenges – working in a private psychiatry clinic has provided some uncomfortable, but valuable learning opportunities to deal with difficult patients: from learning how to calmly, yet urgently, interact with patients when they express suicidal ideation, to communicating firmly, but respectfully with quarrelsome, medication-seeking patients. More recently, I’ve been required to learn new procedures in my job as a medical assistant in a wellness clinic. Not having formal certification as a medical assistant, I initially struggled to perform certain procedures, such as IM injections and EKGs on obese patients; but after hours of research on how to administration them, coupled with watching YouTube videos and getting plenty of hands-on practice, I’ve mastered these skills, and have even been commended for giving a “good shot”. This direct patient involvement has enabled me to feel significantly more confident, not just in these specific abilities, but also in my abilities, in general, to be a successful healthcare provider. While dealing with stressful workplace situations has sometimes pushed me past my comfort zone, it has also turned my weaknesses into strengths, further augmenting my confidence as a healthcare worker.
Furthermore, my enjoyment of interacting with patients and the satisfaction that comes from developing relationships with them continues to grow. I’ve had valuable opportunities to interact with several PA students from Duke University, who interned at the psychiatric clinic where I worked, which has only heightened my desire to pursue this career. I was particularly impressed by one student who professionally, yet personally, interacted with patient after patient during a heavily scheduled day, yet also took time to actively engage with the staff. As she and I became acquainted, she not only encouraged me in my desire to become a PA, but also graciously offered to help me as much as possible in my journey. I look forward to being in a similar position someday, where I’m able to encourage others in the way she inspired me.
As a former competitive swimmer, there are a lot of similarities between learning to race the 500 yard free and becoming a PA. Both require endurance, discipline, hard work, and a willingness to “get back in the water again,” when confronted with difficult and/or disappointing situations. Should I be accepted into this program, I know I can succeed through my innate drive, my discipline and tenacity, and the medical skills I’ve obtained, which include handling difficult situations/patients and overcoming challenges that naturally arise when “learning on the job.” Rather than allowing any of the difficulties I’ve faced to discourage me, they’ve only made me more determined to accomplish my goals. Thus, I’m excited about uniting my enjoyment of interacting with people and my passion for helping others, with my desire to learn and my willingness to work hard, as I pursue becoming a PA. Furthermore, I look forward to utilizing my beneficial background in nutrition and psychology in daily practice.
michael says
Hello, I would like to thank your group for taking the time to read all of our submissions and providing your input
Since the age of ten medicine has always captured my attention. In movies and TV, video games, news articles, and real life experiences. I’m constantly surrounded by it. Shows like House M.D. and The Good Doctor romanticize the successes of medical treatments and ignore some of the hardships patients encounter, while others, like Monday Mornings and The Resident, shine light on issues of ethics and the emotional attachments healthcare professionals develop with their patients. In games, the healer and medic are my characters of choice because a leader consistently cares for those for whom they serve. Medicine is a lifelong endeavor and new discoveries are found everyday while old ones are rewritten. The ability to genetically modify the genetic code of a bacterium or virus and then use it to fight infection was only an idea from science fiction until a decade ago. Or the aptitude to grow engineered heart valves from another species to surgically implant them in a newborn with a congenital heart defect. The science of medicine will only continue to grow. But science alone hasn’t taught us about building relationships and understanding the human spirit.
Good health and fortune has always been on my side. One warm and humid Florida morning, where the leaves of an autumn were turning and the breeze was intermittent and wanting, a normal school day like any other, I received a phone call with bad news. A family friend had just passed away. Not having experienced anything of this magnitude in my life I crumbled down to the floor in the middle of a crowded hallway. My mind and body were in shock and didn’t know how to react. Not long after, a grandparent also passed. Sadly, then another. Being away from family for school I kept to myself because I thought I was alone. My grades suffered and newly found friendships were neglected. It wasn’t until a year later that I realized how much those experiences affected me. Meanwhile, I became immersed in volunteering. First, through small events and organizations, then with hospitals. With these firsthand experiences I began to understand that the majority of people just want someone to be there for them. Everyone has personal stories they want to share, to leave their mark in the world.
Still not knowing exactly what I wanted to study I found an opportunity as a standardized patient. It provided a chance to interact with medical students and understand how they learned to handle unknown situations and how to confront them. It wasn’t just about coming to a diagnosis and treatment plan, but how to effectively deliver good or bad news to patients with sympathy and compassion. To do this well required a certain level of emotional intelligence. With each encounter I realized that this form of intelligence was difficult to learn from books and could only truly be gained through personal experience. All of the medical students had the physical intelligence and a firm understanding of the science. And I used my experiences to share my stories and of those who have impacted mine.
It was at this point I wanted to go to medical school. I didn’t get in. No longer being able to support myself I returned home to look for work. I thought I lost, like in some game. After one year I managed to find work in a laboratory. Being a great place to work for and under expert guidance I grew into a person of leadership along with my curiosity for medicine. Through the years however, I knew I was doing important work in the laboratory but I still enjoyed the periodical visits to the clinics through the lab and comforting the patients. It wasn’t until one day that a new face appeared at one of the clinics. The way this person carried herself when speaking to the patients and the manner in which she approached the patient care technicians was stellar. I thought this was a nurse but it turned out to be a physician assistant – I didn’t even know there was such a position. Upon introducing myself to the new teammate I was afforded the opportunity to observe and ask her a few questions during her rounds. Like a cat that has stumbled into an empty box I found myself all-in. We learned a lot about each other and as we parted ways that day, she quoted Winston Churchill and I’ll never forget, because I had come across it before, “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” That day changed my life forever.
michael berard says
Hello, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to read not just mine, but all the comments your group is able to read. I look forward to your thoughts. I already have certain edits I can make but I’d like to hear your opinion 🙂
Since the age of ten medicine has always captured my attention. In movies and TV, video games, news articles, and real life experiences. I’m constantly surrounded by it. Shows like House M.D. and The Good Doctor romanticize the successes of medical treatments and ignore some of the hardships patients encounter, while others, like Monday Mornings and The Resident, shine light on issues of ethics and the emotional attachments healthcare professionals develop with their patients. In games, the healer and medic are my characters of choice because a leader consistently cares for those for whom they serve. Medicine is a lifelong endeavor and new discoveries are found everyday while old ones are rewritten. The ability to genetically modify the genetic code of a bacterium or virus and then use it to fight infection was only an idea from science fiction until a decade ago. Or the aptitude to grow engineered heart valves from another species to surgically implant them in a newborn with a congenital heart defect. The science of medicine will only continue to grow. But science alone hasn’t taught us about building relationships and understanding the human spirit.
Good health and fortune has always been on my side. One warm and humid Florida morning, where the leaves of an autumn were turning and the breeze was intermittent and wanting, a normal school day like any other, I received a phone call with bad news. A family friend had just passed away. Not having experienced anything of this magnitude in my life I crumbled down to the floor in the middle of a crowded hallway. My mind and body were in shock and didn’t know how to react. Not long after, a grandparent also passed. Sadly, then another. Being away from family for school I kept to myself because I thought I was alone. My grades suffered and newly found friendships were neglected. It wasn’t until a year later that I realized how much those experiences affected me. Meanwhile, I became immersed in volunteering. First, through small events and organizations, then with hospitals. With these firsthand experiences I began to understand that the majority of people just want someone to be there for them. Everyone has personal stories they want to share, to leave their mark in the world.
Still not knowing exactly what I wanted to study I found an opportunity as a standardized patient. It provided a chance to interact with medical students and understand how they learned to handle unknown situations and how to confront them. It wasn’t just about coming to a diagnosis and treatment plan, but how to effectively deliver good or bad news to patients with sympathy and compassion. To do this well required a certain level of emotional intelligence. With each encounter I realized that this form of intelligence was difficult to learn from books and could only truly be gained through personal experience. All of the medical students had the physical intelligence and a firm understanding of the science. And I used my experiences to share my stories and of those who have impacted mine.
It was at this point I wanted to go to medical school. I didn’t get in. No longer being able to support myself I returned home to look for work. I thought I lost, like in some game. After one year I managed to find work in a laboratory. Being a great place to work for and under expert guidance I grew into a person of leadership along with my curiosity for medicine. Through the years however, I knew I was doing important work in the laboratory but I still enjoyed the periodical visits to the clinics through the lab and comforting the patients. It wasn’t until one day that a new face appeared at one of the clinics. The way this person carried herself when speaking to the patients and the manner in which she approached the patient care technicians was stellar. I thought this was a nurse but it turned out to be a physician assistant – I didn’t even know there was such a position. Upon introducing myself to the new teammate I was afforded the opportunity to observe and ask her a few questions during her rounds. Like a cat that has stumbled into an empty box I found myself all-in. We learned a lot about each other and as we parted ways that day, she quoted Winston Churchill and I’ll never forget, because I had come across it before, “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” That day changed my life forever.
Kayla says
My medical and scientific interest began with a flash, watching my insides light up during a nuclear scan to diagnose bladder reflux. Later in my childhood, during tests surrounding a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, and during numerous ER visits due to being an accident-prone child, I would pride myself on the ability to recount my entire medical history to the medical staff.
The flash of a reporter’s camera further encouraged my interest in science. In third grade at a “Girls in Science” club, where I was able to experience many branches of science from a young age, I had a pig heart put in front of me ready to be dissected and I dug right in. It wasn’t until the reporter took the picture that I realized how uncertain the other girls looked, and how this interest wasn’t normal. Throughout high school I looked forward to science classes more than any of the others, signing up for AP Biology junior year of high school without a second thought, and started searching for colleges with strong science programs. I began to merge my desire to help people with my love of science, and chose the pre-med track at Taylor University, a school focused on intentional community, outreach, faith, and academic excellence.
Another flash – a CT scan lighting up cysts and tumors in Cuenca, Ecuador – showed me that I wanted to use my degree to work directly with patients, but I was unsure of how I would go about it. My semester abroad gave me the privilege of working with the general medicine doctor in the social security hospital. Many of the patients he saw had walked for hours to see him about problems that they’d been having for months or longer. I watched a scan of a man’s brain filled with cysts caused by a parasite and felt tumors on every single lymph node in a man with advanced lymphoma. I have never stopped wondering what would have happened with these men if they’d had easier access to medical care, and I knew then that I wanted to go into missions of some nature as well as become an integral part of public health initiatives in the United States and abroad.
Flashes of ambulance lights and sirens made me more confident in my road to patient care. After returning from Ecuador, I was excited to take on the challenging class load that was ahead of me, though financial struggles that almost prevented me from returning and a new diagnosis of depression caused classes to become even more difficult. Although focusing on classwork with depression became difficult, I developed relationships with the PA at my primary care office as well as many trusted professors. My primary care PA took so much time to talk with me about my life and struggles to figure out what would work for me, investing more in me than any physician had been able to. My relationships with my professors and my PA carried me through my classes, counseling, and medication adjustments and allowed me to develop skills to succeed in those classes and the ones that I will take in the future. They encouraged my passion for medicine and introduced me to what a PA does. I learned about the shorter time frame of PA school, as well as the opportunity to more easily switch specialties, and became excited to be able to help patients that much sooner. With that information, I decided to take an EMT course the first semester of my Senior year after seeking opportunities for patient care experience and researching requirements for different PA schools. I was quickly reassured that this was the path I wanted to pursue. I excelled in the classroom and in my clinicals, finishing at the top of my class with a 99%. I loved being able to jump in and be proactive in patient care, and appreciated the feedback I received about my ability to comfort patients. I was excited to put my education to practical use, and used my new certification to work as a volunteer EMT within the county I was attending school until graduation.
Since graduation, I have worked in Charleston, SC, as an emergency services tech in a busy level 2 trauma center for over a year. This job has allowed me to collaborate with nurses, nurse practitioners, PAs, and doctors, asking questions about the clinical decisions being made and participating as an integral part of exceptional patient care. My knowledge and skills are tested and strengthened each and every shift, and I am consistently able to assess and anticipate the needs of a wide range of patients. I’ve learned that in medicine every member of the team is important when a patient’s life is on the line. I know that this is the profession I was made for, and every day I want to learn more so I am able to give my patients better care. As a PA, I know I can do so much more to help and am excited to work as part of a team to provide direct care for my patients. My whole body lights up like I’m five years old again with the confidence that I’m on the correct path, and I know I will excel both in PA school and in a career as a PA.
Linda G. says
Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to critique my essay.
The year 2016 arrived in a blanket of snow. Like a clean, white slate, it invited me to fill it with new experiences, achievements, disappointments, and reevaluations. As I draw out my year, I’ve discovered parts that were colorful and bright,and others that were grey and white. Nonetheless, all the colors on the canvas converged and transformed into my hopes and goals.
Medicine has fascinated me since a very young age. I was the strange child who actually enjoyed going to doctor visits – except when I was there for my shots. It’s something I couldn’t put words to, but I just knew a career in medicine felt right to me. Because of that desire and fascination, I thought I wanted to become a physician.
The first time I heard the words physician assistant (PA) was on New Year’s Day of 2016. I was shadowing an emergency medicine physician and his residents at Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center. One of the residents was an alumnus of Penn State, so I felt an immediate connection as he was someone who had been in my shoes. When sharing his stories, he introduced the PA profession as something he would have considered. Because it wasn’t well advertised, he didn’t knew such a career existed until after he was in medical school. I left that shadowing experience with a new knowledge locked in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t completely sold.
Another semester ended and I had hit the lowest point of my academics. How did I go from graduating high school as valedictorian to getting a D in my first Organic Chemistry class? Utterly embarrassed, I blamed it on my busy schedule not allowing me time to study when I knew that was an excuse. I couldn’t connect with the materials, so I gave up and hoped luck was on my side. Like adding salt to an open sore, my advisor informed me that my academic credentials would make it difficult for me to enter medical school and I could consider other possibilities. I was disheartened and angry with myself. Did I waste all this time in college for something that wasn’t meant to be? Had I been lying to myself the entire time? Then like the light at the end of the tunnel, she mentioned those words: physician assistant.
Intrigued, I turned my attention to the PA profession. From my preliminary research, I found that PAs had similar responsibilities as physicians in terms of examining, diagnosing, and treating patients. Wishing to witness more firsthand experience, I looked to shadow PAs, but I met another obstruction as I received rejection one after another. Not wanting to surrender when I just started, I turned to YouTube. There I watched every videos I could find from both PA students and actual PAs. While I understood these videos cannot fully replace shadowing experiences, I personally didn’t think they limited my understanding of the PA roles and responsibilities. In fact, those videos made me realized my passion is more aligned with the PA profession.
I was most attracted to the lateral mobility between specialities found in physician assistant careers, which is not available to physicians. It was appealing because I like to try different things before I commit to it. It’s hard to know whether you truly enjoy a speciality until you have spent a few years in it and seen all aspects. With the career flexibility, I can allow myself to find the right fit. In addition, it provides an opportunity for me to challenge myself if I ever decide to switch specialities. I enjoy challenges as I see it a way to learn more and improve myself. For instance, around the same time I went through a period of self-reassessment. My conclusion was that I cannot imagine myself not being in healthcare, and my grades were not an accurate reflection of my abilities to succeed. With a renewed sense of purpose, I challenged myself to reattempt Organic Chemistry. I drew and built countless carbon models, dissected it and then rebuilt it. I collaborated with classmates until our collective efforts reached a solution. Through it all, I learned to stay tenacious when the answer is not immediately known, and to search for new approaches when the old methods don’t apply anymore as expected of all physician assistants.
They say you find love when you least expect it. That can’t be any more truer for me. Like a lighthouse in the middle of the dark night, finding my true passion has brought my lost ship safely to shore. While I might not know fully what this new land holds for me, I am certain that I came prepared.
Linda G. says
Thank you very much for this free service. I appreciate your time and help, and I look forward to your critiques.
The year 2016 arrived in a blanket of snow. Like a clean, white slate, it invited me to fill it with new experiences, achievements, disappointments, and reevaluations. As I draw out my year, I’ve discovered parts that were colorful and bright,and others that were grey and white. Nonetheless, all the colors on the canvas converged and transformed into my hopes and goals.
Medicine has fascinated me since a very young age. I was the strange child who actually enjoyed going to doctor visits – except when I was there for my shots. It’s something I couldn’t put words to, but I just knew a career in medicine felt right to me. Because of that desire and fascination, I thought I wanted to become a physician.
The first time I heard the words physician assistant (PA) was on New Year’s Day of 2016. I was shadowing an emergency medicine physician and his residents at Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center. One of the residents was an alumnus of Penn State, so I felt an immediate connection as he was someone who had been in my shoes. When sharing his stories, he introduced the PA profession as something he would have considered. Because it wasn’t well advertised, he didn’t knew such a career existed until after he was in medical school. I left that shadowing experience with a new knowledge locked in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t completely sold.
Another semester ended and I had hit the lowest point of my academics. How did I go from graduating high school as valedictorian to getting a D in my first Organic Chemistry class? Utterly embarrassed, I blamed it on my busy schedule not allowing me time to study when I knew that was an excuse. I couldn’t connect with the materials, so I gave up and hoped luck was on my side. Like adding salt to an open sore, my advisor informed me that my academic credentials would make it difficult for me to enter medical school and I could consider other possibilities. I was disheartened and angry with myself. Did I waste all this time in college for something that wasn’t meant to be? Had I been lying to myself the entire time? Then like the light at the end of the tunnel, she mentioned those words: physician assistant.
Intrigued, I turned my attention to the PA profession. From my preliminary research, I found that PAs had similar responsibilities as physicians in terms of examining, diagnosing, and treating patients. Wishing to witness more firsthand experience, I looked to shadow PAs, but I met another obstruction as I received rejection one after another. Not wanting to surrender when I just started, I turned to YouTube. There I watched every videos I could find from both PA students and actual PAs. While I understood these videos cannot fully replace shadowing experiences, I personally didn’t think they limited my understanding of the PA roles and responsibilities. In fact, those videos made me realized my passion is more aligned with the PA profession.
I was most attracted to the lateral mobility between specialities found in physician assistant careers, which is not available to physicians. It was appealing because I like to try different things before I commit to it. It’s hard to know whether you truly enjoy a speciality until you have spent a few years in it and seen all aspects. With the career flexibility, I can allow myself to find the right fit. In addition, it provides an opportunity for me to challenge myself if I ever decide to switch specialities. I enjoy challenges as I see it a way to learn more and improve myself. For instance, around the same time I went through a period of self-reassessment. My conclusion was that I cannot imagine myself not being in healthcare, and my grades were not an accurate reflection of my abilities to succeed. With a renewed sense of purpose, I challenged myself to reattempt Organic Chemistry. I drew and built countless carbon models, dissected it and then rebuilt it. I collaborated with classmates until our collective efforts reached a solution. Through it all, I learned to stay tenacious when the answer is not immediately known, and to search for new approaches when the old methods don’t apply anymore as expected of all physician assistants.
They say you find love when you least expect it. That can’t be any more truer for me. Like a lighthouse in the middle of the dark night, finding my true passion has brought my lost ship safely to shore. While I might not know fully what this new land holds for me, I am certain that I came prepared.
Laura says
Hi I am a first time applicant. This is what I have so far. I went over the character limit by 200 characters so far, so any feedback would really help.
Thank you!
During my “college crisis” as I like to call it, I did not know what to do with my life. Sophomore year, I decided that pipetting solutions and running gels in a laboratory was not what I wanted to do anymore. I stomped into Dr. Z’s office and began to tell him my story. Even though I did not love medicine from the start, I have always known that I wanted to devote my life to serving others. At nine years old, it was a huge commitment, but it was also something that remained constant throughout my life. By the age of eleven, I moved to America, leaving everyone and everything I knew behind to embark on the American Dream. Because I was the first in my family to learn how to speak English, I became their advocate. After a long discussion Dr. Z said, “You should become a PA,” and before I could get another word in, he said “Google it, then we’ll talk some more.” One Google search later, something clicked, and suddenly, the goal of becoming a Physician Assistant solidified.
I started out like most teenagers with a summer job as a lifeguard because I wanted to learn CPR, first aid, and work with my hands. At this job, I learned about the importance of teamwork and quickly realized I liked to be “the middleman.” It’s ironic that a PA can be referred to as a Mid-level provider as they are involved with the medical decision making, but not in charge of the whole department which is why I think this profession stands out to me. During my first shadowing experience, I had the opportunity to interact with a PA student on her didactic year Emergency clinical rotation. When I asked her why she wanted to be a PA, she simply stated, “I don’t mind having a boss and I still get to treat patients.” Working as an ED medical scribe, I could see what she was referring to as the relationships between Doctors and PAs rely on communication, honesty, and knowing when to ask for help.
It was through my patient care experiences at Friendship Community and Brethren Village where I experienced first-hand the true impact of one’s actions on someone’s life during a vulnerable time. It was important for me to tune in to what my individuals and residents were thinking and feeling to figure out the best way to care for them. I distinctly remember one of my residents telling me, “You always listen to me and give me the best showers.” Somehow, this took me by surprise, as most residents in the dementia unit do not remember most of the Personal Care Aides; she could not remember my name or my face but she remembered the way I made her feel. That is the impact I want to have on my future patients that will be achieved through my work as a PA. Although working with the IDD and elderly community had its challenges and tested my patience, the part I treasured most were the long-lasting friendships I made with the individuals and their families.
Before I made the decision to major in something that would allow me to work in the healthcare industry, I served my community by volunteering at the Ephrata Community Hospital. I volunteered at the Family Maternity, NICU, and pediatrics floor where I got the privilege to see my very first surgery a Cesarean section and provide comfort for babies struggling with NAS. The “withdrawal babies,” as they call them in the unit, needed extra care and comfort beyond the nurse’s capabilities. It was hard to care for infants struggling so early in life but it taught me the importance of emotional stability when treating patients. A year later, I decided to switch units to verse myself in as many aspects of medicine as I could. I decided to volunteer for the Orthopedics Unit helping with the Ephrata hospital’s first Total Knee and Hip Replacement Program launch where I was able to interact with patients during their pre-operation class. I was there for the first day that patients came back from their surgeries into the brand-new unit.
Volunteering in two different units at the hospital made me realize that I did not want to dedicate the rest of my career to one medical specialty. While shadowing a Family Medicine PA, Heather Coyne, this past June I realized just how easy it is for a PA to work in various specialties. Heather shared with me that before Family Medicine she worked in Pediatric Oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. It was after she decided to have kids that she started working at Dr. David J Silverstein associates. PAs are able to switch to different specialties of medicine without much difficulty giving them the freedom to adjust their work life to accommodate family life.
“When you practice in the future learn to just talk to people.” This was some of the best advice I received unexpectedly while shadowing a Family Medicine PA, Cole Pizzingrilli. Shadowing Cole, I could tell that his patient’s respected and trusted him with their care. His secret was not anything out of the ordinary other than taking the time to talk to his patients. It is my passion to help others and advocate for my future patients that led me to consider a career in healthcare. One google search, thousands of hours, 5 experiences, and a vast amount of knowledge later, I finally know that working as a Physician Assistant is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Madison Elizabeth says
Hi! I am a first time applicant- would love any and all feedback on this rough draft!!
The patient was a 33 year old female, presenting to the Emergency Department complaining of severe abdominal pain. I stood by my physician, viciously jotting down every answer the distressed patient gave to the series of questions being fired her way: When the did the pain start? Has the pain progressively worsened? Are there any exacerbating or relieving factors? As a newly hired scribe in one of the largest EDs in the city, I documented almost every word. I noted the patient’s denial of any possibility of pregnancy and her regrettable admission of regular smoking habits. I then moved to the corner of the room while the physician performed a pelvic exam. The physician calmly asked that I summon a nurse, and stood to look the patient in the eye while informing her that she was moments away from giving birth. The following twenty five minutes were chaotic, to say the least, but I was entranced. This particular ED was in no way prepared for newborn delivery, but an outsider would have never known. The medical team worked synchronously to deliver a healthy baby boy and place him in the arms of the utterly unexpectant mother. I admired their ability to adapt and succeed, and I felt a wave of reassurance that I was where I am supposed to be.
I was first introduced to the medical field as a freshman in highschool, when a family friend was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of six. My initial interest sparked from my interactions with the team of medical providers who took on her case. I admired their strength and positivity in the face of something so difficult. Even throughout the most challenging and hopeless periods of time, the entire staff presented uplifted spirits. In addition to their dedication, I give their inspirative demeanours partial credit to her amazing recovery.
Throughout my high school career, I had the opportunity to shadow many different individuals in the medical field including physicians, physician assistant’s, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. I was immediately interested in the position of the physician assistant because of their collaborative relationship with their doctor. I chose to follow this path, and completed most of my prerequisites though my major of Exercise and Sport Science. I was able to learn about the human body in a way that was specific to nutrition and the physiology of exercise. I have seen the healing effects of one’s lifestyle, and I hope to carry this knowledge to use on future patients.
During the summers of undergrad, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to multiple third world countries on medical mission trips. An extended trip to the rural cities of the Dominican Republic allowed me to participate in creating and leading educational health courses to the populations of those areas. I became passionate about the potential benefits of preventative medicine, specifically in medically underserved areas.
I have continued to explore my initial interest in oncology through volunteer opportunities in a hospital and clinical setting. My current volunteer position allows me to have thorough conversations with cancer patients while they undergo 4+ hour chemotherapy treatments. I am there to be whatever the patient needs that day: a distraction, a companion or a shoulder to cry on.
After graduating, I moved to a new city to begin working as a medical scribe in the ED. I could never have anticipated the amount of experience and knowledge I would gain from this position. Each physician I work with has taught me something new, whether it be the medical reasoning behind a diagnosis or the importance of looking the patient directly in the eye when speaking to them. The broad range of patients and medical problems that appear in the emergency room provide an unique exposure to the medical field. I have learned that efficiency and quality care go hand in hand to ensure that every patient receives the care they deserve.
Katherine says
My body was screaming in pain as I took the final stroke of my rowing career and our boat glided into first place at the championship regatta. This race was the culmination of four years of hard grueling work on and off the water. I’m a naturally competitive person, so from the moment I joined this team four years ago, I wanted to be in that top boat. Despite being an athlete my whole life, this task proved to be much harder than I first thought. While rowers are stereotypically tall, bulky people, I am quite the opposite. I was even told by some of my coaches that I wouldn’t make it very far in this sport due to my size. This only caused me to push myself every harder over the years, not allowing anything to get in my way of being one of the fastest rowers on the team.
Over my college career, rowing proved to be quite the time commitment, forcing me to quickly learn how to expertly manage my time between school, work, and rowing. Late nights and early mornings in the library and on the water were not uncommon for me as I did my best to balance all of my commitments. While pushing myself in school, I was also in the midst of making the most important decision of my life; my career. The path to making this decision began in the spring of my junior year when I enrolled in a course in public health microbiology. I took this course as one of my in-major electives but this class wound up being my favorite class over the entire course of my college career. This class covered the transmission, treatment, and prevention of various infectious diseases and also included the study of several CDC investigations of outbreaks. I was lucky enough to be able to take all of this new information and apply it during a student internship I had received this semester at the local hospital. During this internship I was able to shadow different medical professionals in an acute care unit and experience the integration of several different medical fields working together in patient care. I was able to see firsthand many of the diseases that I had learned about during my class and see the preventative methods put into action in a hospital setting. I saw patients with lupus, patients who had just suffered heart attacks and strokes, and patients recovering from surgical operations including amputations. It was inspiring to be able to see firsthand the lasting positive impact on these patients no matter how grim their condition may have seemed. Many of these patients seemed to have pressed pause on their recovery time; making little to no progress between each passing day. However, thanks to the endless commitment and dedication these physicians and physician assistants had for their patients, each one still remained cheerful throughout their stay. The happiest moments though were seeing the first smiles of a patient when told they would be able to leave the hospital and return to their home.
It was at the end of this internship that I decided to pursue a career in medicine. I discovered that all along, I had a passion for health and medicine. I had been implementing this passion into my own life with my love for fitness and nutrition but had not been able to connect the dots until then. After making this decision I found myself feeling more empowered in my studies and actually received the highest GPA this semester since my freshman year despite juggling 18 hours, rowing, and my internship.
Since this internship, I have worked in both the ER as a medical scribe and on a med-surg floor as a patient care tech. I loved being able to see such a wide variety of different medical conditions, injuries, and symptoms during these jobs and was beginning to find it difficult to answer the question ‘What specialty are you wanting to do’. Lucky for me, as a physician assistant I will have the ability to transfer specialties much easier than I would as a physician. Physician assistants also are able to spend more time with each of their patients which is something that I value personally as a health care provider.
After four years of fighting to prove myself as a competitive member of the rowing team, I finally achieved my dream of making the top boat for our championship regatta. The journey was a long one, with many set-backs along the way, but the one thing that constantly kept me going were the inspiring words of my coach, ‘Failure is not final if you refuse to give up’. These simple words have helped me push through not just every hard workout, but also through every tough study session. My time as a rower has taught me so much more than just how to row. Through this team I have developed dedication, passion, and persistence that I have been able to extend into my school work and my career. While my rowing career may have come to an end, my career in medicine is just beginning and I am excited to tackle whatever challenges it may present me next.
Mallory says
Hello!
This is the first time I am applying. what do you think?
Having been a volleyball player for most of my life, I am no stranger to injuries. In middle school, I remember sustaining an injury that eventually led me to an orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed me with multiple stress fractures in my left foot. Playing volleyball had become too painful. After months of rest and therapy I thought I would be ready to get back on the court, but I continued to have pain. The orthopedist, at that time, said that his recommendation would be to not play volleyball anymore. It was a terrible feeling to be told you cannot play a sport you love. He told me that I could try more therapy and see how I am then, but there were no guarantees. The way I saw it, I had more to lose if I did not try. Thankfully, I was able to eventually return to the sport and team that I loved so much. I was even able to play competitively throughout college. This injury and the treatment I went through opened my eyes to the medical field and the realization that I could help other athletes, like myself, return to the sport they love.
It was not until my freshmen year of college that I learned what a physician assistant was. As an emergency room scribe, I have been exposed to many different patient cases. Every day that I work at the hospital, I have the privilege of working with physician assistants, physicians, and nurses who all work together to accomplish one goal: to provide care for patients in need. Every patient has their own story and it is the responsibility of the provider to listen and care for them. I loved the versatile nature of the job and continuous learning opportunities that it provides. There is also a team dynamic to this career that drives me to do my best. Between the nurses, technicians, supervising physician and PA, these people act together as one team to care for and support the patient.
I remember one particular experience where a PA that I was scribing for treated a 70 year old male with abdominal pain. The pain had started two weeks ago but had worsened the night before. The PA asked him why he waited so long to be seen by a healthcare provider. The patient responded saying that he had not been seen by a medical professional in over fifty years. He was afraid that if he went to the ER, he would not go back home because of a memory that he had in which his mother had abdominal pain and she went to the ER for help, but, unfortunately, never made it home to him.
After examining the patient, he was tender to his abdomen and was tachycardic. The PA I was working with assured the patient that he made a good decision to come to the ER and that he was going to do everything in his power to understand why he was having so much pain. The PA went back to his desk and ordered basic labs, EKG, gallbladder ultrasound and some pain medication. He then told me that he was going to discuss the case with his supervising physician due to the fact that this patient was older and had not seen a doctor in decades, meaning that he could have unknown underlying medical illnesses. The supervising physician agreed with the PA’s plan so far, but would also go and meet and examine the patient as well.
We returned to the patient’s room and you could automatically see that the patient was still very anxious. He was still fearful of his own outcome. The PA assured him the best he could while still maintaining an honest opinion.
The PA built a rapport with the patient, which was really great considering how fearful the patient was to even walk in the doors. The compassion and determination the PA showed was remarkable to witness. From this experience, along with many others while working as a scribe, I now know that I want to be a PA that is as compassionate and determined as he was. I think the idea of being a part of a team and working with others that all have one goal in mind, the patient’s welfare, is what draws me to this career. There are also continuous learning opportunities which would allow me to have a daily routine that still manages to have some mystery to it. Because of my work ethic, ability to work in a team, compassion, and the eagerness I have to help others, I know I will be a great PA student and future PA.
Shelley B. says
I’m a first time applicant and would appreciate some feedback on my essay! I still have about 400 characters left, so I have some wiggle room to add any necessary information
Usually when I receive a letter while away at summer camp, I feel excitement to see what is happening at home while I am away for the week. The summer before starting my freshman year of college, however, I opened my mail and read the letter sent from my father with a sense of desperation and sorrow. He had written to tell me that my mom would not be home to welcome me when I would return just a few days later. She instead would be in Birmingham, Alabama, in a mental health hospital receiving treatment for her bipolar disorder. My mom had been treated for this as long as I could remember, but she had always been good about taking her daily medicine to keep her life on track. A year before receiving that letter was when things began to unravel. She started taking her medications less and less the summer before I began my senior year of high school. Being the last child at home, I knew it would be an upsetting moment for my parents when I finally left for college, but my mom responded in a way the caused even more upset. Without her medicine to help keep her balanced, her illness had this control over her to make her act like a different person.
My mom continued off and on with the charade that she was taking her medicine for the next five years. This put a strain on our relationship, which caused me to visit home less frequently over my four and a half years at Auburn. At the beginning of my freshman year, I directed all of my focus into my schoolwork to keep from having to address the problems with my mom. Over the subsequent semesters, my focus moved from my schoolwork to the social portion of college. I tried to balance the intense load of the biomedical science major with the easygoing mindset of the social scene. Because of this my grades in the strenuous science-based classes suffered, and as a result my GPA suffered. I acted immaturely and used my mom’s illness as an excuse to become apathetic to her and to my responsibilities as a student. However, if it weren’t for the obstacles I faced with my mom and throughout college, I would not have made the decisions I did that would lead me to the path of becoming a physician assistant. I hope that Admissions can look past my less than outstanding GPA to afford me the opportunity I know that I deserve.
After graduating in December of 2016, my next step, or so I thought, was to find a job in the healthcare field and begin applying for medical school. During my time in college I always had high hopes of attending medical school. I’ve been interested in the healthcare field for as long as I can remember, and seeing firsthand how illness, whether mental or physical, can affect a life, I knew I wanted to work in a profession that allowed me to help others battle illness, no matter how big or small. It wasn’t until I accepted a job working as a medical scribe 653 miles away from my home in Dallas, Texas, that I would begin questioning medical school and learning more about PA school. Everyone always asks why I chose to move so far away from home, and what I never told them was that it was due to my relationship with my mom being too arduous while she was battling her illness. Because of this, I chose to move away from home to escape the hardships I was battling at home. Fortunately for me, escaping my past troubles would lead to deciding on my future. At the beginning of my job as a scribe, I was informed I would only be working with physicians assistants and nurse practitioners before working with physicians. This discouraged me as I wanted experience with as many physicians as possible before applying to medical school. However, over the beginning months I began to learn about the profession of a PA, and this sparked my interest. What stood out to me the most was the flexibility of a PA to work in different specialties. I’ve always be interested in pediatrics, but after working in the ER at Children’s Medical Center, I’ve been exposed to a multitude of different specialties through different consults for various patients. As a PA, I would be able to explore the options of not only working in pediatrics, but working in a subspecialty within pediatrics, without all of the extra time spent in residencies or fellowships.
I know that the road to becoming a PA, is a demanding one full of challenges, but I am confident that it is one I can handle. I have become more determined and focused than ever in taking the necessary steps to accomplish my goals. I know that my devotion, newly found perseverance, and compassionate nature will make me work hard to become a remarkable physician assistant.
Jenny says
Our limitations arise as we experience different life situations. When I was nine-years-old, my Mom required many surgeries that required hospital stays. Each time I would go see her, the second we got to her floor, the smells and sights of the hospital corridors would over whelm me. A wave of panic and dizziness would hit me and I could feel my heart beating fasting and my hands getting sweaty. My anxiety was so over whelming, I could barely give my Mom a hug and a kiss before having to go sit with my head between my knees.
After I graduated from college I waivered with what my future would hold. Becoming a physician assistant had been the plan but now that it was time to final take action, I hesitated. My childhood anxiety crept up and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to work in a hospital or the medical profession.
But I refused to admit defeat without trying, so when the call came in for an interview to be a patient care assistant at the Hospital’s Emergency department I accepted. Clocking in for my first shift the symptoms I felt as a nine-year-old started to set in and the sweat was evident. But instead of letting my fears take over, I was determined to focus on the patients and the tasks at hand. It did not take long for the overhead system to announce a medical alert five minutes out, respiratory and two pcas needed. Walking into Red 3, the goose bumps raised the hair on my arms and I could feel my nerves flow through my entire body. The double doors automatically blew open making way for EMS. There was no time but to become part of the team working together to get the patient’s pulse back. We, as a team succeeded and got his pulse back. It was then that I knew this was where I belonged and that becoming a physician assistant was not only obtainable but was right for me.
Our emergency department sees upwards of 300 patients a day on a regular basis, sometimes more than can even be squeezed into our hallways. On a day similar to this, I was working in triage bringing countless patients back to their rooms. I passed the same elderly husband of a hallway patient enough times during that day where he felt comfortable making small talk and even little jokes with each short passing interaction. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but passed him once more and simply asked if he needed anything; he kindly declined. With more conversation I was made aware he would be staying over-night with his wife. Before leaving for the night I collected a recliner, pillow and blanket to provide a little more comfort. Upon my return the look of appreciation on his face while he grabbed my hands in gratitude made every minute of the day worth it. It is in those moments that make everything I do at work worth it no matter how big or small it may seem.
Physician assistants are integral parts of the equation and spend the time needed with the patient to get to the root of what is medically or even emotionally going on. Having the ability to create a patient to provider relationship was the draw to this profession. Sitting with a patient for a few more minutes to get to know them outside of what is making them ill, makes their stay at the hospital more comforting. The patient is trapped in a foreign place unaware about what is going to happen, but having at least one friendly face can make all of the difference.
Every day I am exposed to something new and continue to learn from the nurses, physician assistants, residents, and attendings. But, as a patient care assistant most of my learning has come from the patients. Being a part of the medical field is more than just diagnosing and prescribing medication, but being someone the patient can feel comfortable talking to and feel confident that they are in good hands. As a patient care assistant I cannot hand out pain meds or insert IVs, but there are often times that the patient responds just as well to a warm smile or other simple tasks. These small acts may seem remedial but they can make a world of difference to an individual who is scared, alone in a windowless room and with no information about what is to come. I will never lose the everlasting feeling I get from a patient’s gratitude from simple acts of humanity as my scope of practice expands.
Mallory Stressler says
“Your father is dying”. The words echoed through my head as the reality of what they meant sank in. I was 4 hours away from my father and family. I never made it home in time to say goodbye to my father, the man who raised me to do whatever it takes to get what I want in this life. Since his death, he has been a constant motivator in my
Watching my father battle Leiomyosarcoma for the last 14 years of his life played a large influence in my decision to enter the medical field. He taught me how to handle the most difficult of situations with both grace and stoicism. I grew up observing and learning from my mother, an ICU nurse, who cared for my dad with the most gentle and knowledgeable hands. Both of my parents have always encouraged me to do what it takes to achieve the goals I set for myself, as well as teaching me the proper tools to reach those goals.
I knew I wanted to work in medicine from the age of 7, but I never knew exactly what that would look like. Throughout school, I was always intrigued by the science of the human body. I looked forward to dissections and the opportunity to expand my knowledge of anatomy and physiology. As I approached the end of high school, I shadowed a family practice PA named Deanna. Deanna worked in a low-income clinic in Chicago, and treated all of her patients with the most utmost respect and care, no matter their background or current situation. She sat and listened to the concerns they presented, taking the time to thoroughly address them. Seeing the trust in her patient’s faces and how comfortable they were with her makes me want to do the same for my future patients. I want to show my patients that I truly care about the battles they are facing, and that I am fully committed to doing my absolute best to ease them of their struggles.
Between my father’s cancer, my mother’s stories of the ICU, and scribing in the emergency department, I have a strong desire to work in a fast paced environment. I still get excited every time the EMS phone rings, and look forward to the day when I will be the one caring for those patients who come through the hospital doors. Two PA’s who stand out to me are Ralph and Tim, providers in the ED where I am employed. Both demonstrate the true meaning of being a PA. They are quick, sharp, and exceptionally knowledgeable of each unique patient situation. Tim and Ralph take the time to answer not only patient questions, but mine as well. Both are always willing to share their expertise with others, and I aspire to be like both of them in my future career. The PA profession presents me with the opportunity to continue growing my education through my work. The ability to change specialities, as well as working alongside the physician, provides me with an endless learning experience. Becoming a PA will help promote my urge to gain new information, techniques, and procedures.
My time spent volunteering at Modern Med Recovery, an outpatient treatment center for heroin and opioid addiction, has taught me about the world of addiction and its part in the realm of mental health. I feel that it has given me a better understanding of the concept of addiction and the multiple factors that create it. I want to use this knowledge to help people learn and better understand the often judged world of addiction and mental health.
Losing my father while in college resulted in me not performing at my full potential. My grades started off subpar, but I have retaken the classes that I underperformed in and continued to register for classes that have helped expand my knowledge base. This has allowed me to expand my knowledge and improve my GPA. I feel that my grades in the last 3 years of my education are an accurate reflection of my work ethic and who I am as a student. My liberal arts education has allowed me to develop a holistic approach to the practice of medicine. I also spent my time in school working in addition to my classes. My last year as a student I took a full course load and worked full time as well. I feel that this allowed me to develop time management skills and the ability to multitask when needed to complete both my homework and attend my job shifts.
My life experiences have allowed me to grow as a person and learn the concept of perseverance. I have known for the majority of my life that the field of medicine is where I belong, and the PA profession will allow me to achieve that. My academic workload, work experience, and volunteer opportunities demonstrate an exceptional capability to succeed as a physician assistant. I want to be like Deanna, Tim, and Ralph; knowing that I provided them with the best care I could and doing what I can to leave a lasting impact that changed their life for the better.
Kirstie Thomas says
As far back as I can recall when being asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, I continually gave the same response, without hesitation: “I want to be in the medical field.” Although I have always had a passion for science, medicine, and the connection between the psyche, human anatomy and physiology, I could never pinpoint one specific aspect of the field I wanted to pursue. All of that changed during my junior year of college.
My passion for science and my love for the human mind is what initially drove me to major in psychology. After my first semester of college at Georgia Southern University I transferred to the University of Georgia. The first year of my collegiate career was not my proudest moment. I was not focused enough going in to my second semester. I was working 25 hours a week at a restaurant and being more worried about socializing after work than studying left me with a D in General Chemistry II. My GPA immediately suffered. This gave me the wake me up call I needed to put my education as my top priority. I kept my job and hours at the restaurant but took my GPA off the backburner and finished the class with an A the next summer.
I was first introduced to the physician assistant profession my junior year during a visit at my family practitioner I met the PA, James, and noticed that he took his time, asked about my symptoms, and did not make me feel rushed, which was refreshing. He was even considerate enough to ask about school and my life in general. When I told him I was thinking about pursuing medicine he suggested I look into the PA specialty. James told me all about the profession and even took the time to bring me a textbook he thought I should read (Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking) before entering the program. His contagious passion for this profession and willingness to take the time to connect with his patient resonated with me. I have a strong desire to help people by connecting with them on a deeper level while simultaneously diagnosing and treating their illnesses. Pursuing a career as a PA would afford me this unique opportunity. Additionally, being a PA would give me the ability to change specialties, as well as have the opportunity to work as part of a medical team while still maintaining a certain level of autonomy. Immediately after my encounter with James, I started researching the profession and the schooling required. After considerable research on the physician assistant profession, there was no turning back. I was sold! During that same academic year I began taking the required courses for PA school. Once I started taking these classes school became more enjoyable and I was eager to learn more, proving yet again this was what I was made to do.
That same year I embraced the opportunity to volunteer with underprivileged kids through a program called Oasis Católico. This organization gave me the rare opportunity to work with and tutor Hispanic children from the Athens area. The purpose of this program is to help kids from an underserved population succeed in school. Engaging with these children was extremely rewarding; it taught me the empathy, compassion, and patience necessary for my future career in medicine.
After graduating I started working as a medical assistant at an OB/GYN. I was lucky enough to find an office that was willing to train me although I was not certified. Working here has given me the opportunity to receive hands on training with patients that I find invaluable. I have been taught to take medical histories, vitals, and to assist the doctor in: colposcopies, endometrial biopsies, IUD placements, etc. I am able to apply the compassion and empathy I learned and grew during my volunteer experience to cultivate relationships with my patients. The doctors and nurse practitioner I work alongside have been very gracious in their willingness to train me. I am inspired by their selflessness to provide medical care to underprivileged women in our community through the Mercy Clinic. I am truly grateful because I have learned a great deal about the OB/GYN specialty, all thanks to them. Although I love my job and the opportunities that have been presented as a medical assistant, I feel a yearning to learn and do more in order to further serve others through the medical field.
I long to be a physician assistant because it will grant me the opportunity to use my medical knowledge, experiences, and passion to serve those in need. My volunteer experience and work as a medical assistant and server have expanded my empathy, compassion, teamwork, and interpersonal communication skills. Additionally, the knowledge I have attained through my psychology coursework will help me to better understand and connect with patients. I look forward to challenging myself, being a lifelong learner, and working more closely with patients while connecting with them on a deeper level as a physician assistant.