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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 March 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
Kelsie Pratt says
My mom had major surgery my senior year of high school and I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for the procedure to finish. I knew the surgery would take around four hours so as the time passed I kept myself busy, but as the four hours turned into six I began to wonder if something was wrong. I went looking for a receptionist to talk to but ran into a physician assistant first. She asked me if there was something she could help me with and when I told her about how the surgery was running late she went back to the operating room to see if everything was going okay. She then came back to update me on the surgery. The kindness she displayed stayed with me as I continued throughout school.
I knew that I wanted to work in the medical field because science is ever evolving and it has always challenged me, but I did not know which path to take. In high school I was able to shadow a physician and as I spent the day with him I realized that I liked the atmosphere but I still was uncertain. I continued to shadow other physicians with different specialties, but something was holding me back from saying that was the job I wanted. I was then able to shadow a physician assistant and the experience clicked with me and I knew that becoming a physician assistant was what I wanted. The best part of the shadowing experience was being able to speak to the patients and getting to know them. The interaction between the patient and the physician assistant was a great experience to watch because the PA was involved in giving the best care to her patient and it put the patient to ease. Also, the communication between the physician assistants was something that stuck out to me, they worked like a team playing ideas off one another and always trying to help the others and that is what I want my professional career to look like. I want to work with others who are just as driven as myself to succeed and provide the best care to their patients.
I volunteered for a program called Camp Echo during my summers of high school and volunteers were placed with one camper during the program, and we spent the week together doing activities laid out by the program coordinators. The first year I volunteered I had no experience about working with adults with disabilities and did not know all the work necessary for giving these campers the best time that I could. I was paired with a camper named Nancy who had attended the camp before but did not want to be there because she felt like she was being treated inferior. I struggled during the first couple of days because I never had to be in charge of helping someone else and it was more work than I expected. Nancy did not like that I was there to guide her and encourage her to participate in all the activities. It was because of this that we struggled to get along at the beginning, but as we learned to compromise the rest of the week went by better than either of us could have hoped. We spent time doing activities she normally would not have been able to, like riding horses, building a bird house, jumping rope or playing in a water balloon fight. We both learned many things from that week, Nancy learned that you have to stop worrying about how others treat you and just enjoy what you are doing, while I learned that mistakes happen and you just have to work through them and ask for help along the way. My week with Nancy was one of the most eye opening experiences I have had.
I know I will be a great PA because I am driven to provide the best care to all my patients. No matter who your patient is, they deserve respect and the best care you can offer them. There will be hard days where an outcome may not be want we want, but continuing to work hard and providing for others is a step in becoming a good PA.
Kirstyn says
Thank you in advance for editing my first draft.
“Take care of your body, it’s the only one you have” is something I’ll always remember from a patient during my time as a CNA at Bronson Lakeview Hospital. Such a simple sentence, yet it has so many layers. How easy would it be to tell everyone to “take care of your body and things will be okay”? I have seen addiction, COPD, CHF, DKA, and a mélange of other health care issues. I have watched how the medical team addresses their issues and works together to formulate a treatment plan. These patients are admitted to the floor, treated, educated about their condition, and sometimes back again. The hospital re-treats them, educates them, and once again they come back. I’ve come to know their routine, how debilitating their condition is, and how difficult it may be to afford. Time and time again they are admitted, and each time I only wish I could do more to help.
Paw Paw, MI, a small, rural town in Michigan, is made up only of a few thousand people, many living in poverty. I’ve seen them struggle to pay for their medications, coming only to the emergency department because they cannot afford a visit to urgent care. Many of times they come in homeless, living in little less than a shack. I bathe and comfort them, trying to make them feel like new, but I always wish there was more that I could do.
On the days I am not at the hospital, I provide home care for Bob. Bob is a post-polio and post-stroke survivor. When I am with him, we work on his transferring methods and ADLs, trying to gain back a resemblance of independence after his stroke. It’s the third day in a row that Bob is still struggling to breathe. I try to transfer him, but he asks me to stop, fearing he will pass out. I turn to his tearful wife and tell her we should call an ambulance. Bob is admitted to rehab and returns depressed, newly diagnosed with CHF. He now seems less eager to get back to his normal routine and more reliant on my help. I encourage him to do more and each day we work harder to regain his strength. We eventually hit milestones; one day he sits himself up in bed, another he buttons his own shirt. Bob and his family’s courage and determination push me as well and I am more eager than ever to be able to do more to help Bob and others.
It is difficult to say exactly when I decided to pursue a path in a career as a physician assistant. I have always had a passion for taking care of people and guiding them through their difficulties. Working in HR at Dayton’s Children Hospital was a great way to gain an understanding and appreciation of how a hospital operates and builds relationships with patients. I helped review issues that arose at the hospital during procedures and interactions patients had with the staff. While I enjoyed creating meaningful relationships, I want to provide answers for patients and guide them through their illnesses.
Shadowing a physician assistant was the experience I was searching for. Jacqueline gave me the opportunity to observe how she interacts with patients and her thought process in finding solutions to positively impact patients’ lives through medicine. She was diligent and able to take her time with each patient. One patient in particular was following up after a stress test she ordered the week prior. He came back with negative results and was told he would need to follow up with a cardiac catherization to determine if he would need stents. This was a huge decision he had to make, and it allowed me to appreciate the gravity Jacqueline’s medical decisions had on a patient’s life. Watching her, I felt like she was doing her part in improving their livelihood. Every aspect of her day kept me enthralled; observing patient concerns and health issues, reviewing follow up appointments, going through procedures, changing medications, being the person they came to for answers to their medical problems. Watching her, invigorated my urge to pursue a career as a PA.
I wish all I had to say was “take care of your body” and I could solve health issues, but it comes at a much bigger cost than that. I have found it can take much time, effort, money, and the right kind of medical care to improve lives. Throughout my experiences, I am always striving to be the best kind of healthcare worker I can be. Observing a PA at work has proven to me that this is what I have been looking for. A chance to be a shepherd in guiding people through their medical decisions. As a PA I can and will do more in order to help people make the best medical decisions. I have seen patients’ personal struggles and have shared in their pain. I want to be apart of their success in striving for better health. If they must be seen time and time again, I will have more answers and solutions. It may not always be as simple as “take care of your body” but working in a hospital has shown me how a healthcare team works together to find the best outcomes. This is the solution on how I can be more for the community. This is how I can do more to help.
Ednise Davilien says
With both arms tucked underneath my head, I lay on a warm blanket atop the cool grass. I close my eyes and listen to the sweet melody of nature. I imagine myself gazing upon the bright shiny stars speckling the night sky. I see a shooting star and quickly make a wish. “Starlight, star bright, how I wish to become something great! Bless me with my wish tonight!” I open my eyes only to see that the sun has set. The blue sky is replaced with hues of red and orange. I smile knowing that what my heart desires will soon come true.
After experiencing what I call an “early life crisis” during my freshman year of college, my mind began to indulge in thoughts of what I really wanted to do with my life. Initially, I felt on top of the world with everything all the way figured out. Nothing could deter me from what I wanted most. That was to become a pediatrician. I couldn’t see myself as becoming anything else. That all changed. Suddenly, my vision came crashing down. I no longer stood atop the world. Instead, I plunged into a deep dark abyss filled with bewilderment. What was once crystal clear transformed into something faint and blurred. I ventured out on a quest to get my mind right. Through a combination of research and speaking to whomever would listen, I learned of the physician assistant (PA) profession. I was hooked instantly. Certainly, my passion for pediatrics lingered, but my interests morphed into something much broader. I found that the PA profession afforded me many advantages compared to a pediatrician. I reveled in that PAs had the flexibility to explore a variety of specialties. I found that the PA profession afforded me many advantages compared to a pediatrician. I reveled in that PAs have the flexibility to explore a variety of specialties and the ability to form intimate connections with patients. Most importantly, I became intrigued by the exposure that PAs have to various facets of medicine, for which they are afforded the ability give back to the community.
Once I started shadowing in the neurosurgery department, my newfound vision of becoming a PA solidified. I was granted the opportunity to witness neurological assessments of ample patients, along with interpretations of their medical imaging, and development of their specific treatment plans. In addition, I observed interactions between the PA and her patients, as well as interactions with other healthcare providers. Each day would bring new experiences and challenges. As usual, I watched the PA review the patient’s chart prior to going into the exam room. Without notification, we were confronted with a Spanish-speaking patient. Neither one of us spoke Spanish and interpretation services were unavailable at the time. Though struggling to communicate with the little Spanish we knew, she was able to overcome the language barrier we were faced with and provide the patient with the best possible care. From this experience, I learned the value of maintaining a positive demeanor while in the face of adversity. I also learned the importance of time management and proper communication skills.
When I set my eye on something, I am committed. Whether in school or at work, I make it my mission to overcome any hurdles in my way. Along with the skills that I have acquired, I bring with me an unwavering desire to learn, dedication to helping people recollect their purpose, and belief that anything is possible. I am grateful to have discovered this path and hope that I will be given the chance to flourish into a well learned PA. You are the shooting star; my wish is your command.
Karosa says
I was less than ten years old when I saw many people die due to unclean water and lack of medical care. At the time, I thought to myself that maybe if they knew that diseases from unclean water can be prevented they would stay alive. I believed that it is easier to prevent than to cure, so I decided to study environmental science in college. As I interacted with different communities about environmental protection and remediation through seminar and training, I realized that I could not provide help to those already sick due to environmental conditions they were in. Though I directed the sick to health center or hospitals, I knew it was difficult because most of them would not be able to afford medical services. As I kept on working with the community, but I longed for the ability to also help them when they are sick due to any reason being environmental related or not.
As I moved to the States, I worked with an environmental engineering company while on weekends and after work I will go volunteer at ConnectUs-a non-profit organization. At ConnectUs, I was introduced to PA profession by the parents or guardians of people I worked with as they talked about their appointments and experiences with primary care PA. As I continued to learn about PA, I realized that this will be an opportunity for me to care for the sick that I could not help before. Meanwhile, I continued to volunteer at ConnectUS working with people with multiple disabilities by helping craft small gifts to be sent to other non-profit organizations. Working with disabled people, I learned how to communicate with them through facial expression and signs as most of them cannot talk. I learned to be patient and more compassionate as I had to care for them. The smile on their faces and joyful noise they make after each gift to express that they also did something to help others is what still pushes me to look forwards to work with them. In addition, I also work as a CAN at a nursing home which has helped me gain experience that I did not have before. I have strengthened my interpersonal skills because my patients have different types of dementia and other chronic diseases that it can be difficult to communicate their needs. Working with a team of other CNAs under supervision of a registered nurse, I gained experience monitoring my patient’s vital signs and help with activity of daily living.
Though my undergraduate grades are not exemplary, I took my prerequisites courses with determination as I knew that this will also confirm my ability and preparedness to become a PA. Although I worked two jobs and being a full-time student, I managed to get a 4.0 GPA through hard work. In my years of work experience I have acquired high work ethics, determination and direct patient care that I know will help me be an excellent PA. As a PA, I will have a greater opportunity to help patients in underserved areas and guide them with making better health decisions for their well-being.
Diane says
I apologize, I entered the first comment prematurely —
“Why?” is a question I have been asking myself for over two decades and though I thought I had figured out the answer, I realize it is ever-changing and the key is to seize opportunities and live a purposeful life. My first generation, Korean immigrant parents worked 14-hour days in labor intensive jobs, in hopes of providing a better future for myself. As the first in my family to go to college, I had aspirations of studying and practicing medicine. I walked the halls of the university with a heavy burden on my shoulders as I tried to absorb every detail in textbooks and class lectures. I acknowledged the sacrifices my parents made and wanted to make the most of the opportunity I was given. But life had other plans for me and revealed that it was not the right time.
During my freshman year, I faced an accident that left me with a physical injury. I endured numerous surgeries and pushed through what seemed like a never ending recovery process. Over time, the medical expenses and school costs overwhelmed my family and left me in a position to take on a full-time job while earning my degree. I desperately devoted myself to working and helping us during the financial crisis. However, focusing on other obligations led me to receive less than substandard grades. At this time, I was committed to supporting my family and put my education and personal goals aside. I soon found myself merely lost going through the motions of life. But with the love and encouragement from my family, I was able to obtain a degree and recover fully. During my undergraduate years, I lacked maturity and was not committed to learning, but thankfully, I’ve finally grasped the concept and have dedicated myself to it. I’ve retaken several courses and earned higher grades by seeking help from the resources available to me. I acknowledge the mistakes I’ve made but have decided to accept them as experiences. I know I certainly can’t change my past but I can learn from it, and believe I have.
By graduation, I accepted a position with CityMD as a clinical assistant. During the first six months, I had gained a tenfold of knowledge than what I had learned in the classroom. I had the privilege of observing the healthcare system from a clinician’s perspective, which was truly an eye opening experience. I invested my time and effort into the company and earned the title of a lead clinical assistant to supervisor, and eventually, the manager. Working alongside physician assistants, I gained insight on the importance of a team-based care system. It allowed all providers to maximize and complement each other’s skill sets. I discovered physician assistants worked as a part of a team but also maintained autonomy, with the privilege to deliver more attention and care to patients. I have also appreciated the role of physician assistants in my personal experiences as a patient. When I received treatment for my injury, though the doctors informed me of my diagnosis, the physician assistants explained it to me. They educated me on the pre-surgical prep, the medical procedure, and the different options for rehabilitation. Their empathy and support helped my family and I feel safe through one of our most difficult times.
My career aspirations have always involved working in healthcare but my work and personal experiences affirmed my desire to become a physician assistant. My goal is to utilize my clinical experience and apply the knowledge I have gained in the last 5 years into the classroom. Through my failures, I’ve learned so much about myself, what I truly want and how I can and will do things differently to achieve my goals. Now that I have fulfilled my family obligations, I am excited to seize this opportunity to pursue my dreams and take advantage of this time in my life. Working in an urgent care setting, I am most intrigued by emergency medicine and would be thrilled if I could practice in that field. However, after multiple mission trips with my church to underserved communities, I realize the need for primary care. Knowing that this profession is unique in the sense that PAs can change clinical specialties throughout the course of their career, attracts me even more to it.
Marin Heacock says
“Someone help, I need a wheelchair!” yelled a frantic woman as she sprinted into the entrance of the small rural hospital. I had been a volunteer at this hospital through high school and given its size and location in my quiet hometown, there usually wasn’t much action. The woman ran up to me as I was the first person she saw in a uniform and begged for a wheelchair for her unconscious son that was in her car outside. Immediately, I opened the nearby storage closet and grabbed the wheelchair and took off with the woman to her car. At this point, quite a commotion had been stirred and several nurses had followed us outside. As they hoisted the woman’s son into the chair, the woman grasped my arm with a grip of fear. I gave her hand a squeeze and assured her that her son was in good hands and then she took off following the nurses for the ER.
I reflected on this moment for the rest of my shift that day. I was a high schooler with a passion for science and interest in healthcare, but coming from a family of no healthcare providers, my only “behind the scenes” knowledge of what a career would be like was from TV shows. So I began volunteering to seek exposure into what a career in healthcare might be like. In a small hometown, the hospital I worked at didn’t have much excitement and I was usually tasked with small errands and answering phones. But that moment that day jolted my naïve mind, filled with TV show reenactments and depictions, into a new awareness and understanding of what it meant to work in healthcare. Immediate action and urgency as well as a sense of calm and control was so necessary to handle the desperate situation. I was not yet even eighteen yet felt an overwhelming realization of the gravity of situations dealt with daily in the hospital. Moreover, I felt an incredible sense responsibility as that mother clung to me, who was still a child, for support both physically and emotionally, as she watched her child being rushed inside.
That moment launched my passion to work in healthcare, to be a person that can help others in some of their most fearful moments. Through college I continued volunteering, this time at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, gaining new exposure and understanding of the inner workings of a hospital by rotating through various departments. My heart ached as I held the little baby in the NICU that was abandoned at the hospital by her drug addict mother and spent weeks going through withdrawals. I laughed on the Med Surg floor with a sweet 96 year old blind woman who would ask me what the weather was like outside and then tell me fond memories of her past. In the ER, my heart pumped as a stabbing victim was rushed in on a gurney leaving a trail of blood only for the suspect to arrive soon after, sending the place into a frenzy of police officers. Each department was vastly different and I thrived with each experience getting to further comprehend the honorable career of a healthcare provider.
When I first began volunteering back in high school I had no idea what health care provider role would suit me best. I was fascinated by the team dynamics between a physician, physician assistant (PA), nurses, and techs and began researching to find the best position for myself. As I have continued through college to spend over 350 hours in the hospital as well as working for three years in clinical research, I have had the privilege to work with people in all of these roles and see first-hand what they entail. The PA’s I have worked with have inspired me as they perform a demanding job that is met with compassion throughout their patient care. One of the PA’s I met had worked as an Army medic for 25 years before becoming a PA and she says her job now offers her just as much excitement and fulfillment as being overseas. In addition to the challenge and excitement of the role of a PA, I am drawn to the ability of working in multiple specialties and growing a breadth of knowledge in the health sciences.
While not all moments in the hospital are high adrenaline, each and every one is a significant moment in someone’s life and working as a PA offers me the chance to have an impact in those fragile times. Whether you’re the person running with the wheelchair or holding the hand of the family member, being able to offer that physical and emotional support of someone in need is one of the greatest responsibilities and privileges that I desire to undertake as a PA. Given the opportunity to become a PA, I will take on those responsibilities and look forward to being able to fulfill the challenges and rewards of being a PA.
Selidet Cruz says
This is my first draft!
Is one ever truly happy in their careers or just content? From the moment I was old enough to understand what it really meant to go through the motions of going through school and finding yourself, I vowed to choose a career that would not just make me feel content, but make me feel excited and joyous to wake up every day knowing that I was doing something that I loved. As a child, one of my favorite things to do was swing on the swing sets at the park. Whenever my mother had a day off, I would beg her to take me and just swing there for hours, without a care in the world. I would feel myself overcome with peace and happiness. As we get older, we forget about the little things and find that the swing no longer exists. We go through the motions of life searching for the swing, yearning for that resemblance of peace, which we hope to find within our lives and career.
I have always had an interest in healthcare, but I wasn’t sure the route I wanted to take. As my decision to work in healthcare evolved, I began working as a CNA to build patient care hours. I have gotten exposed to so many types of medical providers and have learned a lot about what they each do to help with the patient’s overall health. Working as a CNA has taught me how to perform my duties while taking time to make each person I encounter feel cared for and heard. Every day I go to work knowing that I am making my patients feel better just by making sure they are being cleaned up and taken care of. I would say that the best part of my workday is when a patient holds my hand and tells me that they love and appreciate everything I do to help them. However, I want to be able help my residents more than a CNA is able to and actually be the main medical provider as a PA.
Despite having researched what the PA profession entails, I felt that I still didn’t fully grasp what they do compared to a physician or other healthcare professionals. So, I started shadowing a couple of PAs. Just from watching and working alongside them, I could tell that they were passionate about their patients and what they do. They never rushed through their patient visits despite having a busy schedule and really took the time to get to the root of the patient’s problem. I also learned that they are very autonomous when it comes to their practice of scope and rarely have to consult with the physician. I would notice that the patients always preferred to see the PAs instead of the physician or nurse practitioner because they felt better taken care of. Shadowing these PAs really sealed the deal for me. I knew that I had found my intended purpose within the healthcare field. I have never felt more passionate about anything in my life.
Over the span of my experiences in life as a CNA, a student, and through various jobs in college, I have developed strong teamwork and communication skills, interpersonal skills, confidence, compassion, sympathy, adaptability skills, and problem-solving skills. As a CNA, I always make sure to help my nurses, doctors, and all other colleagues. It takes a team of medical professionals working together to provide optimal care for patients alongside with making sure to communicate effectively. I always make sure to deal all types of situations calmly without getting my personal feelings in the way of providing the best possible care. I am very sympathetic and treat all my patients and their family members with the compassion they need. All these skills will help me be a successful PA.
This past December, I was fortunate enough to attend a medical mission trip to Bolivia where I got to work closely with a local doctor and care for a community with underserved people. This was truly one of the best experiences that I have encountered in my life. Being from an underserved community myself, I could empathize and understand the importance of being an exceptional primary care provider, such as a pa. The fact that I speak Spanish fluently helped a lot with the language barrier in this country tremendously which is very important in health professions.
I hope to prove to the admissions committee, that despite my lower GPA, I would make an excellent PA. As a child of a single mother, I did not have the privilege of being able to go through college without working fulltime. This proceeded in me not delegating my priorities correctly, leading in a few C’s. However, my transcripts demonstrate that I was able to improve in the following semesters by cutting down hours at work. I will manage any similar issues during PA school by making sure to not work and give my full attention to my studies with the help of financial aid and my parents.
Working with my residents every day, I have regained that sense of peace that I would get while swinging in the air; that happiness I felt as my eyes closed. To be a part of a person’s life and make a mark strong enough, knowing that I helped make a change in their life is utterly remarkable. I have finally found my peace and destination and I know this is what I am meant to do in life. I can without a doubt say that the PA profession is for me and I will not find a greater pleasure in life.
JS says
Why do I want to be a physician assistant (PA)? I am passionate about helping people. I want to diagnose and treat illnesses. I want to serve underserved communities, locally and globally. I hope to positively influence and educate people about preventive medicine, health and wellness, especially those in the female, youth-soccer community. I want to use my years of experience as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in both, pre-hospital and hospital settings to work with a team to improve the healthcare system. I want to be able to provide a comfortable life for my future family and myself. So, why choose me?
As a new, college graduate, I felt unsure about my future. After my last season of collegiate, Division I soccer, I decided that I no longer wanted to pursue a career as a professional women’s soccer player. Having spent my entire life, until that moment, preparing for that specific career, this made for a very difficult transition. Naturally, I got a few jobs coaching soccer because I was good at it. I found myself using my own experiences to encourage and advise my players for their own futures as collegiate, student-athletes. One night, during soccer practice, there were some younger girls messing around near a soccer goal in the background. From a distance, I witnessed one of the girls getting her leg caught in the net causing her to knock her head into one of the metal goal posts. Instinctively, I ran over to her. Initially, she was unresponsive so I had a bystander call 9-1-1. As she started to open her eyes and gain consciousness I kept her awake while calming her family until the ambulance arrived on scene and took over. In that instant, I realized my new path: go back to school, volunteer, and get my emergency medical technician certification.
While preparing my medical resume for PA school, I learned a lot about pre-hospital and hospital care. As an EMT, I have been exposed to critical, traumatic, emergencies, both in the field and in the emergency room. I have shadowed and worked with different PAs that play various roles on the medical team. While working to provide for myself and save money for school, I learned as much as I could about the PA profession to be sure about my career choice. Simultaneously, I learned about serving an underserved community. I understood how lucky I was to have grown up in an environment that allowed me the opportunity to choose my future. I have witnessed homeless patients checking-in to the ER for a warm blanket and a sandwich. The other night, we had an eighteen-year old female patient who casually checked-in to the ER with a badly fractured radial bone. She claimed that this injury was nothing compared to the gunshot wound she was brought in to the ER for the previous month. She just wanted to get her arm “fixed” so she could go back home to take care of her kid. In conversation, she mentioned to us that her neighborhood could not celebrate July fourth with fireworks because no one would know if the “bang” noises were from fireworks or gunshots. She meant every word she said. I have learned that this job and this path are not easy. As a re-applicant, I am aware of the immensely bright competition and I am ready. I look forward to expanding my scope of practice in order to further challenge myself to help people at a larger scale.
While working in the emergency department, we have had mandatory education classes regarding topics such as mass casualty incidents, active shooters, and workplace violence which made me realize how little I knew about actually preparing for these types of situations other than what I could remember from a two-minute video demonstration. Working in the ER, in a big, highly populated, urban city, made me aware of the importance of being prepared for these kinds of emergency situations. So, I joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and took the certification course on Hospital Emergency Response Training. During a two-month volunteer trip in Guatemala, I noticed the limited amount of resources, medication, and equipment used to help the patients. The local clinic I was assigned barely had enough gloves to get through an entire day of patient care. The exposure to this kind of poverty reminded me of stories my mom used to tell me about her childhood visits to the doctor, growing up in the Philippines. I want to be able to help people, locally and globally, as more than an EMT. The nurses, PAs, and doctors who help abroad for many different kinds of medical missions inspire me to do the same.
So, why choose me? I am dedicated to pursuing a career as a PA. Over the years, I learned to change my educational perspective. I study with the purpose of becoming the best medical provider I can be. This change in perspective proved to increase my knowledge base and my GPA. I want to be prepared for the day that I am able to diagnose a patient and decide the following treatment plan. I also look forward to the platform that being a PA provides, allowing me access to even more opportunities to help others through community and global outreach projects.
Lillian Haerr says
I get really nervous when writing these types of things and having people read them, but it’s the best way to improve. Please let me know what you all think.
“It was the middle of the night during a long twelve-hour shift and although I was exhausted and ready to quit, I continued on with a smile I could not shake. That night I had three challenging patients out of the twenty-four I was responsible for caring for. One could not sleep because she was itchy and could not get any Benadryl, another was confused and kept trying to get out of bed and walk home, and a third really wanted a cup of coffee. After giving my itchy patient a bath and a massage, she finally fell asleep; after discussing with my confused patient that we could go on a walk if he pushed his call light to let me know he wanted to “go to the kitchen,” he finally stayed in bed. Long after I was asked for a cup of coffee, I walked in his room with a warm cup of coffee with cream and sugar, all the while sweating and panting from all the work I was doing. The next morning, as I was leaving to go back to Xavier for my morning classes, I was dreading coming back into work that night, but I wasn’t going to let the patients down.
Ever since I took a position in the hospital as a volunteer the summer after my freshman year, I knew I was meant to be there. Up until that point, I had been searching for my place in the world and what I was meant to do to make it a better place. I had tried playing violin and piano, joining Destination Imagination and Girl Scouts, being a cheerleader, playing volleyball, and leading the marching band, but none of it was enough. Once applying for college, I reflected on my childhood experiences to see what interested me the most, and while all of the activities I was involved in were fun, nothing captured my attention like visiting my mom, a nurse, at the hospital when she was working. Even though I knew nothing about medicine at the time, I was always in awe of the hospital and everyone working inside of it. So, I decided maybe medicine was for me, found the school with the highest pre-med student acceptance rate, and applied there.
After my first year, I began volunteering and shadowing while trying to balance my work job. Some said I was crazy for going to volunteer for 6 hours before working 8 more at my job, but I just couldn’t stay away. Walking into the hospital and helping the patients filled me with a happiness I had never felt. The following fall semester, I took a volunteer position closer to Xavier and began to help in the emergency room. Again, I would let nothing get in the way of my volunteering opportunities, much to the dismay of my friends. The summer before my junior year, I felt that volunteering was no longer enough, I knew I was capable of doing more to help people heal and went to school to get my STNA certification. After getting my first job as an STNA, I began to volunteer at Hospice of Dayton in order to get more experience. I worked part-time at the hospital for most of the fall semester of my junior year and sacrificed everything in my life in order to be there. I became so dedicated to my work at the hospital that I let my academics slip. I quickly realized that I needed my academics in order to get into medical or graduate school, so I found a balance between my work and school life that made me love my work even more.
With this new schedule, I could devote all of my attention to the patients and the care I was giving them when I realized that I wanted to become a physician assistant. In all of the time I had spent shadowing doctors and working in the hospital, I noticed that the PA has a closer relationship with the patients than the doctors, in most cases. I officially made the decision to apply to physician assistant school, rather than medical school, during Christmas of 2018. While I struggled with the decision at first, after researching the profession and shadowing a PA, I found my new passion. This new outlook gave me a newfound hope because I could now see my future coming together, I would have a family I could spend time with and care for as well as still being able to work in the hospital and help take care of those who need medical care. Since this decision, I have worked hard to get all of my prerequisites and shadowing in order as I am a little behind, having made this decision before the last semester of my senior year. My studies have improved greatly because I am no longer wrestling with what my purpose is and what I am meant to do. I have been more motivated in my work at the hospital because everything that I am doing to take care of these patients can help me shape my practice as a future physician assistant in order to best help each and every patient that I interact with in my career.”
Juliana G says
Take your Child to work. That is when me a fourteen-year-old knew that I was to become a physician assistant. I was with a PA who worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I had the opportunity to hold a premature baby girl, administer a bottle, and position her prone underneath an ultraviolet light to soothe and heal her rash she acquired from withdrawal. Her excessive cry, reliance and helplessness opened my eyes and my heart. I learned taking care of someone who could not care of themselves was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. The moment I walked out the doors of this unit I felt motivated and was ready to learn from everyone at the hospital.
I have overcome many challenges in my life, but the challenge that has made me who I am today is overcoming three knee surgeries before the age of eighteen. I have a condition known as popliteal femoral dysplasia. One doctor tried two different surgeries to try and stabilize my kneecap but unfortunately, they did not work. A second doctor then performed a third surgery on the same knee when I was seventeen. After each surgery, I went through vigorous physical therapy, each session getting stronger and stronger by building my confidence. This experience has taught me that I can overcome anything if I put my mind to it. I must stay strong, motivated, and believe in myself. It has been three years and I have been able to accomplish so many things and I will accomplish so many more. Conquering this challenge has shown me that I have what it takes to achieve anything that I want to.
I always knew I was going to work in the medical field as a physician assistant. I have had the opportunity to shadow physician assistants in many fields and it has opened my eyes, my mind and my confidence has grown. Cardiology, dermatology, orthopedics, pediatrics and general care have shown me some of the possibilities that are open to me. Knowing that I have so many options for my future makes me strive to do better and entices me because I do not have to worry about choosing one specialty; I could treat and diagnose anyone who needed my help. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with a physician regarding the diagnosis and treatment, which is reassuring, and means I have more people to encourage me and confirm my knowledge.
During my shadowing experiences, I enjoyed every second of every day. I enjoyed the interactions between the patient and myself and the patient with the physician assistant/ physician, discussing rehabilitation options, infection prevention, drug dependency and interactions, and observing how each physician assistant did their job. Since I have taken introduction to pharmacology and work at a pharmacy, it was like second nature talking to patients about different drugs because I understood what was being said. I knew a basis of which drugs can and cannot be taken with other medications. I also learned the importance of examining the patient first, listening to their concerns, and then checking their lab results before making a diagnosis. The patient is important, so what they have to say matters the most.
This summer I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon. I learned how to read x-rays and ways to examine patients. How the patient feels tells more than an x-ray could ever show. I used my knowledge from taking anatomy and physiology while shadowing. I understood the body and was able to know what I was looking at on x-rays. I recognized that a lot of the patients we were treating were suffering from arthritis. I took the initiative to further my knowledge on different ways arthritis could be treated. Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, is becoming a more popular treatment so I started researching more about it and wrote a paper on CBD helping to alleviate arthritic pain. I am proud to say that Dr. Schroeder is now using information from my paper to inform his patients and expand their knowledge on an alternate form of treatment.
I always say it is better late than never to start doing something that you love. My first two years of college I focused a lot of my time on my schooling. I wanted to get the best grades possible and I reached my goals of maintaining my name on the dean’s list each semester. I excelled in school, so I fell behind on my direct patient care hours. This summer I have put in my time volunteering at a local hospital. The interactions I had with patients, put it in my vision that I want to do this for the rest of life. My eyes have been opened and I am going to strive to get the recommended number of hours and focus on school. I am determined and have closed my heart off because I have found what I am supposed to do for the rest of my life and that is to become a physician assistant and give back to the people who need it the most.
Julie G says
Please let me know what you guys think, I would really appreciate it, thank you!!!!
HELEN CONSTABLE says
I am 22 characters over so I need to edit out some stuff. Just looking for content advice! thank you.
“Community college?” “you know most people don’t even graduate? Why don’t you consider the airforce or national guard? My mother suggested when I revealed to her that I did not feel drawn to any of the state colleges from which I received admittance. That was not the first time we quarrelled about my future. I was adopted from St. Petersburg, Russia, when I was three years old, by my generous parents. Despite their unyielding support and devotion to my academic success, there were numerous times where I felt like we could not be any more unrelated. This circumstance granted me the opportunity to form myself into the individual I am today. Devoid of family history, expectations to uphold, or a box that I must fit in, I marched to the beat of my own drum, and my parents encouraged me the entire way. Growing up, I did not know a single person in the medical field, but I felt an unspeakable attraction to this thrilling world that I was destined to be a part of. Not knowing where to begin as any high school student would, I typed in medical careers Physician Assistant was the first result.
My initial exposure to the medical field began when I accepted a position in a junior volunteer program in Modesto, CA, during my sophomore year of high school. Following being chosen to be a volunteer, I quickly discerned a stark distinction between myself and began making personal connections with the patients. “Will you be here next Tuesday?” Maggie questioned. She was an older woman around the age of 80 who had been in the hospital for over 200 days that year alone. While the volunteers would go off on their break, I would visit Maggie. This relationship was the first patient that I made a personal connection with, and it made me realize that being a PA would allow me to build relationships with patients throughout their care.
Community college was the best decision I ever made. It made me realize I had not established the academic discipline along with balancing a job to be equally successful at both. The physician assistant path is both mentally and physically grueling. A physician assistant is required to be on their feet for a majority of the day, while still expected to recall an abundant amount of specific information, while nevertheless making the patient feel comfortable. My lifestyle in community college was absolute turmoil. Unable to secure a job that was medically related, I settled.I was working late nights as a manager in a college bar, trying to set aside enough time to study, and coming home to a single bedroom shared by four girls. I acknowledged that this was not an environment that was expediting my career ambitions. However, it taught me how to prioritize and place precedence on my education. At this point, I was more academically confused about my career more than ever. My counselor had a perverse time trying to advise me about which classes to take because she was unfamiliar with the physician assistant career. She urged me to switch to nursing, but I was adamant that majoring in nursing only placed me into a box, whereas a job as a physician assistant would allow me to obtain a major in anything that held my enthusiasm.
My career choice fortified after transferring to Arizona State University. Despite my biological sciences classes not transferring to Arizona State University, I changed my major and was steadfast about not allowing financial or extraneous conflicts deter me from my goals. By my second semester, I had obtained a job working in the nutrition department at the local hospital and another position as a personal care assistant for a quadriplegic man. Working at the hospital in the nutrition department allowed me to visit over sixty patients’ rooms per day. This allowed me to see a vast array of medical situations and interact with a variety of patients in different medical conditions. I have always been grateful to be able to apply what I have learned in school to my job.
My job as a care assistant allowed me to gain hands-on experience. Peter, who is quadriplegic and ventilator-dependent taught me proper antiseptic techniques to perform suctioning, bowel programs, bed baths, transferring, stoma care, and trach care. Learning directly from the person I cared for allowed me to gain feedback on how what I physically do effects the patient. Peter helped me gain confidence in my technical and physical abilities. Peter’s mental abilities far surpassed his physical ones and showed me that physical limitations do not have to lessen the quality of life.
I am constantly trying to improve myself academically and socially every day. Taking on multiple jobs while taking classes did take away some of my focus academically, however, with this experience I feel that I am prepared for the workload to succeed. Throughout my journey, I have been able to address my personal study habits and alter them to information present. I know I will thrive in the physician assistant environment because I am eager to learn and willing to serve.
Shaine says
Hello:
Here’s my first draft. I tremendously appreciate this opportunity.
It was just another weekend in my neighborhood, in Cuba. There was a cultural event that night; therefore, my cousins and I were outside enjoying the festivities. Multiple groups of dancers had their routines which included popular dances such as salsa, cha- cha, merengue, and afro- Cuban folklore. The last routine of the night was performed by a group of young male dancers who used machetes and fire as props. The spectators would gasp from time to time in amazement with the dancer’s skills such a s blowing fire in the air from their mouths, and doing acrobatics with sharp machetes. As the routine was ending, one of the dancers had the most tragic accidents I have ever seen. He was getting ready to pass the machete from one hand to the other while on his left knee. Doing this difficult dance step, the dancer cut his left lower leg with the force a man cuts down a tree branch. Some neighbors and dancers gather around and carried him up in the air, bleeding still, ran to the major interception to find a ride, and transported him to the hospital, where he died. That event made me wonder if that person could have been saved had a health professional been there to give first aid. My curiosity grew stronger as my mother was a labor and delivery nurse, and for the next 13 years, I accumulated reasons that ultimately confirmed my passion for Medicine.
Another close encounter that pushed me close to the medical field was the day I had to dress my Abuelita Yoya after she passed away. She was 106 years old before passing from a hip fracture. Other than startling when I accidentally brushed one of occipital lobe stitches, I handled the situation unexpectedly fine. I admired the nice Y shape incision the mortician made in her chest. After her death, I was exposed to the medical field every time a relative would get sick, need surgery or pass away from terminal illnesses. However, the one event which impacted me the most was losing my best friend to breast cancer when she was only 21. She was diagnosed with invasive right breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast that grew dramatically in size within months. After having a radical mastectomy, going through chemo and radiation, she was diagnosed with the same type of cancer in her left breast. Unfortunately, this time the cancer had already metastasized to other organs of her body. Although her prognosis was not promising, this 21-year-old girl was full of life and positive attitude. Her illness brought us closer as I helped take care of her in her final days. While lying on a hospital bed, I saw her code and come back to live multiple times to the point where she would think she was dead. While witnessing that my best friend was passing, I couldn’t help but noticing the great team of doctors, nurses and assistants who constantly fought to cure my friend. At one point she was taking the blue scorpion venom which was only available in one part of the country sourced by only one person. Besides the lack of resources in the country, these medical professionals did not rest until finding new hopes of treatments and alternatives. After her passing I decided I wanted to be professionally prepared to bring change into people’s lives such as finding a cure for cancer.
I arrived in this country in 2012 with a bag full of dreams but no English in my brain whatsoever. That same year I started taking ESL classes at Lone Star, where I would spend the next two years taking science classes. I never doubted of my abilities as a student because I was a straight A’s student in high school. That arrogancy and hunger to strive quickly vanished when I realized I had to work and study full- time in order to help my family. As part of the adaptation process, I had health issues that included depression and underweight which reflected in my grades dramatically bringing my GPA from 3.75 to almost 2.0. My grit to succeed in the medical field has always been stronger, and I kept pursuing my dream. Fast forward to 2018; I got my bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Houston Downtown. Along with studying and working full time, I got involved in the Boys and Girls Country as a volunteer. It was a great experience that showed me healthcare professionals can and should show more empathy for their patients.
My job as a Medical Assistant has impacted my life since I got to this country. I started as a receptionist and medical assistant apprentice at a Hispanic clinic. There, I treated patients from underserved areas with little or no medical care at all. As I kept learning and improving my skills, I received my very first certification in this country, RMA! As a registered medical assistant, I worked in different specialties such as pediatrics, obstetrics, family medicine. Every single specialty had its own challenges that required extreme critical thinking abilities, creativity and problem-solving skills. Luckily for me, coming from and undeveloped country, I always face issues with what I call “the immigrant’s eye”. Working at Spring Branch Community Health Center, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a war veteran physician assistant. During my year at Spring Branch Community Health Center, I learned from Patrick, PA everything there is to know about Family Medicine. The center had a doctor as well, but Patrick’s experience and willingness to teach younger generations push us closer. He played an important role in my decision of becoming a Physician Assistant.
My experience in Oncology has shaped a better me both mentally and physically. Although we deal with a lot of death in this field, I take the joy that my patients have the best quality of life that we can provide. Becoming Physician Assistant is more than one dream to me. It is the purpose of life and my giving back to society in a field I am passionate about. Some people become presidents and famous celebrities, but I complete my hierarchy of needs by being a professional who gives back to undeserved areas.
Thanks you.
Mahum Sheikh says
Hello! Please let me know what you think 🙂
Fifteen years later, I have finally arrived in the country where I’m from. Fifteen years of patiently waiting and reminiscing on what I have been missing out on all my life: my roots, religion, and culture. This is where I am from; Lahore, Pakistan, the place my parents left behind to establish a future for my siblings and me. My parents left their childhood, family, and most importantly, my father left his career as a Veterinarian. Pakistan is known for its disparities such as social inequalities, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare. My father was a Veterinarian for 5 years in Pakistan and he understood life in the United States would possess better opportunities for his children. I was fortuitous to be given the opportunity to move to the US and attend school for free while there are children in Pakistan who can only wonder about the American dream.
Many of us are unaware of the sacrifices our parents make for their children and I realized that my parents are the most important people in my life. I would not be Mahum Asim today if it was not for their rigorous upbringing, mentoring, and empowering me to not only give back to the community, but to the world.
While visiting Pakistan, I noticed that most of my family members were not in good health.
I met an uncle who impacted me, but not in a favorable manner. When I met him after more than a decade after, I was rather disappointed by his well-being. As a 40-year-old, he looked more than twice his age. He was severely morbidly obese, heavy smoker since teenage years, and recently hospitalized due to a cardiovascular issue. At this moment, I understood one thing. My uncle is not quite aware of the health risks he is putting his body through. Although I barely knew my uncle, I wanted to ensure that I leave Pakistan having him understand the importance of his health and what it means to me. While working as a scribe, I learned that patient education is the most vital tool in medicine to see a positive change in a person’s health. I desired to become a physician assistant once I realized that noting a person’s improvement made me content. Once I fell in love with the act of lifting others, I knew that I love working in a team based setting alongside a physician was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
My uncle did not know English, and I had to go back to the time where I had an encounter with a Bangladeshi patient who also did not know English. I obtained the HPI in Hindi and translated the patient’s concern to the physician. As I helped Dr. Gordon assess the patient, she says “Mahum, do you see the difference you are making in this patient’s life?” Once the visit was complete, the patient requested to have me as his scribe for his future appointments.
I had a long, heart to heart with my uncle and explained to make minor changes in his health so it can become major changes. I made sure to periodically check in with him to make sure he is eating better and limited smoking. My uncle made the improvements he could within 2 years until he unfortunately passed away due to respiratory failure. As I grieved his death, his children thanked me for helping their father which influenced them to make lifestyle changes too.
What further heightened my decision in becoming a physician assistant was when my cousin was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Luckily, she had surgery and was treated, but the tumor changed her life forever and deteriorated her health. She is on lifelong use of hormonal medications, hypothalamic obesity, and now mentally delayed. I visited her a few months after her surgery, accompanying her parents during her Oncologist appointment. Due to language barrier, they were unsure of their daughter’s condition and what the future had held. I was there to provide a better understanding to her parents and observed how the physicians and the PA’s were providing hope for my cousin. Despite all her hardships as an 8-year-old, her healthcare providers assured that she is in trusted hands which left her parents without a worry in the world.
As a future physician assistant, I wish to provide everlasting care to all my patients with being a phone call away in any time of hardship. I was very encouraged and moved by the support my cousin has and knew I was in the right place at the right time by being surrounded by those healthcare providers. As I shadowed a PA in a Psychiatry clinic I experienced unforgettable interactions. Patients confided in me stories which they never confided to anyone else, stated they lost all hope, and cried to me, but they always told me “Thank you for listening.” With all the human relationships I made, I seek to continue my drive and to be an individual who leaves people better than she found them. Although my parents left their whole life behind, it is a privilege to utilize my roots and culture to educate my future patients.
Helen says
looking for some advice or critique on my personal statement.
I have over 10 years’ experience in the medical field including direct patient care, administrative work and private practice care. I’ve always wanted a career in the health care field. Being able to help people in their time of need is a very satisfying feeling. Having worked directly with patients as a certified nursing assistant, certified medical assistant and a rehabilitation assistant showed me how medicine and compassion helps people heal. My experience in an administrative role in a hospital setting allowed me to see the ‘behind the scenes’ process of how healthcare is administered. Presently, I work as a medical assistant in a private practice, which provides me with direct experience working with a physician and being able to see the interaction between the patients and the process involved in practicing medicine.
The characteristics that are essential to be a good physician assistant includes compassion, patience, understanding and empathy. My boyfriend is an Iraqi veteran who had liver failure due to an injury during his third tour in the Army. His chronic hospitalizations for recurrent cholangitis, has made me empathized with people who have chronic diseases. The patience I have observed from him and the empathy I have for him has made me a better person. I appreciate his strength, courage and optimism he has while dealing with his illness. I have gained a better understanding of his disease, which helped me have an appreciation of people who deal with chronic diseases. Another experience that has shaped me as a person was the passing on my maternal grandmother. She passed suddenly, but I was able to spend the last few days of her life by her side, to provide support, comfort and love. It was a tough ordeal but with the support of my family and the hospital staff I was at peace with her passing.
I had an opportunity to shadow a physician assistant in an emergency room setting. It gave me great perspective with the role of a physician assistant. The P.A. I shadowed had 20 years’ experience and was willing to answer all my questions. I now appreciate the role of a P.A. more so than before this experience. He took the time to listen to the patient’s complaints and concerns, explained the steps involved in their care and made them feel comfortable and at ease. While observing him in the emergency room; I felt like he had a calming spirit that the patients appreciated. Becoming a physician assistant, you must be focused and goal oriented, which I am. As an undergraduate, I wasn’t your traditional student. I was older than most, working full time and self-financing my education. I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree at 32 years old and was the first person in my family to do so. Being able to focus on my studies and work full time while commuting to and from school every day shows that I have the drive and determination to achieve my goals. Also, having the stress of having to financially navigate my education along the way with loans and scholarships (Tom Joyner Foundation Scholarship, Institutional Grant & USM Wild Scholarship from Towson University) helped me become a stronger, resilient individual. I have always enjoyed helping people. My current job allows me to help patients receive medical treatment for chronic conditions that have had a prolonged effect on their lives. I believe my life and job experiences have groomed me into an individual who would be a great physician assistant. Having the ability to express compassion, empathy, understanding and patience are qualities that are pivotal in being a well-rounded healthcare professional. I would love the opportunity to become an individual who can help others and help myself grow in the healthcare profession
Shumila says
Hello!
Can you please provide feedback on my personal statement?
Thank you so much for your help!!
I searched for her eyes but the swelling had consumed most of her facial features. Her neck was unable to sustain the size of her head; resulting in her inability to sit upright. Her hands and feet were the size of medium-sized melons while her skin was pasty white with areas of black and blue, drenched with an oozing fluid. My heart stopped as I looked down at her chart to find that she was 22 years old, the same age that as I was.
“Hey, Esmeralda! You’re looking great!” Dan greeted her as I snapped back from my thoughts and began focusing on his words. Dan was the physician assistant I was shadowing. Esmeralda was unable to reply but slightly moved her head in Dan’s direction as to communicate she was aware of his presence and voice. Dan took her hand and smiled as he began assuring her that she had improved from their previous encounter. Esmeralda had suffered severe head injuries during a motor vehicle accident resulting in her projecting fifty feet into the air. To prevent further neural damage, Dan would be assisting the neurosurgeon in the removal of part of her skull which was necessary to prevent severe brain swelling that could cause further complications.
Esmeralda returned to the office a week after surgery. I refrained from shouting with excitement at her progress in such a short period of time. Her swelling had significantly decreased and her brown eyes came into view. “We’re heading in the right direction!” Dan exclaimed during her neurological exam. A month later, Esmeralda had fully recovered and was able to speak of the life she was now able to return to.
The impact that Dan had in aiding Esmeralda in what at first seemed to be a permanent life-altering injury was incredibly inspiring. This experience solidified my desire to be a part of recovery stories similar to that of Esmeralda’s.
As a medical technician at the Paull Allergy and Asthma clinic, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with two PAs, Garrett and Keri. I’ve observed them both at the forefront of patient care as they pick apart our patients’ complex autoimmune diseases. Due to the collaborative efforts of Garrett and Keri’s sharp minds bringing forth solutions while building trust within our patients, our patients often follow-up offering hugs and gratitude for significant improvement of their symptoms.
Although I feel appreciation from patients as I perform skin testing, allergy injections, and respiratory testing amongst various other tasks, I find myself longing to be able to contribute more to our patients’ treatment plan and eventually playing a larger role in their journey back to health.
Our patients’ health journey consists of multiple specialized facility visits including pulmonology to assess their respiratory symptoms and dermatology to assess their skin conditions among others. Our patients educate me on the benefits they gain from visits with different specialties and I find myself fascinated, wanting to be more involved in every step of their journey. The ability to experience, choose and move throughout different specialties is what I find most appealing about the PA profession.
Due to having been diagnosed with hypothyroidism in addition to actively working to supplement my immigrant parents’ unstable employment, I took fewer classes during my academic career. As I vigorously pursued my studies, I pushed through my day-long headaches and frequent fainting for years.
I began to seek care with Sarah, one of the on-campus PAs who engaged in all my questions about my hypothyroid diagnosis and answered those questions effectively to help me understand why I was having the symptoms I was having. Her qualities including compassion, sensitivity to my concerns, and responsiveness to my emails are all qualities that enabled me to build trust in her and her treatment plan for me. It took some time, but with Sarah’s help, I feel healthy again. This experience has further legitimized the impact that PAs can have in facilitating a person’s life towards living symptom-free and enabling them to begin living the lives they always hoped for.
Although some may consider this aspect of my life to be a downside of my application, I’ve come to realize that my personal experience with health struggles enables me to connect and empathize with patients’ concerns on a more compassionate level. I hope to become part of the solution to the health struggles of others while being exposed to a diverse set of specialties. I believe the next step for me to achieve this dream is by becoming a PA.
Pamela Johnson says
“IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW LONG IT TOOK AS LONG AS I GET THERE”
At the age of 7, after school I would rush to my grandmother’s house everyday to watch Jack Klugman in Quincy M.E. I became so fascinated of how medical professionals would go above and beyond for individuals no matter the individual’s character and lifestyle not only to seek justice but to address the health issues amongst society on the local, state, and federal levels. Quincy M.E. emphasized that when society address their health issues on a local, state, and federal level but is ignored by the very individuals they elected and entrusted to represent society’s ides and concerns in government. I told my grandmother, I know exactly what I am going to be when I grow up:” Quincy M.E”! I am going to help save and improve people lives through healthcare, however; my grandmother reminded me that I am not going to be able to save everyone. I told her I know but I will make sure they are heard from beyond.
In high school, I did extremely well in science and my science teachers keened in on my passion for science through my work. I was very detailed in presentations, research papers, and test answers. When it came to performing lab activities and writing lab reports, I thought I was a Physician for real; I was very organized and neat when setting up and performing lab assignments. I would never forget the first time I dissected a baby pig, it was the most amazing lab assignment ever, and I finally get the chance to cut something. I was so neat and precise that I forgot that class only lasted about 45 to 50 minutes; Mrs. Jones kept asking me how long my pig was going to be in surgery. At the age of 17, I was given an opportunity that no teen would have dreamed of; I obtained my first job ever as a Radiology Billing Data Entry Clerk at a local hospital. I received first hand experienced of how hospitals billed patients for healthcare services and why patients felt that the Physicians and Hospitals were only out to rob the people.
As an undergraduate I majored in Biology, where I took strong interest in human, cellular, and molecular- based biology courses. Most of us that were majoring in Biology at the time were very focused on becoming MDs until one of the Biology professors discussed with us about the role of a Physician Assistant. About 3 months of graduating, the healthcare industry impacted by the recession which lead to some hospitals having to scale back on their budgets. This meaning that several departments throughout the hospital had to cut jobs, with my positions being one that got cut.
In October of 2005, I was able to obtain a position at another local hospital as a Telemetry Unit Clerk/Monitor Technician. Now, this job is where I received the bulk of my patient care experience and direct interaction with Physicians and Physicians Assistants. I will never the forget the first time I was working at the nurses’ station by myself, I was in the process of entering some physicians orders in the system for a patient that was admitted to the cardiac floor from the emergency room when someone handed me a patient’s chart saying “Can you put these orders in as soon as possible, this patient is going to surgery in the morning.” I looked up at her name on the lab coat and noticed she had the initials PA after her name. I flashed back to when a professor was discussing the role of a Physician Assistant and I said to me, “It’s true they do write orders on patients.” However, I was scheduled to take the MCAT that following December in which I did but a month later I found out that my life was about to take an unexpected change: I was going to be parent. Therefore, I decided to put my goals on hold to becoming a Physician Assistant.
After giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, I continued to work at the hospital as a Unit Clerk/ Monitor Technician. However, I diminished my role as a Telemetry Monitor Technician but I remained in the position of a Unit Clerk. Although I was grateful for the experience of learning how to interpret a patients heart rate; my heart was passionate about being out on the floor with patients where I could encourage them to do be better health, and come to terms with life and/or death. I remembered that a lady had came through the emergency room in cardiac arrest and the on call Cardiac Physician admitted her to Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, once she became, the Cardiac Physician eventually transferred her to the cardiac floor on a ventilator. Her husband was so distraught and he kept uttering “I never expected this to happen, what I am going to do. I can’t live without her.” He said they were leaving to go to dinner and he was talking to her as she went out to start the car. The next thing he knows he walked out and saw her lying next to the car unresponsive. After a few days of being on the cardiac floor, one night the Physician came in to check on his wife because her morning lab work revealed that her organs were deteriorating fast and there was no brain activity. The Physician called her husband that night to come in immediately for an update on his wife health status. He arrived to the room and the next I heard was a loud cry; right then I knew he had been put in a position to make a tough decision. I went into the room to comfort him so I told him “let her speak to you on what you should do, think about whether she would want you to see her like this every day or vise versa. Don’t focus on what everyone would think or say about your decision because they would not know what she would want in this situation. What better to know what she would want than the person she woke up to everyday during her later years?”
When I arrived to work the next night, I had seen the rest of the family leaving out the room and the funeral home representatives rolling her body out behind them. I walked into the room and her husband was still sitting there, he said “I pulled the plug on her. How am I going to make without her?” I told him “It will be hard at first but overtime you eventually will, you won’t forget her but you would learn to living for her because that is what she would want you to do. So take some more time to breathe and gather yourself before leaving this place. About 45 minutes later, he stopped by the front desk to thank me for being so compassionate and understanding during their stay in the hospital. He told me for a minute there he thought I was actually a nurse. I would get that I lot from the patients and family members that came through the floor, they would often ask me have I ever thought about being a doctor or a nurse because I would be great at with my compassion and concern for others well-being.
Even though I enjoyed working as a Unit Clerk getting to meet and encourage different people on daily basis from financial aspect it was never enough to support a child as a single parent. Therefore, I decided to venture down some other avenues in the medical field. I started out becoming a Ultrasound Vascular Technician but after a few I realized that it would not work due to the fact that my daughter was still a toddler, and I could not risk leaving her alone at home during all times of the night while being on call. So I did some research on laboratory technicians because I loved being in labs during my years of school. I found an online medical laboratory technology program and pursued that instead due to the convenience of go to school from home at my own pace. In addition to completing my lab practical and internship at the very hospital I was working at. I did so well in my internship that the Laboratory Supervisor calls me when a position became available, and I said “Yes!” It started out very well I was learning how Physicians were able to determine a patient’s prognosis and treat their prognosis based off laboratory testing. After while, things started taking a different the lab became short staffed due to people becoming ill and retiring, and budget setbacks which lead to technicians doing a tremendous amount of overtime. There were days I would go without seeing my child which was critical because she just started elementary school, and I was missing being around the patients.
About 2 years later, It was time to change gears I moved to Albany, Georgia where attended Albany State University Forensic Science Program, it was an experience of a lifetime. I learned what Quincy M.E. shows was introducing to the world during that time, a different approach to science that many people did not know and understand its importance to healthcare as well as science itself. From death we not only learn to tell an individuals story; but we can learn how a disease affects our bodily organs and how to invent treatments that will reverse and/or eliminate the affects of that disease. I had the privilege of obtaining an internship with the Dougherty County Coroner Office where I had the opportunity to follow the Coroner on various calls such natural, suicide and homicide cases. I displayed such great work and I treated my internship as if it was a real job, the Coroner offered me a partime position as Administrative Assistant. My Forensic Professors were so delighted because a student had never obtained a paid internship while in the program. After graduating the program, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia where obtained employment as an Forensic Autopsy Technician where I got a chance to actually dissect human bodies, I thought to myself how it felt so good to be back around patients again, however these patients do not speak. Unfortunately all good things come to an end, this job was a contracted position without benefits; as a single mother this was not going to cut it. Therefore I had to seek other means of employment.
During my period of unemployment, I noticed how my daughter was getting older and becoming more independent. She reached middle school so I ceased this opportunity to take the MCAT again. I long for the opportunity to work with patients, physicians, and nurses again however, this time around I wanted to pursue a Healthcare position where I can help others be and stay healthy, being there when another individual needs someone to motivate them, and help them come to terms with life and/or death. In addition to being able to have an outside life, spend more time with family and miss out on those preeminent years of her life. So here I am applying for Physician Assistant School. Many times I thought of becoming a MD but I could not because of the sacrifices as well as the commitment to long nights and on calls I have seen MDs make throughout my years of work experience. I possess a tremendous amount of qualities that will enhance my character as a Physician Assistant, even though I did not mention my trials and tribulations during my journey from losing a love one to homelessness; these are qualities that would be significant in any health profession. I know after reading this statement some might say that I went all around the world to get just to this point. I just say “It doesn’t matter how long I took as long as I get there. And here I am, I have arrived stronger than ever.”
Gabrielle Barron says
Hello!
I am a second time applicant. I am unsure about my first and last paragraph. Thanks for the help!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. Both of my parents are physicians, so I couldn’t imagine pursuing a different career. As a child of two doctors, I was able to personally witness the importance of their work. While it was clear that my parents’ careers could sometimes be challenging, it was also obvious that they found great satisfaction in being able to make a difference in the lives of their patients. By witnessing this, I realized I wanted to become involved in healthcare as well. Although I knew, without question, my purpose was to serve people, it wasn’t until two years ago that I realized the best means for doing so was by pursuing a career as a physician assistant. This realization came as a result of several important experiences, the first of which was my involvement at Ele’s Place.
In 2017, I started volunteering at Ele’s Place, which is a grieving center for children and adults. In this role, I was able to work with the Pre-Kindergarten group as a Support Group Facilitator, assisting children in mourning the death of their parents or grandparents. I soon learned that I was well suited for this position because I, myself, had dealt with the death of my childhood friend, Jake. Because I had personally dealt with my own grief, I was better equipped to help these children cope with their loss. While working with the parents and children, I realized a very important relationship exists between grief and mental health. I learned that, as a clinician, it is critical to create a trusting and comfortable environment for patients in order to facilitate their own grieving process. Overall, this position helped me foster and develop the empathetic listening skills I will need to become an effective physician assistant. This experience was the first of several that helped me to understand that becoming a physician assistant is the ideal choice for me.
Along with volunteering at Ele’s Place, I was also working as a Patient Registration Clerk at North Ottawa Family Medicine. In this facility, I was able to assist patients in relaying medical information to and from providers in our office. I also had the privilege of shadowing Theresa Pebbles, PA-C, who is extremely personable with her patients. She incorporated many different aspects of health and patient care into her practice with every patient. She is an expert at balancing psychology with internal anatomy and physiology of the human body. She also understands the importance of considering the patient’s environment, nutritional needs, and personal lifestyle. After witnessing Theresa’s interactions with her patients and those around her, I was able to see how she works as a team player with everyone in the office. The teamwork between the physicians, medical assistants, managers, and front staff helped the office treat patients thoroughly and efficiently. Ultimately, it is this experience that showed me what it takes to ensure patients receive exceptional care.
Another important experience that contributed to my decision to become a physician assistant is my current position as a Patient Care Nursing Assistant at the Cleveland Clinic. In this role, I have experienced a multitude of moments that have shaped who I am as a person and who I want to be for the individuals I serve. Over the course of the past year, I have learned that I truly live for the rare opportunities where I can slow down and establish a personal connection with my patients. Too often, in the medical field, patients can feel as if they are simply a “number.” I never want a patient to feel this way, and I believe by becoming a physician assistant, I can make sure patients are given an experience where they feel cared for and valued. It is this belief that has guided my decision to pursue a career as a physician assistant.
Ultimately, these experiences have shaped both the physician assistant that I want to become and how I hope to grow in my career in the future. I believe physician assistants are an integral part of our growing American healthcare system, and the demand for proficient healthcare providers has been increasing and will only continue to do so in the coming years.
I am eager to enter this program, as becoming a physician assistant will allow me to explore a wide variety of interests, which is a goal I have always considered essential in my future success. As an aspiring physician assistant, I hope to utilize my knowledge of psychology and my background from my various places of healthcare employment to assist me as I train and learn to serve a diverse population of patients. As I continue to pursue my career goals, I am committed to ensuring that my patients feel as though they are people, not numbers. I am excited to continue this journey and make a positive impact in the lives of my future patients, as my childhood dream of helping others has never waivered, and it never will.
Bri says
(I am a third time applicant. I have interview twice and not gotten in yet. I am about 60 characters over.)
“Ricardo!” I yell out into the waiting room, ready to begin rooming my next patient. A pale-faced young man slowly began walking towards me breathing heavily and carrying an emesis bag. After arriving in the exam room, I began taking his vital signs. “O2 is 98, pulse is 98 and blood pressure is 168/102. Tell me what has been going on, Ricardo.” Sitting on the edge of the exam table, Ricardo stated his symptoms through labored breathing: vomiting, fatigue, bruising, and bloody stools.
After examining and visiting with Ricardo, Melanie, a PA in the urgent care, approached me unsure of his ailment and asked that I order lab work. Melanie looked over his lab results and somberly said, “I have never seen lab values this critical. I need you to call an ambulance, and I will call the hospitalist. He needs to be on dialysis.” Ricardo, a 26-year-old male checked in for nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath, which are all common in an urgent care setting; however, today it was not just a virus or bacterial infection. Today, it was end-stage renal failure and congenital heart failure.
Throughout my volunteering, shadowing and work experience, I have been exposed to many different professions within the medical field. However, I have been drawn to the compassion, versatility, and collaboration within the PA profession. Witnessing Melanie’s knowledge and ability to diagnose Ricardo’s medical condition furthered my resolve to become a PA; however, my ambition is also fueled by the warm and compassionate care that extends beyond the patient. Connie, another PA in the urgent care, effortlessly showed me how when losing a patient, caring for a child, or providing care for a very sick individual, the family becomes your patient as well.
Kip looked at me with a haze in his eyes and struggled to speak through his labored breathing, “my body is hot, been coughing, and I breathing like this.” His O2 saturation was 88, but the way he spoke, often times not making sense, was just as alarming. The results from his blood work and chest x-ray made it possible for Connie to diagnose Kip with bilateral pneumonia. Based on the combination of Kip’s lab work, x-ray, and delirium, Connie insisted on admitting him to the hospital for IV antibiotics. She was afraid he had become septic.
Kip had checked in alone because his wife was at work, and it was clear to Connie that she needed to be informed of Kip’s physical situation. When Kip’s wife arrived at the clinic, Connie compassionately spoke to her about his condition and her plan. Tenderly and attentively, she answered any question Kip and his wife had. Connie understood that the patient’s family is vital in the healing process, and treated Kip’s wife as if she were her patient as well.
Within the past two years, I expanded my medical knowledge beyond the urgent care setting by working as a medical assistant in a family care facility and as a nursing assistant at Mercy Hospital. With these experiences, I have witnessed how primary care is the core of healthcare and learned the ins and outs of the hospital environment. I now have a better understanding of common blood tests, medications, diagnostic exams and medical equipment. Throughout my time in patient care, I have embraced my experiences with my patients. I make sure to listen, communicate and connect with them to ensure that my patients feel heard and that their needs are met. Recently, I was reminded why this connection, verbal or not, is important to patient care.
“I’m all nasty. I’m so uncomfortable” Katherine whispers to me. Sitting in her own urine, desperation gleamed from her eyes asking for help. Katherine was admitted to the hospital after her hip replacement surgery, and with her neutropenic typhlitis, a stage three bed sore, and cancer she was not in good shape. I spent a lot of time feeding, bathing, and cleaning her up after incontinent accidents, and in this time I was met with grateful smiles, nods, and a quiet “I appreciate you.” It is times like this when I am affirmed in my decision to become a PA. I want to connect to and treat vulnerable patients like Katherine so they can live their best lives and fulfill their purpose.
There is something special about the PA community. As a coworker and a patient, I have witnessed PAs go out of their way to create meaningful, personable and unique relationships with their patients. Each experience, old and new, has cemented my decision to become a PA and influenced what kind of PA I strive to be. I want to have the education to diagnose and treat patients as Melanie did with Ricardo. I want to be able to extend patient care to the patient’s family as Connie did with Kip and his wife. I want to uniquely connect with the hearts of my patients while providing quality care for patients like Katherine. Together, these experiences have taught me how to be a compassionate advocate for every patient’s tenacity, resilience, and quality of life. I am ready to extend medical care and education to more individuals across our community as a PA.
Corrie says
Hello and thank you for offering a free service option. This is my second draft.
St. Louis, Missouri, on a Saturday. She looked at me, eyes wide, eyebrows lifted. Her hair, once dark and full, is now washed out and sparse. Its strands couldn’t possibly bear the weight of a single touch. Her frame once plump is now drained of life. Her chin, neck and arms tell a story her words can’t. “What can you do for me?”, she asks. “What could you possibly do?”. In truth, I had tools that could help, but in that moment, I realized that it wouldn’t be enough.
My journey to becoming a physician assistant is, admittedly, delayed but was always sure. When I changed majors in my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to continue learning medical science but I wasn’t sure which path was right for me. “You’ve always like to cook, why don’t you try nutrition?”. My mom has always been supportive, lending an ear to all my questions. In taking cooking classes and learning about food service, I was glad I took a chance to learn more about this field but I found that I had a greater desire to learn medical nutrition. As a student, I was told I thought too deeply about things. I believe this is why I excelled more in subjects like physiology than chemistry. This habit of mine would continue to serve me well in practice as a dietitian. In practice, I would be seeing a variety of patients but my passion was the intensive care patients. I looked forward to rounding with the care team and listening to the recommendations and input from other disciplines. By experiencing the world of critical and long-term acute care, I knew that I wanted to continue beyond nutrition and go back to my medical science roots.
Every day I am consulted for nutrition therapy. I’m sure most patients hear nutrition and believe I’ll be talking to them about how they should lose weight and that “clean” eating is the only lifestyle. Soon after, they hear these words, “it will be more difficult for you to heal without adequate nutrition”. I have conversations with doctors, nurses, therapists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants on a regular basis about nutrition. In one specific instance, I was fortunate enough to talk to a PA one on one about a nutrition plan. In my hospital, most PAs work in the emergency department. Rarely are dietitians referred in this setting however, one afternoon, I received a phone call from a PA to discuss nutrition support. It was only by experiencing this interaction did I learn more about what it meant to be a PA. I see and talk to physicians on a daily basis but my interactions with PAs are uniquely different. I believe it was by practicing with a PA that I could really appreciate how they practice.
For me, being a physician assistant is the perfect combination of passion for medical science that I’ve always had and the desire to work within a care team that I learned was so important.
“Thank you”, she’ll say. “All of you, thank you”. She looked at me. Eyes still wide but now gazing clear. Her smile stretched wide revealing pearly new teeth, pink gums. Her hair, now styled, not shedding. She’ll steadily walk towards me and hand me her doll as if to say “will you accept my gratitude?” Holding a snack in the other, her hands will be plump and full of life. So, this is what it feels like. To give life to knowledge that can heal and inspire hope.
Thank you
Steve F says
As is true for most veterans, training for the military put me in the best physical shape of my life. We have the strength and stamina to carry half our weight in gear all day, fast rope out of helicopters onto moving ships, and carry members of our unit out of a hot zone. Our performance must be maintained at peak levels for peak performance at all times. However, this level of intensity has its drawbacks. The constant running with heavy weight takes its toll in the form of ankle, knee, hip, and spine osteoarthritis. Whenever we jump behind cover and climb a Jacobs Ladder in heavy seas, we are in a higher risk for sprains, fractures, and dislocations. And that does not take into account injuries from enemy fire or environmental contact. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to see why our veteran health system is overworked. While steps are now in place to help get veterans the best treatment possible, up until a short time ago the main remedy involved opioids.
In the United States, only about a fifth of ordinary citizens see a doctor for chronic pain. However over half of veterans, a significant part of that particular population, are treated for persistent pain due to service-related injuries. One of those individuals is my father-in-law, a combat disabled Vietnam veteran. Through the rigors of intense physical conditioning, exposure to Agent Orange, and the stress of living in a combat zone, he acquired many conditions including knee and spine osteoarthritis, PTSD, and endocrine imbalances. His VA experience until just recently was abysmal, with overworked providers barely even talking to him before doling out treatment. This treatment mainly consisted of opioids to “get him through”. According to my wife, not only did this have a negative impact on his mood and irritability, it soon became ineffective as he developed a tolerance for the medication. He was finally weaned off opioids for better pain management treatment, however this only happened in the past year. As I was away during my own tour of duty while this was happening, my reunion with him was shocking. The morose, cranky guy I knew for 10 years was replaced with a bright, jubilant man who hugged me for the first time since I’ve known him. His back has been successfully treated, his knees are on track for surgery, and his anxiety has been handled. The unfortunate part of this is that it took over 40 years for him to be regarded as a human by his providers.
My father-in-law is not the only one. I have proudly served with individuals who either are or will be permanently disabled due to their sacrifice. I myself am apprehensive about what the future holds from my time in a combat zone and exposure to open-air burn pits. However, I am not apprehensive about my future care. The shape of the VA is changing, not in small part due to many veterans like me who are focusing on careers in medicine specifically because of our experiences in the military. We have already proven our drive and dedication to both our jobs and to one another. As a Physician Assistant, I can continue to serve my fellow veterans because I know what they have gone through. I will be a part of the solution, helping to fix the problems plaguing the VA health care system. There is a long road in front of us, but we know how to stick together to leave no-one behind.