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The experiences and encounters through the various stages of our lives are great levelers. They shape our character and possibly the direction of our lives itself”

 

Growing up in India, I had the best of everything in life. Doting parents in the form of a family, wonderful friends with whom I have built strong bonds of friendship, excellent education, including at one of India’s top public schools. Yet, my parents influenced by their experiences and encounters, always emphasized and instilled in me the virtues of humility and responsibility.

 

Unfortunately life is never a constant. The ugly fate of life turned its head upon us and I soon discovered in my 7th grade that my father was diagnosed with brain tumor. Through the course of 6 years, my father underwent 4 complex and invasive surgeries. Although there were glimpses of recovery in between, the stress of repeated surgeries and hospitalizations took its toll and I lost my best friend, philosopher and guide when I was barely 16. While encounters with doctors and hospitals are rarely equated as a pleasant experience, even till today, I live with the contentment that my father was attended to by an internationally renowned neurosurgeon. The impact he had on my life, can be summarized by a phrase that my grandfather always mentioned, “Dr. Hegde in addition to being an eminent neurosurgeon is your sincere well-wisher”.

 

Swayed by my experiences and encounters of witnessing my father’s accomplishments as an entrepreneur, I naturally sought the path of entrepreneurship for myself. Armed with a graduate degree in management, I honed my skills at a few well regarded multinational corporations before an entrepreneurial opportunity beckoned me to the U.S. In my entrepreneurial stint, I have had the opportunity of working with various academic (including MCPHS) and healthcare entities spanning the U.S., U.K. UAE, India and Singapore on global market expansions.

 

The scope of my healthcare engagements have necessitated forming a close working relationship with doctors spanning specialties like pathology, neurology, sleep medicine, endocrinology, oncology and dentistry. This experience and encounter has provided me with a unique macro-level perspective on the functioning of healthcare entities and an understanding of the role essayed by various healthcare providers within this ecosystem, particularly the role of a physician assistant.

 

My first brush with the world of physician assistants was incidentally at MCPHS. I was engaged by President Monahan to work closely with Dr. George Humphrey towards establishing MCPHS’ maiden mission in India by identifying potential programs and partner institutions. Since the physician assistant program was one of the focus areas for collaboration, it helped me develop an understanding about the skillsets possessed by physician assistants and how they fulfil the role of physician extenders.

 

Hence the very thought that as a physician assistant, I could possibly fulfil the role of a trusted partner in people’s lives especially for an aspect like health which is so central to everyone’s very existence is both a captivating and motivating factor for me.

 

However, I am also intrigued by how rapidly the role of a physician assistant has evolved over the years and how they can now be at the forefront of various innovative forms of healthcare delivery like remote patient monitoring, tele medicine, house calls to name a few.

 

On a related note, my experiences and encounters with healthcare providers have led me to believe that they have the most profound impact on people’s lives and thus retain the ability to change their lives forever.

 

Although I maintain that every other profession has its own importance in society, but the role of a clinician far outweighs everyone else because the impact they provide is long lasting yet the gratification is immediate.

 

This belief was reinforced recently in August 2014 when my wife and I welcomed our twin daughters into this world. Our wonderful experiences and encounters with clinicians throughout my wife’s pregnancy and on the day of delivery was the catalyst that strengthened my resolve to pursue the physician assistant program.

 

Since both my undergraduate and graduate programs did not involve science courses, I decided to take up the science prerequisite courses although the rigors of juggling the role of new father along with the demands of my job appeared daunting. Still the determination to see myself in the role of a physician assistant who would not only utilize established protocols but also seeks to capitalize on disruptive forms of healthcare delivery to make a difference in people’s lives far outweighs any constraints. 

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Hi,

 

What an interesting life you've had so far. The problem is that little of what you've written about will inform admissions personnel about what makes you an excellent candidate for PA school other than your intelligence and leadership skills. Your essay is more appropriate for an administrative position (which I'd hire you for in a heartbeat given your experience)!

 

I imagine the essay is way over 5,000 characters, although I haven't checked. If I were editing this, I'd cut down the first three paragraphs, omitting things like this phrase, "even till today, I live with the contentment that my father was attended to by an internationally renowned neurosurgeon. The impact he had on my life, can be summarized by a phrase that my grandfather always mentioned, “Dr. Hegde in addition to being an eminent neurosurgeon is your sincere well-wisher"." (By the way, punctuation goes inside the quote). You're going to get into PA school based upon your abilities, and you waste precious words on your father, however remarkable he was.

 

Do you have clinical experience? Have you shadowed a PA? If you've gotten your hands dirty, so to speak, talk about it. Your essay has a distance to it, that makes you seem removed from the reality of a PA's job. 

 

Best of luck.

 

Sue Edmondson

www.thepalife.com

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Hi,

 

What an interesting life you've had so far. The problem is that little of what you've written about will inform admissions personnel about what makes you an excellent candidate for PA school other than your intelligence and leadership skills. Your essay is more appropriate for an administrative position (which I'd hire you for in a heartbeat given your experience)!

 

I imagine the essay is way over 5,000 characters, although I haven't checked. If I were editing this, I'd cut down the first three paragraphs, omitting things like this phrase, "even till today, I live with the contentment that my father was attended to by an internationally renowned neurosurgeon. The impact he had on my life, can be summarized by a phrase that my grandfather always mentioned, “Dr. Hegde in addition to being an eminent neurosurgeon is your sincere well-wisher"." (By the way, punctuation goes inside the quote). You're going to get into PA school based upon your abilities, and you waste precious words on your father, however remarkable he was.

 

Do you have clinical experience? Have you shadowed a PA? If you've gotten your hands dirty, so to speak, talk about it. Your essay has a distance to it, that makes you seem removed from the reality of a PA's job. 

 

Best of luck.

 

Sue Edmondson

www.thepalife.com

 

Dear Sue,

 

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and insightful analysis of my personal statement. Based on several inputs (including yours), I have redrafted my personal statement as pasted below. I would value your opinion and thoughts.

 

Thanks,

Avinash

 

It seemed like the longest walk of my life although it was only from the hospital lobby to the parking lot. Dr. Hegde put his reassuring arms over my shoulder as we were walking together and said, “Avinash we are trying our best but you must take on more responsibility now and be a strong support to your mother”. Though Dr. Hegde was an epitome of equanimity, I could sense a rare sadness and helplessness in his tone. Even in that moment of gloom, I could not but marvel at the care and compassion this internationally acclaimed neurosurgeon had provided to our family through the past 6 years. The person who was at the core of that conversation was my father – my best friend, philosopher and guide. Two days after this encounter, I lost my father. I was barely 17.

 

My father underwent 4 complex and invasive surgeries for brain tumor over a period of 6 years. Although there were glimpses of recovery in between, the stress of repeated surgeries and hospitalizations took its toll on him. My world came crashing down; I had enjoyed a cherished childhood, made wonderful friends and was educated at one of India’s top public schools. It now seemed as if life was telling me that all good things come to an end.

 

But even during those dark moments, I was always filled with admiration for the team of doctors who attended on my father. Observing them closely, I was convinced that doctors have the maximum impact on anyone’s life and yet the gratification they receive is instant. Inspired by my observation and experiences, I had resolved to pursue a career in medical science. Unfortunately, the turmoil that followed in my life after my father’s demise curtailed my aspiration and I had to settle for an undergraduate degree in computer science.

 

The regret of not being able to pursue a medical education always remained but I rallied myself to acquire a graduate degree in business management perhaps influenced by my father’s success as an entrepreneur. After a string of successful stints at well-known multinational corporations, an entrepreneurial opportunity beckoned me to the U.S.

 

The opportunity that presented itself was to establish international footprints for academic institutions (including MCPHS) and hospital systems. As this endeavor allowed me to form a close working relationship with doctors spanning specialties like pathology, neurology, sleep medicine, endocrinology, oncology and denstistry, I always found myself enthused and the desire to step into the shoes of a healthcare provider was again rekindled.

 

It was during these experiences and encounters with physicians that I learnt more about the role essayed by physician assistants, especially about how they were proving to be excellent care providers alongside doctors. Incidentally, my first introduction to the world of physician assistants was at MCPHS. While working on MCPHS’ formal entry into India at the behest of President Monahan and Dr. Humphrey, I developed an understanding about how physician assistants are trained and transitioned into the healthcare workforce.

 

Coming from a business background, I am also intrigued by how rapidly the role of a physician assistant has evolved over the years and how they can play a lead role in upcoming and innovative forms of healthcare delivery such as remote patient monitoring, online consults and house calls.

 

Given my understanding and outlook about the physician assistant profession, I recognized that this would be the best platform for me to realize my dream calling i.e. to be at the forefront of healthcare delivery as a care provider.

 

The true catalyst in propelling me towards this goal was when my wife and I welcomed our twin daughters into this world in August 2014. The close experiences and encounters with care providers throughout my wife’s pregnancy and on the day of the delivery further strengthened my resolve to pursue the physician assistant program.

 

As I do not have a background in chemistry or biology, I decided to take up the science prerequisite courses although the rigors of juggling multiple roles, especially of a new father appeared daunting. However the determination to see myself in the role of a physician assistant who would not only utilize established protocols but also seeks to capitalize on disruptive forms of healthcare delivery to make a difference in people’s lives far outweighs any constraints.

 

It is my firm belief that experiences and encounters are great levelers which shape our character and possibly our lives itself. The myriad experiences and encounters in life have helped me inculcate a sense of steadfastness, warmth, composure, endurance and objectivity which I believe are hold me in good stead towards fulfilling the role of a physician assistant.

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