CALIFORNIA: Western Univ. of Health Sciences Primary Care PA Program
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Thanks everyone for the information and wisdom. I will keep everyone posted. -
CASPA submitted 06/12 CASPA verified 06/13 Confirmation letter 06/15 Interview invite via phone call 08/21 I missed the call so I'm not sure when the interview date is... Excited!! -
I know it's over the word count by a bit, but I'm still going to tweak it a bit based on recommendations and people's input, so please leave some kind of input its greatly appreciated! Deafening sounds of the alarm awaken the team of three men. The crew jumps into the ambulance and is at the scene of a medical emergency within minutes. Little did I know, this late night call would change me as an emergency medical technician (EMT), man, and a future medical professional. As the team arrives inside the home of an anxious fifty-six year old man complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath, I felt an overwhelming sense of sympathy for him. As I observe the home, nobody was there by his side. No family or friends. He was all alone. I felt as if I recognized the man from a previous call, but this time there was a different sense of urgency in the air. As the man cried silently, “I’ve never felt this kind of pain in my life”, we knew something was very wrong. As I took vitals, administered aspirin, and observed the paramedic set up the EKG, the reality of the situation became very clear. This man was having an acute myocardial infarction. During the ten-minute transport, the paramedic called in the report over the wailing sounds of the siren, “inbound with a fifty-six year old patient suffering from a possible myocardial infarction...vitals unstable”. Upon arrival, a team of nurses, a cardiac physician, and a cardiac physician assistant took over. From that moment on, I never saw John again. After the call, I wondered how John was going to recover from such a traumatic, terrifying experience. How will the team of medical professionals treat him? What was the role of a physician assistant, if there was already a physician there? As the days passed, I began to look more into the physician assistant profession and completely fell in love with all it has to offer. I would be able to see the patients, just like John, through their entire medical journey. I would be able to diagnose patients, understand the underlying problems, and why the problem occurred in the first place. I yearn to serve my patients, doctor, and community with respect and compassion. As an EMT, I am limited in my knowledge and abilities to care for the patient in totality; I desire to learn more about medicine. Emergency medical services will always have a place in my heart. EMS has given me more experience and optimism than I could have ever asked for as a twenty-year-old undergraduate student. It has done nothing short of kindling my desire for advancement in the medical profession. In my two years of patient care and shadowing involvements, I have experienced incalculable moments such as those with John that have compelled me to join the PA profession. As an EMT, not being able to care for my patients in totality throughout their medical emergency made me desire to shadow a PA in an emergency department. Fortunately, I was able to grasp an opportunity shadowing a PA at Saint Charles Hospital on Long Island. After seeing multiple patients, I began to realize an important characteristic that this PA displayed, which was that he was able to solidify a trusting relationship with his patients within minutes of assessing them. I believe patient relationships are the top priority when it comes to caring for an individual; how can you care for someone if they cannot trust you? Recently, I had been given the opportunity to participate in an unusual, yet inspiring shadowing experience at a medical examiner’s office. This involvement showed me another side of the profession that I did not even know existed; the side that deals with death, dying, and its effects. Observing autopsies, assisting on calls, and researching various cases of death intrigued me more and more each time I shadowed her. Families are a critical part of caring for patients, whether they are living or deceased. I was able to truly see the importance of this aspect of healthcare and how loved ones are affected by death. Witnessing the PA speaking with families, showing condolences, and explaining the death of their loved one is something I will never forget. The way that this physician assistant dealt with the grieving families in the immediate aftermath of the death of their loved one is something I truly admire. Along with patient and family communication, there is an even more important factor that needs to be perfected between a physician and physician assistant; communication. During my shadowing experience, observing the communication between the physician and the physician assistant during an autopsy conveyed how important this factor is between the team of healthcare professionals. These experiences solidified my love for the physician assistant medical profession and granted me the foundations for how I would like to practice medicine. With a career as a physician assistant, I am confident that my answer to “how was work” will always be, “life changing”. I always knew I wanted to become part of the healthcare team, but my experiences leading up to my decision have driven me to become a physician assistant. My involvement with physician assistants, through EMS and shadowing, have displayed how hands-on, involved, and compassionate these professionals really are. I want nothing more than to become one of these professionals. Given the opportunity, I plan to dedicate my life to the challenges of patient care and look forward to being able to follow through with all of my patients to the end of their care. -
Rural FP, business casual currently.. need to make the switch to scrubs. SP wears scrubs almost daily. best place to get scrubs (+ name embroidered) for the office? Just looking for traditional mens scrubs, nothing fancy. I'm afraid the hospital scrubs i've acquired during rotations are too sloppy for the office. -
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