First draft

[awichmann]

Hey everyone! Here is my first draft and I would be SOO appreciative of your feedback. Thank you in advance! :=D:

 

“Alyssa! Come run this code with me!” Hearing those words at 4:30 in the morning has been one of the most exciting and compelling times in my life. The adrenaline rush that is accompanied by this phrase is like none that I have experienced before and is one that I would like to continue to have. Seeing all of the doctors, residents, physician assistants, and other healthcare professionals run into the room further added to my excitement. Moments like these are what have made my decision to become a physician assistant further concrete in my mind.

 

The position of physician assistant is one that I came across during my junior year of college. At that point in time, I felt like I was going in circles trying to figure out what I truly wanted to do with the rest of my life. I had always known that I wanted to go into healthcare, but the major question was what role did I want to pursue. Doctor, nurse, physical therapist; the possibilities were endless. But one day when I was talking to a friend, she mentioned physician assistant and I was intrigued. I immediately started researching this position and found that it was something that I would soon be considering as the career for me. I remember being shocked to learn just how quickly I could receive such a prestigious degree and the flexibility that came with the position. The fact that I would be able to switch between specialties, if desired, without having to go back to school was extremely attractive to me. I also enjoyed the idea of being able to work in various settings. Being a physician assistant would provide me with the opportunity to work in a hospital, surgical, or clinical setting, as well as the option of bouncing between the various settings.

 

Another aspect I came across when researching the physician assistant position was the topic of healthcare experience. Although it is not required of every school, I felt that gaining some experience would not only benefit me in the application process, but would also allow me to decide if this is truly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I learned what positions did and did not count towards patient care hours and decided upon becoming a certified nurses assistant. When I first started my clinicals for my training, I was a bit skeptical about what I was getting myself into, but after I started working as a healthcare technician at Carle Hospital, I found I could not have been happier with my decision.

 

I cannot begin to list the knowledge, both medical and personal, that I have gained while working at Carle. The importance of teamwork is something that I further learned to value from being in a hospital setting. Although having a past that involved participating in sports and the need for teamwork, it is amazing how much you appreciate teamwork in the healthcare field. Whether simply teaming up to help someone with a new knee to the bathroom or working together to get someone cleaned up, I have learned to value teamwork more than I ever have. No matter how small the task may be, there is always a way for everyone to help. For example, there was a night at work when a code was called and my charge nurse called me in to help. I took pride in being called on to help out, even though I knew there was not much I could do to help as a technician. Little did I know walking into the room just how much of a team player I was going to be in the situation. Halfway into the code, the stat nurse needed a piece of equipment that we did not carry on my floor, so she asked me to quickly run upstairs to another floor to retrieve this piece. Had I not been there to carry out her orders, either someone of more importance would have had to go get it or they would have had to find someone else on the floor to find the item and the code may not have played out as efficiently as it did. That night taught me that no matter how minor your position may seem, you are still a part of a team.

 

Learning to be part of the healthcare team as a CNA is just one of the characteristics that I feel will help to better me as a physician assistant. In addition, the bedside manner that I have picked up while working will help me to be a better listener when working with patients. Sometimes people just want someone to really listen to them and that is something I have become very good at. Not only do patients appreciate it, but it also makes them feel more comfortable – something that is usually fairly hard to feel while in the hospital. These attributes that I have gained through my work would not only make the best physician assistant I can be, but they will continue to be the fuel behind my goal of becoming a physician assistant.

[Martinace]

I like the feel of it, and it seems to address your main motivations for becoming a PA. The sentence "I immediately started researching this position and found that it was something that I would soon be considering as the career for me" seems oddly worded. Also, something about the first paragraph bugs me, but that is probably due to personal differences with my placing of value on "calm and collected" instead of "adrenaline-rushed." But I think it looks good overall, it mentions a lot of your desirable qualities. If you get a minute, would you mind returning the favor and critiquing mine?? Nobody else will!