Hi, please read my rough draft!!!! I'll read and critique yours :)

[enfermeraRN]

 

So I think this is way too long, lol. Tips on how I can shorten it? My main ideas are:

 

• my exposure to PAs at work impressed me; my OR PA was the 1st time i ever met a PA
  
• my HCE as an RN strengthened my desire to be a PA; i don't want to bash nursing!
  
• why i love PAs-->knowledge, science, curriculum
  
• i was thinking of mentioning why PA over NP but should i leave this for the interview?
  

 

 

It was the last round of the series of surgeries to manipulate my knees back into shape, literally. I sat in the hospital bed, two nurses trying to insert an angiocath into my thin veins before heading to the pre-op department. I could hardly feel the successive needlesticks as I was so concentrated in today's itinerary, and last year's knee realignment. My eyes glanced at the clock nervously, wondering why they hadn't picked me up yet for surgery. I looked up when I noticed an older man in OR scrubs walk in to my room. He pulled the curtain and leaned over, smiling warmly, "Hi enfermeraRN, I'm Dr. Orthopedic's PA, remember me? We just got out of the OR with another patient, sorry for the wait. Want to go over what we will be doing today before we go?"

 

I had no idea what a Physician Assistant was at the time, all I knew was that I could trust him. At that instant, although I was curious, there was no time to ask. My surgery was on and I needed someone to clarify today's plan. We discussed the knee realignment, the bone reduction, the pain management. I had a better understanding of what was going to be done. I was less nervous. He was nearby as the nurse rolled me into the OR. I saw his eyes smiling behind the sterile masks while the anesthetist injected sedation into my veins. He showed me a thumbs up, and then it was time to count to a hundred. 100, 99, 98...

 

Here I am today, a registered nurse. Just a few weeks after the last surgery, I had enrolled myself in college to begin anatomy and physiology courses. I knew I wanted to do have direct interaction with patients, have a thorough understanding of medications, find broken bones on X-rays. I had friends going into nursing at the time, and they convinced me it was a great fit. I got into the two schools I applied for, and finished nursing school in 2012. Although I learned a lot and loved all the clinical rotations I had experienced, there was still something missing. During my Med/Surg and pharmacology courses, I was always trying to go deeper into what the curriculum required. I was discouraged when I was tested on basic concepts. I heard over and over, "You don't need to know that; this is nursing school." There was only one way to find out if I chose the right career, and I was about to get my answer.

 

When I got my first job as a nurse, the transition was easier because I had already been working in that hospital for a year, during nursing school. I was hired into a nurse residency, where we took extra workshops in health assessment, medication administration, and skills. My days off consisted in reviewing notes from these workshops. As the weeks went on, and I took on more responsibilities as a nurse, I was aware that I was not truly happy with what I was doing.

 

Working on a surgical unit however had re-introduced me to physician assistants. The funny thing was, I didn't know they were PAs. I thought they were third year residents. Not because of the scrubs, but because of their knowledge. When I called to notify the physician of a status change or to clarify orders, those PAs were often the ones on the receiving line and would not only give me the appropriate orders, but were very precise in the way they would be carried out. Furthermore, I knew I would see the PAs back on the floor later to come re-evaluate the patients themselves. They were very responsible in timely answering the nurse's concerns but also consulting with their attending physicians if they needed further clarification or permission. I felt like thanks to the PAs, things happened faster and more efficiently.

 

I began to research the PA profession to began to truly understand their scope of practice and education requirements. What stood out to me was the heavy science-based coursework that is the foundation of the PA curriculum, much like in medical school. I was delighted to see courses dedicated to understanding pharmacokinetics and basis of disease. The amount of clinical rotations and the generalist-approach stood out to me and made me want to begin the application process immediately.

 

Sometimes the way you learn things is through trial and error. Now that I look back and think of my surgeon's PA, I wonder why I didn't think of becoming a PA since back then. Maybe it was ignorance. But I am thankful nonetheless. Working as a nurse strengthened my respect for the whole healthcare team while further exposing me to many different types of pathologies and clinical experiences that will only help me be a better physician assistant in the long run. I have no regrets and look forward to do even more for my patients as a physician assistant.