CASPA Application Essay

[Noifoh]

Hello everyone. My application essay is below and I was wondering if anyone could offer some recommendations on it? I've edited it many times and any recommendations are welcome. Thank you and good luck to all that are applying           

           

             My first experience with a physician assistant occurred during the summer before my second year of college. I became injured while playing basketball at the gym. Later I went to a medical clinic and was seen by a woman who introduced herself as a physician assistant. As she treated me, my curiosity about the physician assistant position led me to want to learn more about it. I enquired about her job duties with the medical clinic. She explained to me her roles and her capabilities as a physician assistant. I was impressed by her knowledge and witnessed her strong ability to treat patients first hand, and I began to draw interest in the physician assistant career.

            At this time of my life, I was still very indecisive about what I wanted to do, but knew, specifically, that I wanted to work with patients directly in a healthcare setting. Before my injury, I volunteered in the in-patient rehabilitation department at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. I learned a great amount of information about physical therapy and rehabilitation techniques. I remembered my experience with the physician assistant and knew that I needed to explore other career options in the medical field. The best piece of advice that I received for me was to pursue a career that makes me happy and satisfies my interests. After weighing my options I decided that the physician assistant career was right for me. Some of the health professions I considered were adequate in the sense that I would have direct patient interaction and help others, but didn’t really fit what I was looking for. The dynamic environments of the physician assistant position were most appealing to me. Physician assistants are able to work in many areas not limited to orthopedics, emergency medicine, and cardiology, and this would be very difficult with most other healthcare positions    I decided to meet with Ms. Hilda Koch, a physician assistant at Long Beach Memorial. Through our discussions I gained more insight about the physician assistant profession and pursing health care experience. With her recommendation I began sitting in on her patient visits and volunteering in the emergency room.

            Volunteering alongside the Ms. Koch provided me with more experience than I could ever ask for. Each day brought different challenges as a diverse set of patients with a wide array of specific conditions came into the office. As I sat in on patient visits, I witnessed Ms. Koch treat and bring comfort to patients. I also took an active role during the patient visits. Often, patients with fractures would come into the office, so I had repeated exposure to x-ray readings and learned the basics methods that physicians use to assess them. I enquired Ms. Koch about unfamiliar medical terms, patient conditions, and treatment procedures. My speaking skills also were strengthened as I was able to directly converse with patients.

            The emergency room represented a complete shift from my duties in the physician assistant office. Expectedly, this environment was more stressful and fast-paced, but I was quickly able to adjust. I learned to check patient vitals and interacted with patients and their families. My eyes were opened to the vital role that physician assistants play in the emergency room. Their abilities in maintaining the utmost composure and professionalism during chaotic times was simply remarkable.

            Ms. Koch served as a mentor to me and allowed me to shadow her. I am very much appreciative of the time I spent in her office and of the many discussions we had. As brilliant as she is about health related information, her ability to be a good listener, not only to her patients, but also to me impressed me the most. I have a desire to not only become knowledgeable, but also yearn to listen to people voice their concerns and provide the appropriate assistance to alleviate them.

            Finding myself was very much a part of the process of me becoming enamored with the physician assistant career. As I reflect upon my experiences, I have a greater appreciation for all healthcare professionals as I gained a snapshot of the vast duties and expectations required of them. I am, particularly, grateful to have met Ms. Koch. I was exposed to different environments while shadowing her and volunteering in the emergency room. Though each of the environments brought unique challenges and circumstances, the expectations of these environments were uniform. These departments were dedicated in delivering excellent patient care and satisfaction. From my experiences as a patient of a physician assistant to my duties as a hospital volunteer, I’m ready to dedicate my life to delivering excellent patient care and satisfaction. With an education from a physician assistant program, I will be on my first step in delivering on the expectations of my future patients.

            

[Miss]

Hello,

I think your essay doesn't answer why you chose pa not md or np. What about pa profession in particular interests you, why do you think that you have, and you have done in the past makes you a good candidate ? You should have at least 2 to 3 people proof read it, and go o Eric the structures of each paragraph, try not to make each paragraph redundant.Basically, this is a chance to shine! This will get you the interview. Good luck!

[pdjags]

I think it's really great that you were introduced to such an influential individual and you were able to learn a lot from Ms. Koch. However, I do not believe that admissions committees are interested in knowing about her so thoroughly.

 

I STRONGLY suggest you pick an a personal experience that YOU have had with a patient and expound on what you learned while treating that patient. Rather than some one you have shadowed and worked with. Schools want to know that you are able to communicate and practice medicine with PATIENTS. You talk about how your "speaking skills" (ie communication skills) were strengthened through your shadowing - give an specific example!! In addition to mentioning that you witnessed a "wide array" of patients, back it up. You covered a lot of general things, so I would you suggest you back off of Ms. Koch and focus on some influential specifics - a particular fracture you saw or special patient you met.

 

Hope this helps! (no need to totally start over, just readjust)

[iamme]

Hello,

 

Here is my personal statement, please comment and offer any guidance. Thanks.

 

My journey into becoming a physician assistant (PA) has taken many courses.  I have always been interested in the sciences, and wanted to be knowledgeable about the human body and its functions.  I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences.  This degree had extensive coursework in the sciences revealing how the body interacts with food.  The healing nature of how nutrients affect the body is phenomenal; on the contrary, throughout my work experiences, I learned more about the detrimental effects of malnutrition.  Thus, my journey into becoming a physician assistant started because I wanted to be an advocate for proper nutrition paired with good medicine.



Subsequently, when my then two-year old daughter developed a scalp infection in December of 2011, I knew being a physician assistant was my future.  She spent most of 2012 battling the infection, taking various medications, and meeting with numerous doctors including dermatologist and other providers.  With no hopes of relief, I watched my daughter suffer from scalp sores, redness, and irritation on and off for almost a year.  The doctors simply did not know what was going on.  The sores would come and go almost as if playing hide and seek at her doctor's appointments.  I could only weep for my child.



The doctors and dermatologist were calling it a fungal infection; however, it did not seem to respond to weeks of anti-fungal medication.  My nurturing instincts told me to stop giving it to her.  It got to the point where I had to rush to the emergency room to catch the culprit "in action", so they could swab it to see what would grow from the culture; it yielded no results.  I received referral to a quick care facility.  There came in a whistling and singing physician whose diagnosis was Folliculitis, a bacterial infection.  This upbeat yet tender-spirited person spent all of three minutes with us, and after 10 long months of battling these episodes, she was "cured".  The doubts about his diagnosis set in, but quickly quelled from his confidence and high spirits; he was trusted, I trusted him.



The idea of becoming a PA had been bearing heavily on my mind prior, but it is within that moment, my dreams solidified.  I want to be that provider remembered for taking the appropriate steps in diagnosing and treating patients back to homeostasis.  To help families develop trust in their health-care and know their providers are here to provide the services that they seek.  Being a PA will allow me to serve in this capacity and will allow me to help practice primary care and bring more education and awareness to the under-served population.  Patients will trust that their provider has their best interest at heart, choose the correct course of action, and treat the whole person and not the symptoms.  To be a part of an elite and emerging medical team will allow the aging population to feel safe in going to the see "the doctor".  



My works over the years as a nutritionist have been able to help satisfy some of my desires of providing optimal patient care.  However, my scope of practice limits how much I can help.  Being able to recognize and treat health concerns and see the look of relief on patients' faces will give a sense of meaningfulness to be involved in patient care.  I want to be able to extend those warm thoughts about hope to my patients in knowing all will be well, and if not, they have support.  Thus, gaining acceptance in your physician assistant program will indeed bring a fresh and humbling perspective to the medical field.  I will bring only excellence and endurance to the practice.