RN to PA-C. Need narrative advise.

[TU RN]

Thank you for opening my thread. I am a practicing RN (BSN) and this is my first application to PA school. I feel that it is a bit preachy and corny, but this may be due to the fact that I'm uncomfortably talking about myself. Please let me know what you think.

 

 

            Patience is the paramount quality that’s led me to where I am, and I truly believe it to be the most important virtue in any role as a healthcare provider. After all how many of the typical characteristics required in healthcare providers have patience at their foundation? It takes patience to gain the education and competence required to care for others; to teach the lifestyle changes required by a new diagnosis; to bridge the complex education of a healthcare provider to the health literacy of an average Philadelphian; to allay the fears and anxieties of patients and families; and to adjust to the ever-changing laws and policies that govern our practice. We do not have easy jobs. However I have found that this fundamental quality has carried me through times in my career when I thought I was lost, and will continue to guide me to success over the peaks and troughs of physician assistant (PA) education.

 

            Jumping into the pre-medicine college coursework with the mentality of a high school senior wasn’t easy, especially when it came down to watching classmates get overwhelmed and retreat to other degree programs. Being rejected from my university’s nursing school the first year I applied was not expected either – so much for impressing the admissions team by fighting through more challenging sciences. But what good success story comes without such trials and tribulations? Furthermore, what good healthcare provider turns away at the first sign of a complication? I had set a goal and was intent on pursuing it to completion. An impatient person may have elected to quit.

 

            I have encountered PAs in multiple specialties during my nursing education and as a registered nurse. During two clinical rotations at a local cancer center I observed the surgical MD-PA relationship pre-operatively, intra-operatively, and post-operatively. One day I stood in on a MD demonstrating the proper removal of a chest tube and suturing, while another I attended a robotic surgery with a PA assisting. Even in my current position as a progressive care nurse I work with a PA who covers a medicine service over night, and have worked on an emergency observation unit staffed by physician assistants. During all exposures to the profession, I witnessed a partnership between two care providers. At times the PA role was entirely autonomous, other times it was as part of a MD team. I truly appreciate the ability of a physician assistant to independently practice medicine but consult a more expert provider when indicated.

 

           Working in a teaching hospital for the past two years has demonstrated to me the working dynamic between interns, residents, and attending physicians. Witnessing the professional development and education that these young doctors undergo working with more experienced physicians really drew for me a parallel to the relationship of the PA with their attending. That is, one of learning, supplemented with gradually increasing responsibility and autonomy. On the other hand, having seen the effects of overworked or short-staffed services in the hospital environment, and the delays in care that a PA’s presence could easily prevent, I like to believe I pursue this degree with full understanding of the need for the “physician extender.”

 

           As a nurse I regularly assess, plan, and implement a care plan on a patient-to-patient basis to gauge their responses to disease processes and prescribed treatments. Being the primary contact between the medical team and the patient, nurses are often in the position to reiterate and reinforce the treatment plan to the patient. Many of the patient’s most painful and embarrassing moments are experienced knowing that a nurse, who holds themselves to utmost integrity and responsibility, is there to get that person through their physical and emotional difficulties. Throughout the medical process of diagnosing and treating the illness or defect within the person, it stands to reason that my nursing plan will change accordingly. Disease, and with it the practice of medicine, is getting more complex. At times even our hardest-fought patient outcomes are met with noncompliance at home and readmission. I hope the combination of these two distinct philosophies on patient care, coupled with the patience required to succeed as a healthcare provider, will create in me a well-rounded, competent, and trusted physician assistant.

[Blue Goose]

My biggest concern is that I don't know why you want to be a PA. Especially in light of your ability to apply to NP school, I think you need to address your desire to enter a PA program. In my mind, your desire to blend nursing and medicine sounds like the NP concept, and may confuse your audience. I think that your character traits would be better appreciated if shown through a short story.

 

 

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[bgdog]

I like it. 

 

At least it doesn't start off with some dramatic situation as many do.

 

Tighten up a little and answer question that Blue Goose pointed out and you're golden.

 

Good Luck

[TU RN]

Thanks for the replies fellas. PA and NP are very similar professions as both are mid level providers, so it's hard for me to differentiate why I would want PA greater than NP. I have researched the difference between the two and the main points are:

 

1.) PA = medical model and NP = nursing model

2.) PAs have the ability to transfer specialties without the necessity to re-certify or re-educate.

 

While 2 is great and that's totally a plus for me, it doesn't push me towards PA enough to write about in my narrative. Why I don't want to be a NP is because of this "nursing model" VS "medical model" BS. The medical model exists. That is a real process forged and galvanized over years and years of practice. I respect that and want to be a part of it. My opinion of the nursing model is that it is an over glorification of a, let's talk real here, blue collar profession. "Holistic care" and "treating the whole patient"? That's crap. Of course the medical model treats the whole patient. And what are NPs doing by evaluating, diagnosing, prescribing, and re-evaluating? They're practicing medicine, not nursing. That's why I prefer PA to NP, but how does one elocute this without seeming like a dick?

 

I've given this lots of thought. I believe I can expand my last paragraph a bit more to include more of why I want to be a PA without going over 5,000 characters, so that's what I'll do.

 

Thanks again for the feedback.

[Blue Goose]

1.) PA = medical model and NP = nursing model

2.) PAs have the ability to transfer specialties without the necessity to re-certify or re-educate.

 

 

These are great reasons--consider writing them in.  I agree with you completely about the "nursing model," but you probably shouldn't say it in you PS.  Maybe you can elaborate on "being trained in the well-honed medical model, to enter a profession that places great value on prior healthcare experience."  In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with not wanting to be pigeonholed into a certain specialty.  It may not be your biggest reason for PA>NP, but the reassurance it provides isn't something to be discounted.  I don't think you need necessarily say why you don't want to be an NP, but you'll need to have clear reasons for wanting to be a PA.

 

A few small things:

• I would change "MD team" to "healthcare team" or something similar--I know what you mean, but some adcom members may find it offensive.  
• Remove the "(PA)" in your first paragraph--your readers will know what it means.
• I would remove "combination of these two distinct philosophies on patient care..." to avoid confusion.
• Add a sentence about how your experience as a nurse gave an intimate understanding of how a modern healthcare team works.

[DiggySRNA]

• Remove the "(PA)" in your first paragraph--your readers will know what it means.

It's part of the rules of writing and grammar. You must first write out the entire title, followed by its initials. 

 

Everything else you suggested is spot on. 

[Blue Goose]

It's part of the rules of writing and grammar. You must first write out the entire title, followed by its initials.

 

Everything else you suggested is spot on.

Shouldn't "MD" have one too. Because this is a specific work for an audience that is well aware of what "PA" means, I think it's acceptable to forgo the usual parenthetical citation here. I guess I just expect PA programs to know what a "PA" is. And I take a descriptive view of grammar.

 

 

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[DiggySRNA]

Shouldn't "MD" have one too. Because this is a specific work for an audience that is well aware of what "PA" means, I think it's acceptable to forgo the usual parenthetical citation here. I guess I just expect PA programs to know what a "PA" is. And I take a descriptive view of grammar.

 

 

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Yup I expected that too but when I had an individual from one of the PA programs I plan on applying to pre-read/review my materials, she told me to spell out physician assistant. 

 

Maybe its her pet peeve. 

[TU RN]

Thanks for the great feedback Blue Goose. You too umbPA and bgdog. I'm going to tweak it a little more according to yours and some others' responses on another forum and in my personal life. I've also read that it should be written "physician assistant (PA)" the first time and then "PA" is acceptable thereafter. I feel like writing out MD would be a little excessive though. I will take all of your advice into consideration for my final draft and let you know how I end up doing after all is done.