My Personal Statement. Any feedback I would appreciate. Thank you

[august7062]

The sound of gunshots was a regular occurrence in my neighborhood growing up and learning to ignore them became common practice. I was never startled until one afternoon when the shots fired came from the house next door. As I rushed to look over the balcony, I saw my neighbor lying in his driveway with a gunshot wound to the head. While the most natural reaction for a child might have been to turn away, I found myself more concerned than shocked or frightened, I wanted to help, I wanted to “fix” him. Naively, I asked my Aunt if there was anything we could do to save him, her reply was simple and set the course for my future, “he needs a doctor!”

 

Growing up in an environment where education was not valued, I was the first in my family to graduate high school. Paying my own way through six years of off and on college study, I continued to be plagued by obstacles that more often than not threatened to deter my college career, yet I stayed true to my ambition of working in the medical field.

 

Upon graduating from California State University Northridge (CSUN) in 2012, I had to make an honest assessment of where I am in my life and how that will ultimately impact my career goals. Later that spring I attended a Health Fair at CSUN with the hopes of finding career advice applicable to my situation. I spent the day speaking with nurses, X-ray Technicians and Physical Therapists but didn’t feel that those fields satisfied my desire to fully practice in medicine. After an in depth, informational conversation with a PA from the USC Keck School of Medicine, I learned that aside from diagnostics, writing prescriptions and recommending treatments, as a PA I would make definitive decisions regarding patients’ health.  Unlike other medical positions, as a PA I would function as a direct extension of the attending Physician. I believe the high level of responsibility and expectation that comes along with being a PA fits my skill set perfectly. Further, she let me know that within the time it would take me to finish medical school, I would be practicing as a PA. At this point, I was no longer unsure of what or where I wanted to be in the medical field. I wanted to be a PA. While my interest lies mainly in primary care, I am interested in all aspects of medicine and being a Physician Assistant gives me the flexibility to work in other specialties. 

 

As a volunteer at Cedar Sinai, I have worked along PA’s who have shown me that best results often come when patients are treated as actual people and not just medical charts. At the same time, I worked at VCA/TLC Emergency Animal Hospital.  It is here where I learned to make prompt, clear minded and accurate decisions in emergency situations where the patient can’t point to where it hurts or how they are feeling.

 

It is a combination of all my experiences, triumphs, hardships, and learning opportunities that have fortified my desire to achieve my personal career goal of being a Physician Assistant. I have experienced both the art and the science of medicine, and see that as a PA I can “fix” a human body but more impressively a human spirit.

[paproof]

It's got potential.  Intro seems like it was pretty traumatic for you (and him) ;) congrats to you exceeding expectations and overcoming adversity