rcj08a Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I am having a difficult time writing my personal statement. I am not sure of what to write and I am struggling. I have known since I was five I wanted to work as a PA because of the PA in our doctors office but I keep reading that isn't what they want to hear. As far as healthcare experience, my experience is related to shadowing only. Thank you in advance for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdub Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 Thats great that you achieved so much playing basketball and have a lot of drive to achieve your goals. But why do you want to be a PA? What healthcare experience do you have? Why do you have a passion for the healthcare field? What makes you stand out from other candidates? Are you prepared for the academic rigor of PA school? I suggest putting those topics into your personal statement instead of just basketball Also the forum discourages people from posting personal statements on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcj08a Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 I have always wanted to work as a PA because I am drawn to helping others but I am confused because everyone says not to put in your personal statement why you want to be a PA. As far as healthcare experience, that would be none other than shadowing. I will remove my personal statement then as I did not realize the forum discouraged posting personal statements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystaltide Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 The entire point of the personal statement is describing your motivation toward becoming a PA. Therefore, you should indeed be listing your reason for being a PA. Perhaps what people meant in that you shouldn't write that you've wanted to be a PA since you were 5 is that it is a very generic reason. You should have a lot more life experiences since then that have helped you on the way, whether they've challenged you or reconfirmed your intentions. If you've shadowed, then there have to be things that you've seen that have done either of these for you. Even if it's just passion toward the field itself, you have to show your motivation somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Quite a memory for a 5 year old! Hope you're able to get some direct patient care experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themanpete Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Just tell them some story on how you wanted to be a PA when you stared off into the sunset on a cliff looking over the beach. And realized that there were sharks in the ocean and they will eat surfers and you as a PA could save the poor souls life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Just tell them some story on how you wanted to be a PA when you stared off into the sunset on a cliff looking over the beach. And realized that there were sharks in the ocean and they will eat surfers and you as a PA could save the poor souls life. Could also work for the back up plan of being a marine biologist...wanting to save the sharks from the ill affects of eating humans. It's a 2:1 deal. To the OP: "I am having a difficult time writing my personal statement. I am not sure of what to write and I am struggling. I have known since I was five I wanted to work as a PA because of the PA in our doctors office but I keep reading that isn't what they want to hear. As far as healthcare experience, my experience is related to shadowing only. Thank you in advance for your help!" Imagine you are sitting on the AdCom for NASA...wannabe space cadet rolls in and says "I have always wanted to be an astronaut since I was 5 years old...I have been to the Air and Space Museum 250 times in the past year". I am willing to bet (or assume, if that's ok) that you would not be really impressed. Now, if they backed up their opening statement with "I have personally interviewed 4 astronauts in the past 2 years, attended space camp 5 times, written my last 3 term papers on space travel and its inherent risks, volunteered at the past three Air and Space Expos AND have nailed a 4.0 GPA on my undergrad and Masters degree in Aeronautical engineering while obtaining my private pilots license for fixed wing jet aircraft" you might say to yourself..."lets give this kid a shot, he's got moxxy". The difference in the two statements is quantifying what they have done in preparation of being an astronaut...they went out and kicked the bricks with the intent to learn as much about the job as possible, without actually doing the job. The tie in here to PA is how to show you want to be a PA while not actually having any HCE. I am not a fan of this plan, as I fall into the camp of folks who feel HCE is a critical component of being a higher quality PA faster/sooner out of graduation. But that's a whole different discussion. My personal feelings aside, my point for your personal statement is that you need to bring more to the table than just dreaming about it and shadowing. If you bring a bucket full of smarts (demonstrated by GPA), that'll help you out IF you apply to schools that like GPA more than they like HCE. Part of fulfilling your dream of being a PA is doing the leg work to find out which schools like what kind of applicant. When you write about shadowing..just don't say "I've shadowed"... Show them your motivation by being able to truthfully report you have shadowed "x" hours in family practice, "Y" hours in a surgical clinic, and "Z" hours in an under served area such as inner city clinics. (examples only, your experiences may vary). This way the AdCom can say "this kid is smart, he has gotten around to a variety of settings, he's reaching out to make connections, learning about what being a PA is all about" (my apologies if you are a "she" instead of a "he", not intended to be typecasting). If your personal statement is lacking depth, and you can't seem to find any depth no matter how many times you edit it, then perhaps it may be best to take another year to "ripen" and deepen your roots in the world of PAdom. Network, make some friends with PAs. Go home after shadowing for a few hours and brainstorm on some note paper "my day today ROCKED because I witnessed ......... and I felt .......... and I can't wait until I can do .......... because I have ........... to contribute to the profession. This way after you gather a few of those brainstorming notes, you can sit down and compile a more congealed collection of experiences that help back up your reasons why you should be a PA Good luck, hope that helps you some how Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystaltide Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 Incredibly well-written advice, Just Steve...not least because I still harbor sentiment toward my childhood dream of being an astronaut. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemegroup Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 love it .............. Just tell them some story on how you wanted to be a PA when you stared off into the sunset on a cliff looking over the beach. And realized that there were sharks in the ocean and they will eat surfers and you as a PA could save the poor souls life. hey, that was MY story ... see what happens when you put your essay out there?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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