Jump to content

Feedback welcomed. First draft


Recommended Posts

“72 Lake Kitchawan Dr., Lewisboro, Type: ALS, Time out: 19:45:35, Conscious: No, Breathing: No, Responder Script: you are responding to a middle age male who is unconscious and not breathing” This was the message that I received when I was a volunteer EMT at Vista Fire Department. I hastily drove to the address and discovered patients lying down unconsciously with CPR being performed and AED attached. I was ordered by my captain to find out the patients’ pertinent medical information but was unable to find any. The patient was shocked by AED many times with CPR performed for over 30 minutes. The paramedic at this point decided that it would be best to get the patient to the hospital as soon as possible. The patient was then transported to the hospital with CPR performed. I later found out that the patient was not resuscitated. That incident taught me about the fragility of life and how most people just take life for granted. After returning home that night, I pondered about how I can make a difference in helping people more aware of their own health. My journey in pursuing to become a competent professional to provide compassionate personalized care had just begun.

 

My family immigrated to the United States from mainland China when I was 7 years old. My parents were hopeful for a better life and greater opportunities for their children. My parents worked long hours in the restaurant business in order to put me through college. During my studies at University of Buffalo, I had decided to major in pharmacy right after graduating high school. Although I had an immense interest in doing something with science, an accurate career path was still up in the air. I was not accepted into the pharmacy program with some below average grades in a few science prerequisites. I hastily chose a major in order to finish a degree in the 4 years, so I chose psychology without any consideration of the prospective job outcomes. As a jobless graduate, I returned home to work and help with the family business rather than planning for my own future.

 

My best friend from college had started D.O. school at the time when he started to talk about PA as a career path. As part of fulfilling the PA prerequisites, I took some courses at a community college close to home. It was in the anatomy & physiology class that rooted my confidence in choosing a career in the healthcare industry. The class was taught by a professor whom I was able to understand with absolute clarity and left me yearning for the next lecture on subjects of the human body. That phase provided me the inspiration to learn the amazing complexity of the human body and to investigate my options to practice medicine.

 

At the community college I had the opportunity to take an EMT class to experience what emergencies are like. After taking EMT certification class and joining the local fire department to help out EMS, I realized that out skills and education can practically be used to save someone’s life at any given time. I’ve experienced a multitude of scenarios; falls, allergic reactions, and cardiac related calls. This taught me the importance of continual education/training, communication, and teamwork during emergency situations.

 

My understanding of the Physician Assistant profession has grown immensely with the opportunity to shadow a licensed PA and also working as a medical assistant at my current employment. I’ve learned firsthand the level of professionalism, patience, and dedication needed in order to deliver competent and comprehensive care to patient.  As a medical assistant, although I feel that I am capable of doing more for the patients intellectually, my scope and qualifications limit me to provide the answers. The shadowing experience showed me the importance of building a relationship between the provider and patient. While observing the PA at his office, he gave me the inspiration to emulate his approach towards how he sincerely cares for the well-being of his patients. Aspects such as the flexibility to switch to between specialties and the level of autonomy of a physician assistant are how I feel fitting for my career choice.

 

All my volunteer experiences revealed to me the realization that people need more than medications, and surgeries, but personalized care and compassion as related to their situation. I want to be able to interact with patients while being competent in diagnosing them and providing the treatment modalities needed for them to get on a path of recovery. My vision for Physician Assistant would be to practice in NYC where I feel there is a huge shortage of accessible healthcare for the immigrants. I have compassion for the immigrant family due to similar upbringing. Lastly, I am ready to receive the opportunity to become a competent Physician assistant through your program.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More