Draft please read & edit, much appreciated thank you!

[johnscla]

“Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” My journey started with being a gymnast, which led me down my path to find my dream for my future of becoming a PA. My experiences in life have further taught me that a career as a PA is my destination.

 

 

I dedicated 18 years of my life to the sport of gymnastics, which was a definitive contributing factor to my dream of becoming a PA. This sport taught me the ethics of hard work, determination, passion, leadership, teamwork, the joys of success, and the struggles of hardship and injuries. I had my share of injuries, starting at age eight with a dislocated elbow followed by back injuries in high school, but persevered to compete as a collegiate gymnast. In college, I dislocated my elbow again which changed the course of my gymnastics career. With relentless determination for two years, I was able to compete again, but then tore my ACL which ended my gymnastics career.

 

Due to my numerous injuries, I spent a lot of time as a patient in healthcare settings, whether it be in the ER, orthopedics, surgery, physical therapy, or at chiropracters. I had many great interactions with PAs and physicians, which sparked my interest in someday working as a PA. Furthermore, my injuries taught me that healing is often difficult and the road to recovery requires the help of a healthcare team. This recognition strengthened my desire to become a PA and help patients heal their illnesses or injuries in order to live their lives to their full potential.

 

Throughout my life I have been a part of numerous gymnastics teams, which has taught me how to be a strong team player, quickly adapt into new teams, and be a leader within groups. Post gymnastics, I have had the privelege of working as a part of healthcare teams as a medical scribe, CNA, and now medical assistant. I have learned firsthand the importance of teamwork and collaboration in order to provide quality patient care. I am passionate about working with others and am drawn to a career where teamwork is valued, as this is naturally where I thrive.

My recent experiences in various healthcare settings have solidified my dream to become a PA.

 

First, I was employed as a scribe working alongside physicians and PAs in an emergency department, which submerged me into learning about medicine and the roles of a PA and physician. Most importantly, I was able to observe various interactions between physicians and patients. There is one unforgettable trauma case which stands out to me. A patient was rushed into the ER in cardiac arrest and sadly passed away in front of us. In that moment I experienced the dificulties of loss as a part of medicine, but I also learned I would do anything to be a part of a team working to save lives.

 

Another experience in my life that impacted my decision to become a PA was my volunteer healthcare trip to Nicaragua with a non-profit organization called VIDA, Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures. I traveled for two weeks with a group of students to underserved communities where we set up free medical and dental clinics. The patients walked in scared and sick, and walked away so grateful for a diagnosis and medications that would help their illness and quality of life. The ability to help was a feeling unlike any other. To be able to give the patients a diagnosis and medications that would help their illness was a feeling unlike any other. Even though our free clinics were on a small scale of medical services in the healthcare world, as a team we were making differences in individual patients' lives which was very eyeopening. In the future as a PA, I have a goal to travel to underserved communities around the world such as those I saw in Nicaragua and provide medical care to those in need.

 

Currently, I am dramatically expanding my learning about medicine as a medical assistant for two internists. This position is immensely beneficial to me as I gain experience and competence working with patients on a daily basis. I have the advantage of working in clinical patient care as well as in office management and medical record maintence, which continues to build my confidence. Patients will often ask me advanced medical questions I cannot answer, which motivates me to learn, work harder, and return to school to pursue my dream of becoming a PA. My exposure to various aspects of the healthcare system will take me a step in the right direction to become a PA, as I can strongly acknowledge that a PA's role is multi-dimensional and is more than just medicine.

 

My experiences first as a gymnast and patient, and more recently my experiences working in a variety of healthcare settings have shaped my dream to become a PA. I can confidently say PA is the profession I am set out for and I strive to soon be able to provide compassionate high quality, patient centered, and accessible care. 

[gere7404]

Look for synonyms to use instead of dream. I think I read "my dream to become a PA" at least once per paragraph. Aspiration, mission, goal, desire, etc could be used to break up the repetition.