First time applicant - almost final personal statement. Feedback please!

[alird34]

I shot out of bed at exactly 6:59, having barely slept a wink from the anticipation of Christmas morning. My sister was already awake and we raced down the hall to wake our parents. We groaned as they took their time changing clothes and preparing for the day. When they were finally ready and gave us the go-ahead, we sprinted into the living room, nearly tripping over each other, to see what Santa had brought us. There were dozens of wonderful presents but one in particular stood out among the rest. There, under the tree, in all their glory, were the bright red crutches I had asked Santa for and I began hopping around on them immediately. My fascination with medicine had begun a few months prior, as a third grader, when one of my classmates broke his leg and came to school on crutches. I had been utterly intrigued by this and had asked for my own pair of crutches for Christmas. My red crutches became my favorite toy for years to come and I was constantly bandaging myself and others, acting out many different ailments. This began my deeply rooted interest and fascination with medicine.

In high school, I began to build on my interest in medicine through athletic training. Having always been active in sports, I jumped at the opportunity to participate in sports medicine. I enjoyed learning about the human body and loved working with athletes in a hands-on medical capacity. This experience amplified my curiosity of medicine and sparked my desire for a career in healthcare, allowing me to continue working with and helping others through medicine.

Over the next few years, my medical foundation continued to grow. I became an EMT Basic, a certified lifeguard, and a counselor at a camp for kids with type 1 diabetes. These experiences turned my interest in medicine into a passion through the wealth of medical knowledge I gained and the satisfaction I found in helping others through painful and frightening times. While these experiences were rewarding, I always felt I had more to offer. I found that my deepest desire is to use my medical knowledge on a more in-depth level to investigate patient conditions, make diagnoses, and see final outcomes, allowing me to help others in a larger capacity. After realizing this, I thought becoming a physician was the only way to accomplish this. However, I did not consider the similar and equally vital role of a physician assistant until I began working as an Emergency Room scribe. 

                I remember entering the hospital to begin my first shift as a scribe, eager to see what a true day in the life of a physician was like.  I was surprised when I was introduced to Larry, the PA I would be working with for the day, as I truly wasn't sure what role a PA would play in the ER. I would soon learn PA’s are as dynamic and multi-dimensional as the physicians they work alongside. As the ER began to buzz and fill with patients, I observed Larry interview and interact with patients and families, order lab tests and imaging, and make diagnoses. My enthusiasm skyrocketed as I assisted Larry with suturing, splinting, foreign body retrievals, and more. By the end of the day, I had already seen and done an incredible amount, and I began to realize the versatile and vital role PA’s play in healthcare.

I then started to reflect on how PA’s have influenced my life and discovered they have impacted me much more than I ever realized. It was a PA who gave me stiches when I cut my arm on a piece of glass as a child. When I had extreme muscle fatigue, insomnia, tremors, and tachycardia, it was a PA who diagnosed me with hyperthyroidism. After my thyroid was treated with radioactive iodine, it was a PA who regulated my thyroid replacement medications and got me back to feeling like myself again. When I broke my finger and needed surgery, a physician performed the surgery, but his PA was there to assist him and was the one I followed up with post-operatively.  All of my main medical issues have been largely cared for by PA’s. As I came to this realization, I also discovered that what originally drew me to medicine as a third grader and the career I had envisioned in my head since high school was actually that of a PA and not a physician as I had once thought.

Being a PA will allow me to contribute to the medical field in the greatest, most gratifying capacity. This career will provide me with the medical knowledge that I crave and allow me to apply it on an in-depth level, further allowing me to work with a certain level of autonomy to make medical decisions and diagnoses. I have had an innate interest in medicine since childhood and my experiences in the medical field since then have prepared to succeed both in PA school and as a practicing PA. I have a true passion for medicine, a love of working with and helping others, and a deep desire to serve others in the capacity of a PA. These qualities will allow me to be a successful student, a compassionate PA, and have a lasting impact on the lives of many through medicine.

[NicholeMF87]

I REALLY enjoyed how you wrote that everything came down to a PA that helped you when you were hurt!! I love your essay!

[KMA]

Looks great! Make sure the first time you write physician assistant you include (PA) immediately after... as you continue to reference "PA" throughout. 

 

 

"similar and equally vital role of a physician assistant (PA) until I began working as an Emergency Room scribe."

[freeburd904]

Well done, very strong personal statement.