dreplogle Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Rough- but looking for help with structure/content In EMS, “routine” calls are few and far between. Any number of things can go wrong, and in my experience, they usually do. A psych patient pulls a gun, a BLS dialysis patient has a stroke, or a patient being discharged was inadequately assessed. After a period of unresponsiveness at the nursing home, Kenneth had been sent to the hospital for evaluation. According to the ER RN, Kenneth was deemed to have altered mental status due to a urinary tract infection, and was ready to go back. As usual, the ER was short-staffed and Kenneth had not yet been disconnected from the monitor. I took note of vitals, and began to disconnect him for transfer, when his heart rate dropped to 34 beats per minute: then dropped again. His four-lead EKG appeared to be sinus at first glance, then what I believed in my limited experience to atrial fibrillation. Kenneth’s chart did not state any cardiac history, and after a 12-lead, his nurse decided he should be kept for further evaluation. Kenneth’s is a classic example of clinicians being spread too thin resulting in patients receiving care that is subpar. The unique relationship between a physician and physician assistant (PA), is a significant advancement in medicine, which allows for a greater number of patients to receive more focused, personalized care from mid-level practitioners. The development of PAs, enables practitioners to redirect focus off of the shortfalls of our current healthcare system, and place them back on patient care. Just from my time volunteering/shadowing in the ER, and interacting with clinicians during my time in EMS, it is easy to see that physicians have limited time to meet face-to-face with all of their patients, while PAs seem to be able to spend more time speaking with the patient, and obtaining a more thorough history, which is vital to seeing the patient as a whole and not just acute symptoms. The ability of PA to render care autonomously, or under close direction of a supervising physician offers PA a unique niche in the medical community, one I am excited to be a part of. We hear “life is too short” all the time, but how many people have been on scene after a heartbroken mother rolled over on her four-month-old, and you work that child like its your own, knowing she’s been down too long. As a healthcare provider, you have those patients that make it all worth it; That remind you why you keep going back for the MVAs, amputations, overdoses, three year old with fishhook in his eye, 2 year old down a flight of stairs, Alzheimer’s patient who doesn’t understand why they’re being strapped to the stretcher, 302 who pulls a gun, pancreatic cancer patient who vomits blood on you while you’re at the bottom of the stairchair and there’s not a thing you can do about it until you get down two more flights of stairs. EMS has given me more experience, hope and disappointment than I could have ever asked for as an undergraduate. It has done nothing short of fuel my desire for advancement in the medical field. I strive to offer the best patient care of which I am capable, and look forward to continuing to do so as a physician assistant. It is exciting to be a part of a relatively young profession, which in a short period of time has established a critical position in out healthcare system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Routine calls in EMS are often routine. Hence the name. Your essay is interesting but you don't tell me much about you. Your essay is one of the few chances you have to tell your own story in the sea of numbers schools get from CASPA. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidteinke Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Guys,Just thinking for you, leter I'll update you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMuela Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 As another EMS provider I have to say, you may be laying it on a little thick. There are absolutely calls where no emergency exists and nothing of extraordinary significants is happening, that not to say that it couldn't. Spend more time talking about the patient, Ken, The sudden change in his LOC, a strange and unfamiliar rhythm on the ECG, how you wished you knew more and could have done more to manage his care. Then lightly touch on EMS and the broad set of experiences it offers. Include the other things you've done to prepare for PA school - academic experience, family, ect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paproof Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Agree with above... why should a school take you over someone else? What makes you special? Talk more about YOU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kargiver Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Concur with others assessments. Clearly you are involved in EMS. Many schools shy away from these candidates. You need to make this a part of your essay - NOT your essay. And a lot of EMS is routine. Having done thousands of chest pain calls, they are routine. Anyone who has done EMS and reviews your essay knows this. Shorten your EMS background and experience, and how it shaped you, to one paragraph. And then tell us about yourself. Thats what matters. Programs are building cohorts. You would likely be the EMS component of the cohort. But they need to know more about you. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.