P.S. Rough Draft

[Hemoptysis]

I would appreciate any and all critique of my personal statement below. I would like to know if the focus on the Spanish-speaking community as an example of those treated by the PA is the right emphasis(I feel like my interpreting experience with them makes me stand out). I also wonder if it flows well(I did not write it all in one day), and where elaboration can be made, or if it is necessary (my current character count is about 3,850 of the allowable 5,000).

 

"My determination to pursue a career as a Physician’s Assistant has evolved from the desire to share my knowledge and love of healthcare and the attraction of continued service to the growing Hispanic population.

In a northern Mexico clinic I lay on a phlebotomy table with my arm outstretched, reflecting on the circumstances that had brought me here. Working as a 2 year LDS missionary in Mexico, I had encountered a pregnant woman seeking blood donations for a possible transfusion. Her request was at first confusing but it came into focus as she explained that soon she would be delivering via c-section, and the surgeon needed blood on hand if a transfusion were necessary. She had searched in vain for type-matching family members, and after finding she was Type A Positive, as I knew I was, I offered to make a directed donation. Having a small part in the safe delivery of a baby who I was later able to see and hold, brought purpose to my view of the medical profession. Working towards similar positive healthcare outcomes presented the challenge and reward that I was looking for in a career. It has been experiences such as this one that have helped me to realize that I want to play a part in the healing process as a Physician’s Assistant.

My life experiences and training have prepared me well for a career as a PA. During my time in Mexico I witnessed some healthcare inadequacies firsthand. The combination of lacking healthcare and monetary resources leave very little hope for the average patient there. In these circumstances, I was able to meet people with a far different upbringing than my own. The challenge of connecting with the community was easier to overcome by learning the Spanish language. This personal strength would help me continue my service with the Spanish-speaking population. Shortly after returning home, I started part-time work as a Spanish medical interpreter, while concurrently attending college. With over 3 years of combined paid interpreting experience in 2 different healthcare organizations, I have been surprised to realize that even in the U.S., disadvantaged patients abound, to whom health care isn’t easily accessible. I have come to view the Hispanic population as an embodiment of the medically underserved who are the focus of the Physician’s Assistant. Daily, I am able to make a difference to these patients simply by affording them the opportunity to converse directly with their healthcare provider. The ability to informally shadow PA’s in the interpreting role has shown me the traits of personableness and patience, which I realize are almost as important as medical knowledge in the clinical setting.

Attaining my PA goal has taken me down a path of rewarding educational opportunities. Choosing a laboratory science major, I’ve come to understand the clinical aspects of testing and diagnosis. In my undergraduate work I’ve garnered skills in laboratory disciplines ranging from safe blood transfusions to hormone deficiency recognition. The functions of the body and its parts, along with the body’s ability to heal, have been a constantly fascinating study for me. Although a career as a laboratorian is not my final goal, I hope to continue to refine lab skills such as microbial identification and disease correlation as a PA. I’ve also been able to participate in Physician Assistant shadowing in a family practice clinic, which only deepened my desire to work in the field. The experience left me with no delusions about the amount of work involved, but an excitement to be able to treat patients with the degree of autonomy that I observed.

As a PA, it is my hope to help fill some of the gap that exists today in the availability of healthcare, and as a lifelong student, I am committed to bettering myself in that profession."

[Just Steve]

With Spanish being the second most used language in the US, I think there is a strong need to speak it as a medical provider. I have been told by several of my health care provider friends that having Spanish as a second language can often swing the vote to employ you over another applicant who may have equal or even better training, but lacks the Spanish language.

 

What I know about you...LDS doing mission work in Mexico for two years, got involved in the community, found motivation for work in the medical field. You have worked in as a medical translator for 3 years within 2 different organizations. You have taken course work within the medical field in a program that requires strong academic skills. You have shadowed with a PA in family practice. Your long term plan is to focus a bit more on aspects of infectious disease and parlay that experience into work as a PA providing care for underserved population. Does that cover the points that you had hoped to convey? If not, what would you add?

 

I like it. It flows from what you have done, to what you are doing, to what you hope to do. Logical progression without too much fluff/filler. When I first started to read about your arm on the table, I thought "oh oh, novel time" but you didn't drive down that road too far and progressed on with your points fairly quickly.

 

It looks like you cut and pasted from a word document into this program, which wipes out your paragraph breaks. It's a formatting thing but I find it important to ease eyestrain of the reader, especially when they are reading a few hundred of these.

 

Good luck

[Hemoptysis]

I very much appreciate the input from both of you! I have made some corrections/additions which I will probably post shortly. My hope is that the spanish emphasis does not make me appear one-dimensional, but that's what I have to work with in terms of C.E.

[mktalon]

The problem with the woman who needed blood was that she searched "in vain" rather than "in vein.". Bad jokes aside, you're not off to a bad start.

[mktalon]

are you sure you want to be a "physician's assistant" though?

[Hemoptysis]

mktalon, I absolutely want to be a PA. I guess you might think based on my experiences I wanted to be a doc. I hope that my essay didn't convey that, but I am prepared for that interview question regardless. Like all big decisions, the decision to pursue PA school isn't based on just one factor, but for me the biggest one, is that I want to get to work ASAP. I assume anyone who discovers they want to help patients might feel similar.

[UllrPrincess]

What he means is that Physician's Assistant is the wrong spelling of the profession. I think it's frustrating to people when you post a PS on here and don't even know how the spell the profession.

[Hemoptysis]

That was an early correction. Point taken.

[jesscbv]

"The ability to informally shadow PA’s in the interpreting role has shown me the traits of personableness and patience, which I realize are almost as important as medical knowledge in the clinical setting"

 

This might be picky, but I might say something more like, "As an interpreter, I've had the opportunity to informally shadow physician assistants. From these experiences, I have come to realize that good bed-side manner is equally important as didactic knowledge." And from there talk about how this may reflect some of your strengths and experience with connecting with your clients.