coppcw08 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 My decision to seek a career in healthcare is influenced by many personal, educational, and work experiences. However, it was my younger brother, Colby, who played an integral role in why I want to become a physician assistant. When he was 8 years old, he passed out during recess at our school. The school nurse tried to find his heartbeat but to no avail. He was rushed to the local hospital where an emergency room physician assistant treated him. The PA was able to find his heartbeat under his left armpit, and immediately ordered a chest x-ray, which showed his heart was misplaced, and there was a large mass inside his chest cavity that was collapsing his lungs. He was immediately airlifted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. There it was discovered he had a rare condition called malignant teratoma. To me, a 14 year old boy at the time, this meant nothing to me except that he was very sick and needed surgery. Of course this was very troublesome for me to watch my little brother lay in a hospital bed unaware of what was going on. It took me nearly 6 years before I could actually understand what had happened to my brother. I was taking a genetics course at SUNY Oneonta where I learned about oncogenes, which form cancer. That is where I learned that teratoma is a form of rare cancer that contains one or more of the cells that form an embryo. This was extremely fascinating to me how genetics plays a role in everything that happens in the body, even cancer. In my brothers’ case, it caused an 8-pound mass in his chest cavity, collapsing his lungs and forcing his heart out of position. If it hadn’t been for the quick thinking to order a chest x-ray immediately by the emergency room PA then the outcome may have been different for my brother. However, thanks to her quick thinking, education, and training they caught early enough to where it had not metastasized and surgery alone was enough to allow him to live a normal life. Though that was my first encounter with a PA I had several other experiences, which guided to me towards wanting to become a PA. While working at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY I spent over 2,100 hours as a cardiac monitor technician, learning to interpret ECG rhythms, placing leads, and the importance to taking care of one's heart. My time as a cardiac monitor technician gave me the chance to learn the electrophysiology of the heart better and more in depth than in my anatomy & physiology course. I also spent approximately 300 hours gaining valuable hands-on experience as a patient care assistant where I learned how to properly move patients, change dressings, and about aseptic procedure. These techniques are essential in the everyday healthcare experience. Lastly, while there, I stood in on and observed numerous surgical procedures through the Mithoefer Rural Surgery Program. During each surgery there was a physician assistant standing in helping with each procedure . I was able to stand in on about 20 procedures from outpatient surgeries like tonsillectomies to in-depth neurosurgery. Being able to stand next to the surgeon and physician assistant while they performed the procedures was an experience I will never forget. This experience taught me things like spatial organization of organs, surgical procedure, how to read x-rays, and anatomy. Not only did I obtain valuable knowledge of the medical field but these experiences solidified my career choice of becoming a physician assistant. My interest in becoming a Physician Assistant comes from the experiences I have encountered throughout my life and the desire to provide quality healthcare to those who need it. I've chosen to apply to PA school over medical school and nursing school because PAs have the unique ability to switch specialty areas. The idea of being able to specialize in several different areas of medicine throughout the course of my career appeals to me because I love to learn. I feel that as a PA, my skills will be used in a wider variety of situations than other medical professions, creating more opportunity for me to help more people. I will use my motivation, experience, and knowledge of medicine to help people and make a positive difference. I am confident not only that this is the career I desire, but also that I have the skills and drive to help me succeed in this challenging yet rewarding profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppcw08 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Please, I could use some help. If anyone can provide some constructive criticism I would really really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 I honestly feel that this is well written. The use of your "I" is not over blaring, but then again it is almost impossible to write a personal statement and not use "I" in reference to yourself. All of the details are there. The best advice I can give you is to say what you mean to say in fewer words by integrating ideas and sentences. To illustrate this I have rephrased what you put to give you a different prospective. Feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt. As always double check the spelling, grammar, etc. as I rewrote this quickly without any outside consults. Please give me your thoughts as the more experience I gain the easier it will be to write my own personal statement. While my desire for a career in healthcare is influenced my many factors, my younger brother, Colby, may have had the greatest impact. At 8 years old, he passed out during recess. The school nurse tried to no avail to find his heartbeat. Colby was rushed to a nearby hospital to receive treatment. He was treated by an emergency room PA who found his heartbeat under his left armpit. A chest x-ray revealed that is heart was misplaced and a large mass resided in his chest cavity putting pressure on his lungs. Colby was airlifted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. At Mount Sinai the rarity of Colby’s condition was discovered. He had a malignant teratoma. As a 14 year old boy I did not understand. I knew only that surgery was needed. This fact troubled me as I watched my little brother enter surgery unaware of what was happening. Six years later I finally understood the events of that day. It came to me while taking a genetics course at SUNY Oneonta. There I learned about cancer causing genes, oncogenes. I also learned that teratoma is a form of cancer that contains multiple cells which form as an embryo. Genetics gave me a greater sense of understanding of the human body and an understanding of 8 pound mass in Colby’s chest. If it had not been for the quick thinking of the emergency room PA the outcome could have been very different. Thankfully it was caught early enough that it had not metastasized and was treatable allowing Colby to have a normal life. Future experiences with other PAs guided me towards the profession. At Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, NY I earned over 2,100 hours as a cardiac monitor technician, learning to interpret ECG rhythms, place leads, and the importance of heart health. My experiences there gave me the ability to better comprehend more fully the electrophysiology of the heart. The 300 hours of hands-on training as a patient care assistant taught me to move patients, change, dressings, and about aseptic procedures. These are the skills I use every day to provide care to patients. Lastly, Bassett, allowed me to stand in and observe numerous surgical procedures via the Mithoefer Rural Surgery Program. A PA was present during all surgeries. I performed 20 procedures from outpatient surgeries, tonsillectomies, to in-depth neurosurgery. Standing next to the surgeon and a physician assistant as they operated was an unforgettable experience. It taught me special organization of organs, surgical procedure, how to read x-rays, and anatomy. The medical knowledge and experiences solidified my desire of becoming a physician assistant. Throughout my life my experiences with PAs leads me to provide quality health care to the underserved. Choosing to apply to PA over MD and nursing school allows me the unique ability to switch specialties an idea which is very appealing to me. I love to learn new things and feel that as a PA my sills would be useful in a wider variety of situations than other professions, creating opportunities for me to those underserved. My motivation, experience, and medical knowledge will help make a positive difference in people’s lives. I am certain that this is the career I desire and that my skills and drive will help me to succeed in this challenging yet rewarding profession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppcw08 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Share Posted August 9, 2011 Thank you very much. I appreciate your feedback and will see how I can mesh the two styles. Thanks again and good luck writing your P.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Best of luck with integrating the two styles. If you would not mind could you please pm me? I am looking for someone to review my personal statement as well. Let me know if you are interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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