Essay - Second time applying - Please destroy

[Dreamer07]

Hello all!

 

I posted an earlier draft of this a few months ago and I was hoping for some more feedback after I made some edits. Please feel free to rip it apart. The more the better and thanks! 

 

 

Everything happened in an instant. Standing in the back of a beat up Toyota Hilux, we had been waiting anxiously for a call from helicopter flying above. We heard Dr. Rogers shouting, “Go, go, go!” over the walkie-talkie and in a flash we were on the move. The tranquilizer dart Dr. Rogers had fired from the helicopter sedated the white rhino we had been tracking and now the rest of us were closing in. We rushed towards the unconscious rhino and began our treatment right there in the middle of the South African bush. The rhino had a nasty cut on his right foot, which needed to be treated as soon as possible to prevent infection. It was only a few minutes before the job was complete and the rhino was scampering off with a freshly bandaged foot.  It then finally hit me where I was and what I had helped accomplish.

 

Traveling is the great love affair of my life. My dream of traveling around the world is constant and I remain loyal to it even when it chews me up and spits me out. After years of fantasizing and planning, I headed off on my first study abroad trip to Paris, France. The trip went so poorly that it could have been its own episode on “Bad Trips Abroad” and my dream adventure ended after three days. But I didn’t give up. Two months later, I was on route to Berlin with money I had saved from baby-sitting and other part time jobs. Berlin wouldn’t be my last stop. My passport is now filled with stamps from the United Kingdom, Australia, and, most recently, Africa to work with exotic animals.

 

I had planned on applying to veterinary school but I had some doubts. Veterinary medicine, while incredibly fascinating and rewarding, is terribly heartbreaking. As a pre-vet student, I knew euthanasia would be necessary to help relieve an animal’s pain, but to put down a perfectly healthy animal just because of cost? I couldn’t stomach it. Ultimately, I decided it was too much and that it was time to let go.

 

I began my search for a new career in the Emergency Room where I had spent several years working as a Registrar. My position was rather unique from a standard registration job. Instead of sitting at a desk all day, registering patients one by one like an assembly line, I got to work alongside the clinical staff. I went room to room to complete my registrations and absolutely loved it. I was able to spend more time with each patient and I got to know them on a more personal level. I was in the room during all kinds of procedures and treatments. For years I got a front row seat to suturing, splinting, and examinations to name a few. When I was done my registrations, I was still in the center of all the action.  If a Whenever there was a patient in critical condition, I would be there in the room with the rest of the staff to get that patient registered. I was a part of the team and I was hooked.

 

I was still unsure of the exact career path I wanted to take. I realized medical school didn’t fit into my life’s goals. I wanted to settle down, buy a house, and start a family. Combining medical school and a residency with these goals would turn them into a burden. I also ruled out nursing school. I knew I wanted to help treat patients, but I also knew I wanted to do more. I wanted to be involved with the diagnostic process. I decided to ask my father for his input. My father is a PA and has worked in Emergency Medicine for most of his life. He is the hardest working man I know and I knew there was no one better I could turn to. He held nothing back and told me all of the good, bad, and ugly. Thanks to my father’s knowledge and experience, as well as my time in the Emergency Room, my questions were answered and I knew I found my career. I left registration behind and became a Patient Care Tech for the department. I had begun my pursuit of becoming a PA.

 

One of the most exciting aspects for me about becoming a PA is that I can combine my career with one of my greatest passions. I dream of the days of when I will be able to go abroad and help those less fortunate. I consider my time in Africa to be an eye-opening, one of a kind experience. Now, when I think of my future, I not only picture myself helping people at home, but abroad as well. I am excited at the opportunity to volunteer abroad once again as a PA and can think of nothing more rewarding than going to where my skills can be used to help those most in need.  

 

My path to becoming a physician assistant is definitely a unique one. I may not have followed the traditional route but my endeavors have helped me develop as an individual and have strengthened my resolve to make this my career. Everything in my life has led me to this point. I am mentally prepared and determined to succeed. I am ready to move forward.