First Timer/First Draft- Respiratory Therapist to PA- tear it up !

[tiffanymarie3]

One hour left in my third night shift that week. It had been an uneventful night for once, until a code blue was called overhead. These are definitely more common on the adult population of our hospital, but this time it was a pediatric code blue. Being assigned to the pediatric intensive care unit, I am required to attend all pediatric codes, so off I went, praying that it was a mistake and the woman overhead would cancel it. Sadly that was not the case. What I walked into that morning was something I will never forget. Outside the room, two extremely panicked parents. Inside the room, more blood than I could ever imagine in my lifetime. There was a nurse at the bedside performing compressions, and I was the next person there. I stopped dead in my tracks once I reached the doorway, took a deep breath, and ran inside. As a respiratory therapist, I took my place at the head of the bed to ventilate the patient and to maintain her airway. The bleed was coming from her throat - where her surgical site was. The Physician Assistant came shortly after, one who I had worked with all night. He and I took immediate control and initiated suction and requested items to keep her airway open so she could make it to surgery. The way the P.A. was able to make decisions on her care so quickly in an emergency made everything go so smoothly. This moment was a deciding factor in pursuing a higher level of care.

 

The funny thing is, I made the decision to be a Physician Assistant in high school. Graduating with high honors, I was well on my way. Little did I know, going to college at 17 was harder than I thought. In high school, I rarely needed to study. Things seemed to come naturally, and being able to juggle all honors classes while coaching kids and participating in competitive cheerleading every night while getting straight A's didn't give me the impression that college would be any different. Two semesters in, I realized that I had no clue how to properly study. A strong interest in science courses and being unaware of good study habits was not a great combination. At that point I put my goals aside to save my GPA, and changed my major. It wasn't until I received my bachelors and went on to Respiratory Therapy school that I really honed my studying skills, and I am much better for it. Going this route really put my goals into perspective, and getting to work in the medical field alongside Physician Assistants make my motivation stronger.

 

Being able to work so closely with the Physician Assistants in the adult and pediatric intensive care units has really helped me realize what my job would be like. Being able to witness and take part in their decision making skills while deciphering a critical value on a blood gas, watching them jump in to help intubate when a patient goes bad, and watching them comfort the family of a trauma patient. These are just some of the reasons why being a P.A. is so unique and rewarding. You get excellent opportunities to be completely involved in a patient's care, and those decisions will actually make a difference in someone's life.

 

My passion for pediatrics is strong. I can remember starting my respiratory therapy job, some of my co-workers talking about how they get so nervous working with kids and their parents. The night I was able to work in pediatrics, I was completely hooked. It is the most rewarding place to be. Watching a newborn with a cardiac defect leave the hospital with a working heart after being in the hospital for over a month, being able to help a teenager with a traumatic brain injury from an ATV accident and seeing him physically walk out of the hospital after months of hard work. These are the moments I live for. Working with the kids and their parents is something I always felt comfortable with. I feel that as a PA, I would really be able to focus on the pediatric specialty and help more kids and their parents in their most vulnerable time.

 

I get so excited thinking about a future career as a Physician Assistant. Even with the experience I continue to receive by being a Respiratory Therapist, I feel the need to gain more knowledge, obtain more responsibility, and do more for my patients. I may not have gone the traditional route, and I definitely have had some swerves in the road up until this point. I feel these swerves have strengthened me and have given me the patient care experience that I would not have had if I tried to apply fresh out of my undergraduate career. I have never felt more determined to become what I've wanted to be for so long, and I look forward to getting there.

[nubienne]

I really enjoyed reading your personal statement. It flows very well and gives great insight into your motivation to be in the field, as well as the expertise/perspective your RT career has given you. Very nice. 

[Researcher01]

I also enjoyed reading your PS. It flows very well and hits all of the main points it needs to. You touched upon your grade discrepancies masterfully. I always get held up and picky on grammar/sentence structure, but you had very few errors. I would suggest changing one of the "being able to" in the third paragraph as the repetition is distracting.  Also I would recommend finding a better fitting synonym for the word "swerves" in the final paragraph. It distracts from the point you are trying to make.