I know, I know...we needy Pre-PAs are a handful. Still, feedback would be great!

[Middie09]

This is my first draft. I'm sure there are a few inconsistencies. Please, have a look and reply with as many WTFs as you feel are necessary. Thank you!!

 

Over the course of five years aboard a US Navy submarine, countless hours ticked by while I lay in my bunk, the only place on a submarine where one can be alone. On many occasions, the first and last object in view, between brief respites of sleep, was either a Tomahawk Cruise Missile or a MK-48 torpedo. As I lay next to these 26 ft. long weapons designed to take lives efficiently and from distance, I began to get a sense of what I wanted to do with my life. It had become very clear that I was intended to be achieving the very opposite of what my training had taught me up to that point. I am meant to ascertain the professional tools and experience as a Physician Assistant so that I might, one day, be called upon to save lives in a very up close and personal way. Five years aboard a submarine helped to develop valuable teamwork and leadership tools I’ve come to rely on in all aspects of my life. When presented with the opportunity to bring these skills to bear, juxtaposed to pre-hospital emergency medical care, it seemed a natural progression that I volunteer with a local rescue squad.

 

Life on a submarine, though certainly not glamorous, is very educational. Integral life skills are learned and reaffirmed in a “trial by fire” manner, sometimes literally. There are few jobs I know of where one’s life is tied so closely to the training and competency of the people with whom one works. Submarine service made me acutely aware of how valuable that trust is when tragedy strikes. It is a trust that must be equally earned and given if there is any hope of success. As a part-time EMT for the last 3 years, I strive to foster that level of trust with my patients in the limited time I have with them. Patient care has been my passion since I began my journey toward the PA profession. The most humbling aspect of the job is to be called to action by complete strangers, in their worst moments, looking to me for answers and reassurance. The responsibility of safeguarding the lives under my charge is one I am familiar with and I do not take it lightly. While pre-hospital emergency medical care is both challenging and rewarding, it can also be limiting. As an EMT, I sometimes lack diagnostic and treatment tools to help the patient and I am left wishing I could do more. Often, the patient’s outcome remains a mystery to me. As a PA, patient care is expanded from emergency treatment to definitive care and prevention of reoccurrence, where applicable. Finally, my passion for patient care might find some resolution. I am not so naïve as to think they will all be happy conclusions but as each case comes to an end, I’ll know that I provided the very best care I could to each and every patient who trusted me to do so.

 

My main area of interest, as a PA, is pediatrics. In particular, I'm concerned for the children living in areas of our country and the world that experience vast socioeconomic difficulties. As adults, we have the ability to decide to seek medical treatment, where available, but children do not. In many third world countries, children not born healthy are neglected or even discarded. In our own country, where healthcare is not available, children are often abandoned. What a difference a simple clinic could make in the lives of those families. With a network of PAs under a doctor's license, each patient could be reasonably assured of competent healthcare, equal to that which they might otherwise not be able to afford.

 

Having thoroughly explored the Physician Assistant field, experienced the pros and cons of pre-hospital emergency care, and prepared myself in the prerequisite courses, I am confident a career as a Physician Assistant is what I am called to do. My experiences in the US Navy and as an EMT have focused my passion for a career and lifestyle dedicated to helping and healing others as a PA. I am eager for the challenge of success as a PA. I am ready for the great responsibility that accompanies such a calling.

[EMEDPA]

wtf...sorry had to say that....:)

rewrite this section. shorten it into 2 or more sentences and replace the word ascertain with another word.:

" I am meant to ascertain the professional tools and experience as a Physician Assistant so that I might, one day, be called upon to save lives in a very up close and personal way. "

 

on a separate note you would be an excellent candidate for the program at the university of wa/medex. I hope you apply there. good luck