Help with Content for Personal Statement!

[prepalj]

I am having problems writing my personal statement. I keep starting over with different ideas, but am starting to feel like I should just get someone else's opinion before I delete it all.

 

Background: No significant patient care experience. Graduated from college in 2010 and began working in a research lab. Committed to stay through summer 2012, and have a nurse asst job lined up to start in sept.

 

I know there are too many I's and stuff like that, I just want to know if my content is clearly answering the question of "why i want to be a pa" at all. i know it needs a lot of work, but any opinions from outside of my own head would be greatly appreciated...

 

In the summer of 2010, I had a life-changing experience. All of a sudden my future was clearer than it had ever been. I was sitting in an animal surgery suite holding scissors, forceps and a mouse’s life in my hands. Before the surgery began, I was hesitant and a fear of failure crept into my mind. That all changed after the first cut. After that, my hands were steady and my mind was focused. It took less than ten minutes to resect the mammary tumor, but it still felt too short. Fortunately, I received the opportunity to perform surgeries on multiple occasions after that day, and was appreciative of the experience I gained from each and every surgery. I quickly learned that no mouse, surgery, or tumor is ever the same. After tumor resections, my principal investigator (P.I.) also taught me several other procedures that helped me learn about the animal body and the process of tumor growth and metastasis.

 

The experience I gained from these procedures helped solidify my career aspirations of being a physician assistant. It was my goal before I began working in the lab, but back in 2010 I also knew I was not ready to commit to a PA program. I was looking for something, and I was not even sure what it was. I did not question my desire to work in a medical setting. I did not question my desire to spend my life trying to help people when they are sick or injured. Now I have realized that I was searching for an area of interest inside of healthcare. Luckily, I was hired to work in a setting where I came in contact with that interest. Gaining experience in surgery was the most impactful part of the last two years of my life, but I gained more than just that.

 

I grew up as an athlete, and enjoyed playing team sports. I consider myself a leader and a team player, but these qualities have been put to the test. Even after going to a rigorous and challenging college for my undergraduate education, I had never been mentally tested like I have been working in research. My P.I. has been very demanding, and frequently questions my decisions and analysis of data. In the beginning, this caused me to feel frustrated and sometimes intimidated. Over time, I learned how to be confident in my instincts and learned how to defend my educated decisions. My mind began to anticipate the doubts and questions of others, and in the end it has made me a more confident, thorough and detail-oriented person.

 

Throughout my time in research, my P.I. has also entrusted me with the supervision of five different students. Although he helped them design the project, it was primarily my job to guide them on a daily basis. They consulted me with their questions on protocols, procedures, data analysis and presentation. This allowed me to forming my own style of teaching. My methods evolved into a blend of teaching facts and encouraging independent investigation. My goals were to help them get the most out of their research experience, and it turned out to help me get more out of my research experience as well.

 

My relationship with my P.I. is similar to the relationship between a medical doctor and a physician assistant. I work closely with him, and my freedom and limitations are subject to his discretion. My duties often come down to the simple fact of what he has time to accomplish and the rest is delegated to me. The last two years have proven that I work well as part of a team, and have a dedication to the future of medicine. I feel that my unique knowledge and skill set make me an excellent candidate for a program in physician assistant studies, and will make me an exceptional healthcare provider in the future.