ROUGH draft of PS

[amh1523]

Hi,

I am a first time applicant and having an extremely difficult time putting together my personal statement. I have put together a rough draft. It has not been revised for grammatical errors or spelling so please excuse this. I was hoping maybe someone may have some comments, advice, or inspiration for me.

Thanks! :)

 

Walking into the emergency room at the start of my shift I see a frequent drunk visitor stumbling out with his wisp of a woman sister. Although I believe he tries to do better I know I will see him next week. I glance around and notice every room is full and people are waiting to come back. The triage tracker shows an abdominal pain, 2 motor vehicle accidents, a puncture wound, and a foreign body, but does not specify where. It will be an interesting night.

I initially began working in the emergency room as I considered a nursing career but quickly realized this is not what I wanted. Although I excelled at my job, school was not a primary concern. I had been an honor student all my life and things came easy to me but I was having trouble motivating myself. This all changed when I encountered my first physician assistant. As an independent , inquisitive thinker I realized I desired more autonomy than the role of a nurse but still found comfort in having an collaborative physician.

I have worked in an inner city emergency room (ER) as a technician for the last seven years. This is where I grew up personally and professionally. I believe my experiences here will serve me greatly in the physician assistant profession. My time in the ER has helped make me more holistic. Although not everything is a life or death situation, all things require one to be adaptable and able to prioritize. It has also introduced me to beliefs and cultures other than my own. We have a diverse population of patients. I have seen many different cultural practices from cupping and coining to end of life rituals. My broad array of experiences has taught me patience, assertiveness, and most importantly compassion. These are all characteristics I value in the physician assistants I have been privileged to work with and observe.

I have had the opportunity to work along with as well as shadow several physician assistants. I admire the skill and confidence in which they diagnose and treat their patients. They take time to educate patients so they do not have to keep coming back into the emergency system for problems that are avoidable. Patient education is something I feel strongly about. Often health care providers fail to recognize the patient’s ability to grasp the information that is being delivered to them. This can cause further health problems. As a health care professional, I feel it is my responsibility to ensure my patients thoroughly understand their conditions and are aware of resources available to them.

My ER technician role limits my medical knowledge and I desire to expand upon this. I take every opportunity at work to learn, whether it is sitting in on or assisting during an unfamiliar procedure or simply quizzing myself on patient diagnoses based on assessments, labs, and other clinical tests. My goal to become a physician assistant will allow me to provide efficient, quality care and information to members of my community. With the upcoming discussions of health care reform, physician assistants will be even more an integral part of the health care community and I know this is where I need to be.