Reapplying to school could someone look at my PS and give me any advice. THANK YOU!!

[nikkid11]

I applied last year and was on the waiting list and didn't end up getting in, so I am reapplying! Would you recommend rewriting the entire PS or could I add/change parts of it and keep the main ideas? Thank you so much for taking the time to give me any advice.

 

 

 

Personal Statement

I arrived in Mexico with health professionals and student volunteers with the goal of helping the local poverty stricken population. While dividing areas into separate rooms in a rundown building, I noticed an anxious young girl. Sara appeared nervous and in pain and her eyes searching my eyes for help. With less than fluent Spanish, I acknowledged the fact I was going to have to improvise if I wanted to communicate. I sat with her as we sketched pictures on scraps of paper while we waited for a physician to assess her health concerns. I noticed she became more comfortable and her anxiety seemed to subside. This child would not have been given the medication and care she needed if it weren't for our team. It was at this moment I realized I wanted to focus my energy on helping a wide spectrum of people.

I made the connection that my desire was to help a wide variety of people when I was allowed to shadow a physician assistant. I found it very intriguing and important that I not only learn the physical needs of an individual, but the social, cultural, and nutritional needs of one as well. The PA showed me with every patient that healing an individual is so much more than administering a drug when one is ill, but that all different aspects of their life needs to be accounted for.

I decided to continue in areas that would expose me to the demands of psychological, physical, and cultural needs of people. My second year of college I was accepted into the Clinical Care Extender program which would give me firsthand experience on different floors of a hospital. Throughout the year in the hospital I took the initiative to find new ways to help patients, focusing on a psychological approach. I directed my attention to those I felt I could benefit by lifting their spirits and focusing on positive aspects. Each week I would find an interest of the patient and figure out what I could do to help. There was a particular case that I was able to assist in a psychological plan, a woman in room 113, who had a diagnosis of depression. She would reminisce about her granddaughter who she used to take to the beach and now is unable to do so. The following week I brought a little box filled with sand which seemed to lift her spirits and helped her speak more openly with her therapist. The achievement from my gesture was very gratifying.

Raised in a small town by a mother who is an epidemiologist and a father who is a family practice doctor, I was surrounded by people in the medical profession, so my dream of becoming involved with the health care profession came naturally. I would come home in the summer and work with teenage foster girls who were placed in Daisy’s foster center. I learned how to incorporate the differences in the cultural, psychological, and physical needs of each one of the girls. I would encourage them to use physical exercise and meditation to channel their enormous anger which provided them with relief. I designed classes on nutrition and positive recreation that would help improve their confidence, attitude, and overall health. I felt it was important not only to help them who were suffering from poor health but also support them in good health.

 

I began to notice, after speaking with different PA’s the different qualities and characteristics they possessed when determining if this was the right profession for me. PA’s that I worked with had the ability to show empathy in a way that really helped the patient and family. They were put in hard situations every day and their ability to talk and work with those involved was one of their greatest skills. They empathized with the patient involved and were understanding so they are able to care for individuals on a personal level. The physician assistants gained their patients trust with their honesty and respect for whom they took care of. The physician assistants are the main link between the doctor and the patient which enhances better treatment plans. The qualities that I saw of being empathetic, respectful, honest, and being able to listen to the patient are the real reasons why I want to become a PA.

I’ve known that I have a passion for helping people all my life. I now feel that my ability to help people in all aspects of their life would be best served as being a PA. I will continue to seek additional education and tools that will help me become a physician assistant like the ones I have met.

 

 

Thank you again and good luck to all!!