I think this is good. What do you think?

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1Physician assistants must be leaders in their field who are devoted to positive transformation of healthcare. The PA profession is growing exponentially. People who are going into PA need to truly care about what is going on in their communities. This is where I believe I can make a small but significant difference as a PA. Some notable characteristics I have observed about PAs is that they are hardworking, lighthearted, respectful individuals, and they really enjoy what they do. The PAs that I have met in the last two years work in both a primary care facility, and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at University of Florida (UF) and Shands Trauma One Hospital. The PA who works in the ICU has been there for 20 years and loves her job. The other PA who works in primary care has done everything from emergency medicine to cardiac surgery in his 25 year career. My life experiences have helped mold me into an individual with a true passion for people, and a determination to serve my community as a PA.

2The importance of quality medical care made a huge impression on me as a child. My parents divorced early in my childhood due to their alcohol addictions. I wanted to help them but had no real ability to do anything myself. The PA who worked at the treatment center where my mother stayed was a hero to me. He inspired confidence that the best care was going to be provided to my mother, and he always made time for us during visits. During my teenage years, I got off course by hanging out with the wrong crowd. The desire to return to school and become a PA came into my mind often, but I was dealing with my own alcohol issues at the time.

3Fortunately, I stopped drinking for good in 2004. I began taking classes at Florida State College Jacksonville (FSCJ) while running two of my own businesses. I obtained a GED and got a nearly perfect score that awarded me a scholarship for the first two years of school. I saw a need for someone to encourage the new students in the GED program, so I got permission and began speaking regularly to the class on study habits, self-esteem, and goal setting. As I began to develop my own study habits and got A’s in courses such as College Algebra, I would stop by the class to reassure students about what they could expect and how I accomplished this by setting small goals.

4Eventually, FSCJ offered me the opportunity to do a series of TV commercials promoting their various programs of study. I agreed, and to my embarrassment, they ran for four years causing people in the grocery store to often recognize me. I took an introductory chemistry class to see if I could handle the chemistry required for PA programs. A fellow classmate, who is now also applying to medical school, and I had a friendly competition going, so by the end of the semester I the highest grade in the class. This showed me that I could accomplish anything to which I set my mind.

5Volunteer work has been important to me for years. I have volunteered all over my community, especially with people in recovery from alcohol. I am a certified Phlebotomist, and I am beginning work as a CNA in August. The thing that I learned from my volunteering is that I was the one benefiting most from the time I spent helping others. When I was shadowing a PA, it was more apparent than ever that I had discovered exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.

6What draws me to the PA profession is the flexibility to work in different fields of medicine, and the skill set necessary to diagnose disease, order tests, and write prescriptions. My objective is to work in rural medicine or primary care around the institution that I graduate from, so I can make a small, but significant difference around the area that allows me to realize my dream of becoming a PA. It has often been said to choose a field to work in that you would do for free. If I were picking a career that I would enjoy doing without being paid, it would be working with patients as a PA.

 

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Not sure why I can't paste it on here without it running everything together, so I just put numbers to distinguish paragraphs.