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Rough draft of Personal Statement..Input greatly appreciated! Thanks!


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Passion, an ardent devotion, is manifested in many ways depending on the person, the attraction, the goal, and the purpose. For me, Ralph Waldo Emerson said it perfectly, “Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant.” I am fortunate enough to have two passions that make me feel alive and bring color to my life; healing and family.

Beginning in childhood, I knew I wanted to be a healer. I grew up in a close-knit Irish family and my grandfather claimed he always knew when we weren’t feeling well because he could see it in our eyes. He would say “let’s get those Irish eyes smiling”, meaning make us feel better, and proceed singing the Irish tune, which always brought a little twinkle back into our eyes. I knew I wanted to make people feel better the way he did for us; I wanted to bring the twinkle back into others eyes. Needless to say, I was a horrible singer, so that wasn’t an option, but I did love nurturing animals and people back to health. I drug countless creatures into our house, insisting I needed practice being a “doctor”, including birds, turtles, even a baby mouse (my Mom was not pleased with that “patient”).

As I got older, I became further fascinated with health and medicine. However, I did not know where my place was exactly in the broad medical field. I was told to think about what I enjoy outside of medicine, and then see if there are any correlations with a certain medical career. It was easy to come up with what I loved; figuring out puzzles, learning new things, living a healthy, balanced life, and most of all bringing the twinkle back into others eyes. Considering these attributes, I knew I wanted to be in a position that diagnosed, because of the puzzle-like process and learning that advances each case, as well helping people improve their overall well-being. After doing some research and thinking about my own experience with PA’s versus doctors versus NP’s, I was certain I found the perfect fit as a PA. I want the time to listen to my patients, get to know them, and make them feel like I really care. I do not want to feel like I am in an environment where I cannot nurture my patients, but instead have to treat them like a number. I want to listen, discuss, and treat everyone equally and affordably. Moreover, I want to keep my other passion, family, a priority in my life. I want to have time to help my parents as they age, be an involved mother, and have a strong relationship with my spouse. Therefore, I left for college with the dream of becoming a physician assistant.

Good grades were necessary if I wanted to become a PA, so I worked hard right away to balance my academics, waitressing job, and personal life. By establishing good time management skills from the start of college, I was able to continually maintain my grades and hold my waitressing job, as well get a research job in an internal medicine-pulmonary lab, where I gained a different, yet beneficial, perspective in the medical field. In the lab, I broadened my understanding of the science behind medicine and also got a better understanding of different careers in medicine, working with MDs, PhDs, PAs, nurses, and others. I also regularly attended Pre-PA student organization meetings and became involved as a co-president of the organization. I love the opportunity to keep learning more about the profession and meeting new PA’s that speak at our meetings. These experiences and shadowing different PA’s exposes me to the vast possibilities the PA career holds, and that concept continues to be exhilarating and motivating.

Junior year, I started a nursing aide job caring for patients in their homes. Each of my clients had unique personalities and medical problems, so I learned invaluable interpersonal and medical skills. I loved having a relationship with my clients and knowing their lives were enhanced by my care. I still maintain relationships with them since I began work on the medical cardiology unit as a nursing assistant at the University of Iowa Hospital. I am still “new” and every day brings more knowledge and respect for health providers; I am proud to be part of such an amazing team of people and look forward to the day when I can offer more skills to the patients I meet.

My time spent volunteering at Iowa City Free Medical Clinic has also intensified my respect for health care providers and my passion to be one myself. At the clinic, we give care not because we have to, but because we want to improve the lives of people who are less fortunate. I have amazing gratitude for the humbling experiences the clinic has offered. Though all my experiences, it has become evident to me that everyone deserves good health or as others say “smiling eyes”. I am blessed to have healthy, happy loved ones around me and a passion that brings my world alive.

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great start, funny you mentioned dragging animals into the house because i did the same thing. from baby birds to a "rescued" baby mouse (found a cat playing with it)

 

"After doing some research and thinking about my own experience with PA’s versus doctors versus NP’s, I was certain I found the perfect fit as a PA. I want the time to listen to my patients, get to know them, and make them feel like I really care. I do not want to feel like I am in an environment where I cannot nurture my patients, but instead have to treat them like a number. I want to listen, discuss, and treat everyone equally and affordably. Moreover, I want to keep my other passion, family, a priority in my life. I want to have time to help my parents as they age, be an involved mother, and have a strong relationship with my spouse." -->i recommend editing this. its a common misconception that PAs magically have more time than physicians to spend with their patients, this is not true, many PAs have schedules just as busy (if not busier) than their supervising physicians. PAs also dont have more time for family (other than the fact that they finish school first). there are many physicians that work part time or have 9 to 5 jobs that allow time for family, as well as PAs that spend all their time at work away from their family

 

otherwise this is a great essay. post your final product if you want me to edit it

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