First Draft of PS. Welcome to as many harsh critiques as I can get!

[packofneurons]

I'm looking to get more feedback on the structure of my paper, but feedback on flow/transitioning would be very helpful as well. Thank you in advance :)

 

 

After shadowing, working in a research lab, caring for patients as a home health aide (HHA), and collaborations with physicians and postdoctoral fellows I decided to pursue a career path that bridges science, culture, sociology, and politics within the context of patient care - the profession as a Physician Assistant (PA).

 

I have much to offer the PA realm with a myriad of experiences as a volunteer, teacher, researcher, and HHA. The PA program joins all desireable career aspects such as a flexible scope of specialty, direct patient care, scientific reasoning, translational medicine, and giving back to the community. This is where I envision my place within the healthcare community and will dedicate myself to these causes.

 

The path to PA school was developed by life experiences. Volunteering in the Post-anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) was my first real exposure in the healthcare world and had a drastic impact on me. It opened my eyes up to how a hospital community functions. My first patient experience was in the PACU with a teenager who had his leg amputated after an infection due to heroin overdose. Although an avoidable situation, I was passionate about his care regardless of circumstance. He deserved the best care, and I learned how to provide comfort along with treatment.

 

On a personal level, during my junior and senior years of undergraduate, my mother in California was in and out of the hospital. She battled with alcoholism, resulting in hepatitis and had kidney disease. In fear of losing her, I flew out to California to support, accompany her to physician appointments and hospital stays. Although emotionally challenging for me, it has allowed me to better understand and identify with patients and their families. Dealing with such hardships will make me an empathetic healthcare provider, considering the disability or illness with the patient and family in mind.

 

Working as a lab manager in the Pathology Department at University of Michigan has taught me many lessons that are important to a successful PA: the importance of persistence, critical thinking, and collaboration with medical doctors and postdoctoral fellows. Research has shown me the symbiotic relationship between the healthcare field and the mechanisms behind what we study in the laboratory, translational science at its finest. Additionally, I taught a laboratory-based science course to MDs, which strengthened my communication skills. This type of beginner-level communication will be an essential role for a PA when they need to explain health and wellbeing to their patients at a common user level. As I continued working in the lab, I realized that while I love science, I was more passionate about working with patients.

 

To further ignite my passion and education for healthcare in a clinical setting, I have shadowed MDs, Pharmacists, Nurse Practitioners and PAs. Shadowing these various career types has reinforced the path toward becoming a PA. PAs are flexible in specialty, continuous learners and work well both in groups or autonomously.

 

After my translational science work and shadowing, I still yearned toward a career that would give me tangible patient care. Being a HHA, I am able to see the challenges of living with a disability or an illness. Assisting patients with their day-to-day activities and struggles expands my grasp of specific challenges as I seek to ease their pain or provide comforting assistance. I take these patients to hospital visits where I observe the community of the hospital. I have observed quiet and impatient providers as well as diligent ones. I strive to embody the best qualities of those I have seen throughout the hospitals and incorporate them into my scope of medicine.

 

I am a proven scientific talent who has carefully considered through both life and work experiences, that I desire to enter the PA profession. I want a career that does not limit me to a particular scope of medicine, and being a PA would further help expand my love for healthcare knowledge, teamwork and proven leadership while balancing life with my family. I respectfully request admission into the PA program.