Here we go...Any last words?

[MediMike]

One more letter of ref and I'll be sending it in...Feel free to have at it folks, I appreciate ya!

 

 

Medicine has always been around in my life. Mother an RN, father a medical imaging physicist, both coming home and telling stories of the patients they had seen, the care they had provided. These were the tales I grew up on, and that which helped shape my life. Early on I would hear them speak at night, and not understand what they were discussing, yet as I grew older my curiosity grew as well and I began researching what they talked about, I believe this is what led to my interest in medicine.

 

 

I grew up in a military family, my father an officer in the Army, which meant every four years we would be on the road again, a change of scenery and employment for my parents, a change of schools and friends for me. When, as a child, you are uprooted that many times, you develop the ability to quickly form social connections, a skill in interacting with others, and learn the excitement of meeting new people. Our last move brought us to Washington state, and the high school I began attending offered a class in sports medicine. This was a rudimentary class, teaching basic anatomy, common sports injuries, how to provide first aid and how to tape. Simple though it was, it became the catalyst for my future.

 

 

Soon after high school I enrolled in an EMT-Basic program at a local community college. Eighteen years prior the lead instructor of the program had began a volunteer medical group which provided aid at Special Olympic events, the opportunity to participate with this group was presented to the class and I jumped on it. This is a tradition that I have participated in every year since. Upon graduation I began working for a small ambulance company and moved up the ranks to become a field training officer. It was a very eye opening experience for me, these were not the critically ill patients I had prepared myself for, but still presented complex problems that I had no clue about at times. In an effort to gain greater knowledge I changed companies and began working with a paramedic on an ALS ambulance. I was partnered with a medic who enjoyed teaching as much as I enjoyed learning, I spent a year gaining as much experience and knowledge as I could and was invited to interview with a paramedic program.. It was then that I made the greatest mistake in my life.

 

 

To celebrate my upcoming interview my friends and I went out on the town, and upon returning from our night out I made the terrible decision to drive home. I was pulled over, and was charged with negligent driving, ending my career in EMS. I was adrift with no clue where to go in life. I moved to Florida to pursue nursing, and discovered that it was not the path that for me. Over the course of the next five years I worked in a saw mill, was an ironworker, and ended up as a helicopter lineman, working all across the country. While this was a glamorous, exciting career I never felt the same love for it that I did medicine. While on rotation in Alabama, I flew with a retired medevac pilot, who relived life in the trenches with me, and I realized where I belonged.

 

 

I soon turned in my resignation, walking away from a high paying job in a poor economy to pursue that which I truly wanted. I re-obtained my EMT certification, attended paramedic school, and began working in rural central Washington. I figured that my desire for knowledge would be satiated at this point, that the pathophysiology, clinical exams, diagnostic procedures and technical skills would put an end to my curiosity, but I was wrong. A little over a year into my career I learned just how much I didn't know, and would never know staying in this specialized niche of healthcare. I found that assisting a patient obtain access to a charity care program for prescription assistance was just as satisfying as intubating a trauma victim, that talking an elderly woman through the proper use of her insulin was as rewarding as running a cardiac arrest. I have found that this field can not offer me what I really need, the knowledge and ability to make a lasting difference in the lives of patients. While we as pre-hospital providers are there at the worst times of one's life, I want to be there at the good times as well.

 

 

Throughout my career I have interacted with many medical professionals, and believe that the career of a physician assistant is the best fit for me. I excel working in a team environment and have discovered over the years that primary care is what holds the most interest for me. The complexity of juggling numerous conditions is a challenge that appeals to me, as is the opportunity to establish more of a connection with my patients than a twenty minute trip in an ambulance. Through a variety of shadowing experiences I have witnessed the impact that a physician assistant can have on a patient's care, and I know that this is what I want, to advocate for the underserved, to provide care for those who truly need it.