I just finished writing my personal statement for my PA school application.

[FuturePAElgw]

I think I have finished my PA school personal statement, and I would like some feedback on it. I would like to use the feedback to make edits. The PA Programs I am applying to are Faulkner University, Harding University, Samford University, University of South Alabama, and University of Alabama in Birmingham. If you read this, thank you for taking the time out of your day to help me out! 

PS: 

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." This quote by Mahatma Gandhi perfectly describes why I strive to be a physician assistant. From a young age, I had various experiences at home taking care of ill family members. My twin sister and I were both born with birth defects. I was born with jejunal atresia, and she was born with hydranencephaly. My parents were informed by various physicians that the majority of babies born with her condition do not live to the age of one. Before my sister moved into a nursing home at three years old, my parents had taught me how to feed her through the feeding tube and how to assist them during her seizures. Years later, when I was eight years old, my grandpa had begun to develop Alzheimer's disease, and he moved into a nursing home relatively fast. At the same time, my grandma was recovering from hip surgery, and I helped her by giving her blood thinner shots. Then, during my middle school years, my mom's parents moved in with us. Both of her parents had Parkinson's disease, dementia, and type two diabetes. I helped with their care by making their food on occasion, cutting pills in half and separating them by the week day, checking their blood sugar, and giving them insulin shots. They lived with us until their passing a couple of years later. 

The experiences I had taking care of family made me realize I love medicine, as well as the television shows I watched growing up. When I was four years old, my mother and I began to  frequently watch shows like Untold Stories of the E.R., Deliver Me, etc. I became fascinated with science and particularly how it can be used to help people.The physician and nursing careers were the only healthcare jobs I had heard of. I was uninterested in medical school due to the length of schooling, so I decided to become a nurse. My dad works at Faulkner University, and I planned to attend Faulkner University for the first two years of my schooling and then attend a different university for nursing. 

A few months prior to our thirteenth birthday, my sister passed away. Her death sparked an ambition in me to help others and their families. I went from only being fascinated by the science of medicine to also valuing the personal aspect of medicine. When I began my undergraduate schooling at Faulkner University, I heard about the new health science programs. The school did not start a nursing program as I had hoped they would; however, they did start a physician assistant (PA) program. I had never heard of a PA before, so I began to research the required education and job description. While reading and watching videos about PAs, I began to fall in love with what the career entailed. I love how PAs are able to explore different medical specialities while having conversations and relationships with patients, making diagnoses, creating treatment plans, etc. 

After researching the PA career, I was torn between following my plan of attending nursing school or going to PA school instead. Unless Faulkner started an undergraduate degree I was interested in that could get me into PA school, I would have to choose nursing school for financial reasons. My faith is an integral part of my life, so I decided to pray about my decision and let God guide me. I trust God's plan for my life more than I trust my own. I prayed Faulkner would start a pre-PA undergraduate degree in my first two years at Faulkner if He was okay with me choosing the PA path. I also prayed Faulkner would not start a pre-PA degree if He was opposed to me choosing the PA path. Two weeks after my prayer, I was talking to a professor at Faulkner about my dilemma. Without knowing my prayers, she informed me that Faulkner was going to start an undergraduate health science degree within the next year, which included a pre-PA track. I immediately knew my prayers had been answered and God approved of my decision to pursue a career as a PA, and I believe the difficult family experiences I had growing up will help me be a better healthcare provider. 

 

 

 

[68WEMTto65DPAC]

15 hours ago, elgwrightPA said:

I think I have finished my PA school personal statement, and I would like some feedback on it. I would like to use the feedback to make edits. The PA Programs I am applying to are Faulkner University, Harding University, Samford University, University of South Alabama, and University of Alabama in Birmingham. If you read this, thank you for taking the time out of your day to help me out! 

PS: 

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." This quote by Mahatma Gandhi perfectly describes why I strive to be a physician assistant. From a young age, I had various experiences at home taking care of ill family members. My twin sister and I were both born with birth defects. I was born with jejunal atresia, and she was born with hydranencephaly. My parents were informed by various physicians that the majority of babies born with her condition do not live to the age of one. Before my sister moved into a nursing home at three years old, my parents had taught me how to feed her through the feeding tube and how to assist them during her seizures. Years later, when I was eight years old, my grandpa had begun to develop Alzheimer's disease, and he moved into a nursing home relatively fast. At the same time, my grandma was recovering from hip surgery, and I helped her by giving her blood thinner shots. Then, during my middle school years, my mom's parents moved in with us. Both of her parents had Parkinson's disease, dementia, and type two diabetes. I helped with their care by making their food on occasion, cutting pills in half and separating them by the week day, checking their blood sugar, and giving them insulin shots. They lived with us until their passing a couple of years later. 

The experiences I had taking care of family made me realize I love medicine, as well as the television shows I watched growing up. When I was four years old, my mother and I began to  frequently watch shows like Untold Stories of the E.R., Deliver Me, etc. I became fascinated with science and particularly how it can be used to help people.The physician and nursing careers were the only healthcare jobs I had heard of. I was uninterested in medical school due to the length of schooling, so I decided to become a nurse. My dad works at Faulkner University, and I planned to attend Faulkner University for the first two years of my schooling and then attend a different university for nursing. 

A few months prior to our thirteenth birthday, my sister passed away. Her death sparked an ambition in me to help others and their families. I went from only being fascinated by the science of medicine to also valuing the personal aspect of medicine. When I began my undergraduate schooling at Faulkner University, I heard about the new health science programs. The school did not start a nursing program as I had hoped they would; however, they did start a physician assistant (PA) program. I had never heard of a PA before, so I began to research the required education and job description. While reading and watching videos about PAs, I began to fall in love with what the career entailed. I love how PAs are able to explore different medical specialities while having conversations and relationships with patients, making diagnoses, creating treatment plans, etc. 

After researching the PA career, I was torn between following my plan of attending nursing school or going to PA school instead. Unless Faulkner started an undergraduate degree I was interested in that could get me into PA school, I would have to choose nursing school for financial reasons. My faith is an integral part of my life, so I decided to pray about my decision and let God guide me. I trust God's plan for my life more than I trust my own. I prayed Faulkner would start a pre-PA undergraduate degree in my first two years at Faulkner if He was okay with me choosing the PA path. I also prayed Faulkner would not start a pre-PA degree if He was opposed to me choosing the PA path. Two weeks after my prayer, I was talking to a professor at Faulkner about my dilemma. Without knowing my prayers, she informed me that Faulkner was going to start an undergraduate health science degree within the next year, which included a pre-PA track. I immediately knew my prayers had been answered and God approved of my decision to pursue a career as a PA, and I believe the difficult family experiences I had growing up will help me be a better healthcare provider. 

 

 

 

First of all, I applaud you talking openly about your faith. In today's world, that is a bold move, one that I know the Lord will honor (seek first the Kingdom...).

I absolutely loved your statement. It's relatable, it's easy to read, well written also. It shows who you are very well, I believe. The only observations for improvement I would make are:

1. Are you only applying to Faulkner University? This is what your statement communicates, or at least, that you would definitely go to FU over any other school if they offered you a seat. This can make other programs not consider you since you're likely to go somewhere else anyway. If you plan to apply to other schools, I would avoid naming any particular program.

Edit: I just read that you are applying to other programs, so this is something I believe you need to consider rewriting so it doesn't look like you really only want to go to FU.

2. The statement doesn't tell us much about what you want to do as a PA, which is a big part of your "why". Throw in a few lines at least of what you think you want to do as a PA.

3. How have you gained patient care experience? You have experience taking care of family members, which is great, and you detailed it very well. But have you confirmed this same passion with patients you don't know? Have you enjoyed the healthcare system? Do you enjoy working in healthcare?

Edited January 3 by 68Whereisthewhiskey

[FuturePAElgw]

On 1/3/2024 at 7:28 AM, 68WEMTto65DPAC said:

First of all, I applaud you talking openly about your faith. In today's world, that is a bold move, one that I know the Lord will honor (seek first the Kingdom...).

I absolutely loved your statement. It's relatable, it's easy to read, well written also. It shows who you are very well, I believe. The only observations for improvement I would make are:

1. Are you only applying to Faulkner University? This is what your statement communicates, or at least, that you would definitely go to FU over any other school if they offered you a seat. This can make other programs not consider you since you're likely to go somewhere else anyway. If you plan to apply to other schools, I would avoid naming any particular program.

Edit: I just read that you are applying to other programs, so this is something I believe you need to consider rewriting so it doesn't look like you really only want to go to FU.

2. The statement doesn't tell us much about what you want to do as a PA, which is a big part of your "why". Throw in a few lines at least of what you think you want to do as a PA.

3. How have you gained patient care experience? You have experience taking care of family members, which is great, and you detailed it very well. But have you confirmed this same passion with patients you don't know? Have you enjoyed the healthcare system? Do you enjoy working in healthcare?

Thank you so much for your feedback and compliments! I apologize for such a late response. I was not notified of your reply, and I think I may have had notifications turned off. 

 

1) So I am applying to four schools aside from Faulkner University (Harding University, Samford University, University of South Alabama, and University of Alabama at Birmingham). I will be graduating with my bachelor's degree from Faulkner University; however, it is not my top choice for PA school. I included it because their new program and my undergraduate teacher were part of my "story" in changing career paths. I have a few concerns about the program regarding accreditation and my talks with a few people previously in the program. It is still definitely in my top three though! 

2) So I never did add more about what I want to do as a PA other than what's included in the basic job description (which I love within itself). However, I believe this would be valuable to think about during my interview prep! I do have a follow-up question. When you say to include information about what I want to do as a PA, do you mean what specialty I am interested in, what location I am interested in working, etc.? 

3) My final draft included a little more information on this topic. You can see the final draft below. I'm sure there are some things I should/should not have included, but I am very happy with how it turned out! I have received interview invites from Harding and Faulkner already (both do rolling admissions), and I am waiting to hear from the three other schools (they do not do rolling admissions). 

 

 

PA School Personal Statement Final Draft: 

          "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." This quotation by Mahatma Gandhi describes why I have chosen to join the medical field. From a young age, I had various experiences at home taking care of ill family members. My twin sister and I were both born with birth defects. I was born with jejunal atresia, and she was born with hydranencephaly. Before my sister moved into a nursing home at three years of age, my parents had taught me how to feed her through the feeding tube and how to assist them during her seizures. Years later, when I was eight years old, my grandpa had begun to develop Alzheimer's disease, and he moved into a nursing home relatively fast. At the same time, my grandma was recovering from hip surgery, and I helped her by giving her blood thinner shots. Then, during my middle school years, my mom's parents moved in with us. Both of her parents had Parkinson's disease, dementia, and type two diabetes. I helped with their care by making their food on occasion, cutting pills in half and separating them by the week day, checking their blood sugar, and giving them insulin shots. They lived with us until their passing a couple of years later. 

          While the experiences I had taking care of my family made me realize I love medicine, the television shows I watched growing up did, too. When I was four years old, my mother and I began to watch shows like Untold Stories of the E.R., Deliver Me, etc. frequently. I became fascinated with science and particularly how it can be used to help people. Growing up, I had only heard of physicians and nurses. Due to the length of schooling, I decided to become a nurse when I was twelve years old. Even at twelve years old, I was very eager to begin working in healthcare. 

          A few months prior to our thirteenth birthday, my sister passed away. Her death sparked an ambition in me to help others and their families. I went from only being fascinated by the science of medicine to also valuing the personal aspect of medicine. When I began my undergraduate schooling at Faulkner University, I heard about the new health science programs. The school did not start a nursing program as I had hoped they would; however, they did start a physician assistant (PA) program. I had never heard of a PA before, so I began to research the required education and job description. While reading and watching videos about PAs, I began to fall in love with what the career entailed. I have considered and researched more healthcare positions since then; however, the physician assistant profession is the one that resonates with me. I value the ability to develop treatment plans, prescribe medications, spend more time with patients, and work in various medical specialities. 

          After researching the PA career, I was torn between following my original plan of attending nursing school or going to PA school instead. Nursing school had been my plan for so long that I was apprehensive of changing my mind, but nursing did not resonate with me the same way. I also felt God was calling me to impact others and glorify Him in the physician assistant career. My faith is an integral part of my life, so I also decided to pray about my decision and let God guide me. I trusted God's plan for my life more than I trusted my own. I prayed Faulkner would start a pre-PA undergraduate degree in my first two years at Faulkner if He wanted me to choose the PA path. I also prayed Faulkner would not start a pre-PA degree if He was opposed to me choosing the PA path. Two weeks after my prayer, I was talking to a professor at Faulkner about my dilemma. Without knowing my prayers, she informed me that Faulkner was going to start an undergraduate health science degree within the next year, which included a pre-PA track. I immediately knew my prayers had been answered. 

          After deciding to become a PA, I have researched and pursued various jobs in healthcare to gain clinical experience and patient exposure. I worked as an in-home caregiver for my first direct patient care job. The experience taught me how to provide quality patient care and build strong, personal relationships with patients. For my second direct patient care job, I worked as a scribe in emergency medicine and for a dermatology clinic. The experience taught me organizational, listening, and communication skills. I believe the skills I gained in the two jobs will benefit me in PA school. 

          In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.” I believe God is calling me to serve him and others through the PA profession. Additionally, I believe the difficult family experiences I had growing up will help me be a better healthcare provider. Through my career, I want to be able to show the love, healing, and comfort of God to people experiencing life’s struggles.

Edited August 4 by FuturePAElgw