Narrative for a clinical research assistant, harsh (or kind) feedback appreciated!!!!

[ppelavin]

Shockingly I'm a bit under the limit (4,570 characters) but please let me know if anything should really get cut, or more importantly, if anything is missing. I tried to do a thorough read through so grammar and spelling mistakes wouldn't get in the way of reading, but I have been known to be a little excessive with my comma use. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to anyone willing to take the time to read and critique!!

 

“Is that better?” I ask as I dim the lights. “Just let me know if you need to take a break at any point.” I’m sitting in a small, dimly lit room running through a neuropsychological battery with a participant for the first time, and it is not going quite as I’d imagined. He’s an ex-boxer with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), who told me earlier about his difficulties with memory and concentration, but now I see that there are other physiological symptoms that I was not expecting. The overhead lights and cognitive strain are wearing on him, and as we work through the battery of tests he begins coughing then the coughing turns to dry heaving. My neuropsych training did not prepare me for this situation, but I adjust the lights and we slowly work our way through the tests. When my lab director offered me the chance to train for administering a neuropsych battery I eagerly accepted and despite unpredictable situations such as this, or perhaps because of them, I’m so glad that I did.

 

When I began working at the lab, my time with our participants was limited to attending scans for our studies on first episode schizophrenia. At the scanner I got to know some of the participants very well. Although I couldn’t help them in any official capacity, I could at least be there to listen. Most of them were happy to open up to someone who was around their age, and they told me about both the ups and downs of their diagnosis and how it had impacted their home life, school, and friendships. I looked forward to my time at the scanner but my work with this group made me want a more hands-on role. I asked my lab director to consider me for any clinical opportunities and she soon approached me to work on a TBI pilot study administering a neuropsych battery. I got to know these participants more extensively as we spoke casually between the scans and neuropsych session and more formally as I took their history and worked through the battery and questionnaires. After the pilot study my role was expanded to a larger, national multi-site study with a more comprehensive battery. I was able to see participants at follow-up visits and became emotionally invested in their lives as I got to know them and their partners, and heard updates on how their symptoms were or were not improving or whether they had been able to return to work.

 

While I thoroughly enjoyed this more clinical role, I again felt powerless to help as participants confided in me about the marital strain brought on by the emotional changes that accompany a TBI or the challenges of small day-to-day tasks like remembering where they had parked their car. I also found the scripted nature of neuropsych administration to be frustrating. It was hard to fight the urge to encourage participants while they visibly struggled with remembering words and number sequences, especially as I took a personal interest in each of them. Within these limits I did my best to be sensitive to each participant’s needs whether physical or psychological and was always rewarded with thanks for making their participation in the study a positive experience.

 

Not only did my work at the lab allow me direct patient contact, but my background in research has uniquely prepared me for a career as a physician assistant (PA). Helping to design studies and prepare findings for publication has taught me to think critically and look at the information from a variety of angles. Working blindly with information from a subject database compared to working personally with participants has taught me the importance of collecting as much information as possible in order to get a comprehensive picture of a patient and their needs. Lastly, working with our participants has taught me that whenever possible, little kindnesses, like taking the time to answer a question, go a long way.

 

My role as a research assistant has imparted on me the importance of intellectual curiosity, tact, listening and, above all, compassion. I know that these qualities will serve me through my training and into my practice as a PA. Through working with a multi-disciplinary team at the lab I know how much I enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds and love that it constantly affords me opportunities for learning. Working with my colleagues and the participants in our studies helped to shape my ideal of the type of PA I hope to be and I know it will continue to evolve as I am exposed to all that medicine has to offer. I truly look forward to the day when I can go beyond listening and help to provide care for those in need.

[Dynamo24]

I think you need to empahsize why you want to be a PA more. What about your life experience drew you to want to be a PA vs. say an MD, RN, RT, PT? I wouldn't compare or contrast those practitioners to PA but I would most definitley describe why you desire to be a PA. Have you had any positive shadowing experiences? Any interactions as a patient with a PA? I think you have a good story and I can tell you do have a passion for medicine and caring for patients...but really express why the PA profession is your passion. Just think of ways to make your statement stand out from all the other garbage cliche ones. Trust me your statement is not garbage, but I think with some adjustments it can pop out and keep the reader interested.

[ppelavin]

Thank you so much for the feedback! That is pretty much exactly what I was worried was lacking from my statement. To be honest I have had very little interaction with PAs. I had a long meeting with a PA of 40+ years to talk about his experiences and work and I have done EXTENSIVE research about the profession, but I have never been treated by a PA nor have any of my attempts to shadow a PA been successful (this is something I'm still working on and will continue to work on as I go through the application process). That being said though, I don't think this necessarily precludes me from saying that the PA profession is the right profession for me. Just to give an idea of where I'm coming from, one of the supplemental application questions for my number one school choice is:

"Why have you chosen to enter the physician assistant profession?" (150 word limit)

And my answer is:

The physician assistant (PA) profession appeals to me on a number of levels, it offers a laterality that becoming a physician does not, while still providing the science-based medical education and training that a nurse practitioner does not receive. I have known for a long time that I wanted to work in health care but I have wavered on what exact role would be the best fit for my skills and interests, changing from psychologist to psychiatrist, then to physician without a particular specialty of interest. When I learned more about the PA profession I was drawn to it based on the variety of opportunities it offers, the chance to begin working in the field I know I want to be in sooner rather than later, and the emphasis that is placed on working “to the top of your degree” on a care team.

 

Now that I've gotten all defensive about my choices (:=-0:), I do understand the need to make it clear that being a PA really is my passion so I'll work my best on communicating that. Thanks again!

[Dynamo24]

It is good to be defensive in a constructive manner, you will need to be for an interview if they ask you tough questions like that. I think your response in the supplemental application is great. Maybe mention your experience with the PA you sat down with. I think you could spin that in your narrative some how. If you re-read it a few times you will find stuff you can shorten/take out and hold onto your story. This way you can add any additional information you feel is needed.

[Pre_PA]

I really like your PS and your story- However, I agree with Dynamo that you should probably talk a little more about your motivations. I too am a clinical research assistant (though I work in primary care research in the fields of hypertension and smoking cessation). In my PS I wanted to tell story after story about my patients and what I learn from them- which is a lot. But I took a step back and looked at my PS and realized it didn't really answer the question of why PA. I noticed that you don't even mention PA until the 4th paragraph. Last thing- did you work in a lab or in a clinic? I see patients in a family medicine clinic and at a hospital. I have an office where I do data analysis, update medical records, etc. I made sure to say use the words "clinic" and "hospital" in my PS just because it sounds more applicable in terms of patient care and then the admins know that I'm familiar with a clinic/hospital setting.

[ppelavin]

Thanks so much for reading it over! I changed some things around (and now I'm a tad over the limit so I still need to pare it down a bit) and got a bit deeper into my background and reasoning for pursuing a profession as a PA. I mention that I applied to med school and was not accepted and how that subsequently led me to a Masters program (where I basically took the same classes as first year med students at Tufts, and did well) and how it was during this program that I realized that pursuing a profession as a PA is actually a much better fit for me.

My concern is that schools will see me applying to PA school as a 2nd choice or without enough thought, but I really don't feel that's the case. Hopefully it doesn't come across that way in my statement?

Also, about the lab I was at, I worked at one of the big hospitals in Boston. Our lab was off site but all of the neurosych and scanning was done either at the main hospital campus or at another who we collaborated with. I was able to slip in "hospital" once but couldn't find where else to include it. May I'll try to re-work some things so I can talk about working in a hospital environment.

In the meantime though, I'd really appreciate any feedback about whether this seems to be going in a better direction. Thanks again, the feedback is so helpful!! (Also, just to save you some time, I didn't change the 1st paragraph at all in case you want to skip it)

 

“Is that better?” I ask as I dim the lights. “Just let me know if you need to take a break at any point.” I’m sitting in a small, dimly lit room running through a neuropsychological battery with a participant for the first time, and it is not going quite as I’d imagined. He’s an ex-boxer with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), who told me earlier about his difficulties with memory and concentration, but now I see that there are other physiological symptoms that I was not expecting. The overhead lights and cognitive strain are wearing on him, and as we work through the battery of tests he begins coughing then the coughing turns to dry heaving. My neuropsych training did not prepare me for this situation, but I adjust the lights and we slowly work our way through the tests. When my lab director offered me the chance to train for administering a neuropsych battery I eagerly accepted and despite unpredictable situations such as this, or perhaps because of them, I’m so glad that I did.

 

When I began working at the lab, my time with our participants was limited to attending scans at the hospital for our studies on first episode schizophrenia. Although I couldn’t help them in any official capacity, I got to know many of our participants well as I listened to their stories. Most of them were happy to open up to someone who was around their age, and they told me about both the ups and downs of their diagnosis and how it had impacted their lives. I looked forward to my time at the scanner but my work with this group made me want a more hands-on role. The opportunity came when I worked on a TBI pilot study administering a neuropsych battery. I got to know these participants more extensively as we spoke casually between the scans and neuropsych session and more formally as I took their history and worked through the battery and questionnaires. After the pilot study my role was expanded to a larger, national multi-site study with a more comprehensive battery. I was able to see participants at follow-up visits and became emotionally invested in their lives as I got to know them and their partners, and heard updates on how their symptoms were or were not improving or whether they had been able to return to work.

 

I joined the lab intending to pursue a graduate degree in psychology, but while I enjoyed neuropsych administration I found its scripted nature to be frustrating. It was hard to fight the urge to encourage participants while they visibly struggled with remembering words and number sequences, especially as I took a personal interest in each of them. Within these limits I did my best to be sensitive to each participant’s needs whether physical or psychological and was always rewarded with thanks for making their participation in the study a positive experience. Feeling the impact I could make with our participants from just this small interaction made me certain that I needed to pursue a career in medicine that would give me the tools to address health care needs on a broader scale. I applied to medical school, without success, but was accepted into the Tufts Masters of Biomedical Science program, which I planned to complete to strengthen my application and show that I was capable of excelling in graduate level science courses before reapplying.

 

During our Clinical Medicine course we discussed the current state of our health care system and how a greater diversity of health care professionals, including physician assistants (PAs), each practicing to the top of their degrees, will allow us to better and more efficiently meet patients’ needs. Before this class I had heard about the PA profession but did not know a great deal about it. I went home and did extensive research regarding what becoming a PA entails, what practicing as a PA means, and what both the benefits and limitations of the profession are. I was also fortunate enough to meet with a PA of 40-plus years who has experienced a great deal of what the profession has to offer, having worked in the ER, a private practice, and taught and served on the boards of multiple medical and PA schools. I was amazed by the diversity of opportunities available for PAs to practice and after more research and discussions with people who work in medicine, I found that the PA profession is a perfect fit for my skills, interests, and goals.

 

Not only did my work at the lab allow me direct patient contact, but my background in research has uniquely prepared me for a career as a PA. Helping to design studies and prepare findings for publication has taught me to think critically and look at the information from a variety of angles. Working blindly with information from a subject database compared to working personally with participants has taught me the importance of collecting as much information as possible in order to get a comprehensive picture of a patient and their needs. Being part of a multi-disciplinary team at the lab has shown me how much I enjoy working with people from diverse backgrounds and love that it constantly affords me opportunities for learning. My role as a research assistant has imparted on me the importance of intellectual curiosity, tact, listening and, above all, compassion. I know that these qualities will serve me well through training and into my practice as a PA. I truly look forward to the day when I can go beyond listening and help to provide care for those in need.