Personal Statement for Anesthesiologist Assistant Program
Hello,
I am in the final stages of applying to Masters in Science in Anesthesia programs to become an Anesthesiologist Assistant. Written below is the prompt and my personal statement. I appreciate any and all criticism. Thanks in advance!
Please explain your motivation for selecting a career in healthcare and specifically why you are interested in becoming an anesthesiologist assistant. Describe how your personal and professional background will help you achieve your career goals and eminently suit you for this profession.
Growing up with both parents working as healthcare providers, it was common for our dinner table discussions to center around medicine. Whether it be the heartbreak of a procedure not going well or the palpable exuberance of being able to tell a concerned family that their loved one was going to be okay, these conversations laid the groundwork for my fascination in the medical field.
Despite my interest in medicine at an early age, I was unsure what specialty I wanted to pursue. I was intrigued by pharmacology but found the lifestyle too monotonous, captivated by surgery but could not envision myself behind the scalpel, and love working as a team but perform better as a team member than leader. Naturally, as I explored anesthesiology I became hooked on the idea of working alongside a surgical team to prescribe and direct particular therapeutic interventions in an intensive care setting.
Although I already had a predisposed appeal towards anesthesia, it was my personal experience with it that solidified my desire to pursue a career in the field. In middle school, I broke my tibia and fibula playing soccer and I was given the option of wearing a full leg cast for 12 weeks or having surgery with a much quicker recovery time. Going against all the advice, I chose to avoid surgery; and although I didn't vocalize it at the time; this choice was purely due to my fear of being under sedation. My whole outlook changed a few years later when I no longer had a choice to avoid anesthesia. After having Mohs surgery for skin cancer near my eye, I was sent to an Oculoplastic surgery for reconstructive surgery, which required sedation. I was clearly anxious about being under general anesthesia but the anesthesiologist assistant's ability to calm my nerves and make me feel comfortable in a time of distress is something that stuck with me.
In the years that followed I attended Florida State University. I spent my summers shadowing providers in diverse specialties including a physical therapist, physician assistant, and thoracic surgeon. I was also fortunate enough to shadow and be mentored by an anesthesiologist assistant at Holy Cross Hospital. In my time spent with him I was able to observe the physiological and pharmacologic aspect of anesthesiology in the various orthopedic surgeries. I was also able to accompany him on his preoperative rounds with patients. I knew first hand the trepidation that many of these patients felt and I was impressed with his ability to ease their nerves and put smiles on their faces. However, the thing that I most appreciated about my time with him was being able to pick his brain about his experience as an AA both professionally and previously as a student in the AA program. His enthusiasm for his profession and dedication towards patient care was unmatched by any of the previous healthcare providers I was able to shadow.
After graduating with my bachelors, I decided to enhance my healthcare experience by obtaining my EMT certification and working for American Medical Response. There I was able to gain patient care experience and medical exposure in the preclinical environment. Shortly after, I received an opportunity to work in a clinical setting as a medical scribe with the University of Miami Healthcare System. I began working alongside physicians in dermatology and surgical oncology where I assisted in patient documentation, writing procedure notes, and ordering medications that the doctors had prescribed. In addition I've gotten a chance play a role as a member of a healthcare team and work alongside hospital staff.
Recently I was asked to explain the job description of an anesthesiologist assistant. In an attempt to describe it in Layman's terms, I explained that AA's perform all the necessary anesthetic care for a patient under the guidance of anesthesiologist. In reality though, it is much more dynamic. I understand that a career as an Anesthesiologist Assistant would entail being an essential member of the anesthesia team and surgical team with the collective goal of providing extraordinary patient care. Through my accumulated healthcare experiences, extensive shadowing, and personal experiences with anesthesia I am certain that I am ready to dedicate my life to a career as an Anesthesiologist Assistant.