AA Personal Statement
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
At age 10, I was asked " what do you want to be when you grow up?'' I replied " I want to be a doctor. And in response, I would hear, good answer. See, where I come from, you don't have a solid career choice unless its to become a physician, a nurse or a lawyer. At age 18, I was then asked " what're your career plans?" and despite the life hardships I have faced as far as my father passing in 2013, just 4 months before my high school graduation and 7 months before starting college, I remained true to my response of 8 years before " I'm going to be a doctor". Not knowing of the vast areas in healthcare careers, I believed this was the only way to have a healthcare profession that allowed me to give the optimum care and resilience to my patients. With four years going by and my struggle to upkeep a decent GPA, despite the grades I received and the dedication I applied, my aspirations to become a physician seemed impossible and that mindset was solidified by my undergraduate professors and advisors. They made it very hard for someone like myself to picture achieving a successful future and that was more than enough drive to prove people like them wrong. I've always been the type to continue to pursue a task even if all signs are pointing towards disappointment. So I began to do some research and I stumbled upon the Anesthesiologist Assistant program. It was like the impossible made possible. Being the 23-year-old black female, I want to be a living example of someone who will not let failure stop them from achieving their goals. My underlying passion is to be able to build trust and support with whoever I'm giving care to. Many times I have wanted to give up because of not meeting the expectations of the typical student pursuing healthcare. I want to be that example that test scores do not define your character and ability to succeed, even if the odds are against you. Having a career as an anesthesiologist assistant is not highly spoken of or completely understood. Why would you want to be someone less of a physician? Well, from my experience, I learn exceptionally better hands-on and from what I've grown to learn, the AA is working under the supervision of a licensed anesthesiologist and in some situations, perform the tasks of the physician themselves, this is what peaked my interest. I aspire to break the stigma that a career in healthcare is unachievable and too hard for the average individual, especially for a woman of a minority. Based on statistics, in the year 2014, the average number of degrees awarded to black women was 63 in comparison to Caucasian women with 926 degrees awarded. That could be due to the lack of knowledge about the field, but I choose to take the route less traveled but still in high demand and very much so intimidating. Although the field is competitive, I believe that given the chance and opportunity, I will prove that it is possible to succeed no matter what your background or academic history may depict. Becoming an anesthesiologist assistant will enable me to derive satisfaction that I can provide exceptional patient care through a high demand career route that doesn't receive the amount of recognition it deserves.
I appreciate any comment or input on improving my application essay. Thank you
