This is a rough draft of my CASPA narrative about what influenced me to become a PA. I need some help with what to delete/add. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I can still remember the day that I ultimately decided that my career path would be one that involved placing the needs of others before my own and committing myself to their well-being. It was the day I walked into the oncology department of the children's hospital just shy of 18 years old. My best friend had been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer and was undergoing her first chemotherapy treatment that day. There were posters that the patients had made hanging on every wall of the hospital. One in particular caught my eye, it was of a small girl without any hair and the writing read in big, bold letters, "Bald is Beautiful!" The blatant optimism that this young girl convened in spite of the fact that she was fighting one of the hardest battles of her life, at a young age was simply inspiring. This was the exact moment that I knew I wanted to make a difference in other's lives, just like this young girl had made in mine.
From that day forward I took my new found motivation and set along a path that has lead me to a crucial point in my life. I've always known that my calling involved helping others, but it wasn't until I met those children that I realized exactly how. I found a new passion that consisted of wanting to make a difference in someone's life by giving them a future that sometimes only medicine and a wonderful medical team can offer. If there is one thing I don't agree with, it's the thought of death being the last resort for anyone, especially when preventative care and amazing medicine can so easily help to avoid this. Seeing kids full of so much hope because of the remarkable care they received really proved to me that the attitude and determination that the hospital's staff illustrated can make all the difference in someone's recovery.
My drive to be a fundamental figure in medicine originally began with intentions of becoming a medical doctor. I declared a pre-med major in college and forged my way through several tough years that consisted of some of the most difficult classes that my institution offered. It wasn't always easy but my passion for medicine kept me going. It wasn't until my junior year of college that one of my close friends had applied and been accepted to PA school that I really began to examine the advantages of this profession. The appeal of the program become more and more obvious the further I researched, and it really made me sit down and scrutinize what direction I wanted to go. The Physician Assistant program had all the things I wanted from the medical school route and more. I fell in love with the fact that I could still fulfill my dreams of helping people by not only still having the autonomy I desired from being an MD, but also being a more prominent figure in direct patient care. It was this small step that veered me into pursing P.A. school.
The wise physician and philosopher, Orison Marden once said, "There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow". Being a professional in the medical field is one that embodies all of these. You are the patients advocate, their hope, and their prospect of another tomorrow. I dream of helping others and inspiring them to be better than themselves, and I know that I can fulfill these dreams by becoming a Physician's Assistant. Just like that little girl in the oncology department, our inspiration often comes from others in the most unexpected places, and once it comes knocking, it's not one to ignore.
The blatant optimism that this young girl conveyed in spite of the fact that she was fighting one of the hardest battles of her life, at such a young age, was simply inspiring.
This was the exact moment that I knew I wanted to make a difference in others lives, just like this young girl had made in mine.
From that day forward, I took my new found motivation and set along a path that has led me to a crucial point in my life.
My drive to become a fundamental figure in medicine originally began with intentions of becoming a medical doctor.
It wasn't always easy, but my passion for medicine kept me going.
Great ending! Good luck with school.
:)
