My motivation to become a physician assistant

"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end", -Ursula K. LeGuin.
My journey to become a physician assistant was not a defined path but rather a culmination of life experiences. As I learned more about myself through work and education, I found that the only fulfilling career for me is as a Physician Assistant.

I married my husband at the age of 19 and we both worked full time while pursuing our degrees. I chose to pursue Psychology as my major as I knew I wanted to help others in some capacity although I did not know yet if it would be in mental health or medicine. While completing my degree, I worked as the full time manager of a 130 unit building for individuals with disabilities, a property called Hillcrest Village. The building housed those with extremely limited financial means, specifically incomes less than 30% of the median national income. On a daily basis I witnessed the profound consequence that one's health has on their quality of life.

The residents of Hillcrest Village are a very significant motivator in my decision to become a PA. In my two years as manager, I had the opportunity to make meaningful connections with countless residents who shared how their disabilities affected their job and education opportunities, relationships and overall enjoyment of life. I found myself wanting to solve their complications and specifically play a role in the quality of healthcare they receive.

During this period, I watched a documentary on the healthcare crisis in the Appalachia region and I was dumbfounded at the lack of health care right here in the United States. Nearly 3,000 individuals gathered over a weekend to receive healthcare as many had to choose between insurance and providing other essentials for their families. I began to grasp the overwhelming need for quality healthcare for the underserved population and I wanted to help. Although I knew about physician assistants, it wasn't until I watched this documentary that I began researching it as a potential career path.

After speaking with a physician assistant and independently researching the role, it became clear what my journey's end would be. I am meant to be a physician assistant serving the population who gave me the motivation to pursue this career in the first place.

The final experience in my journey began in August, 2013 after moving with my husband from Rhode Island to Brooklyn. I began work as a medical assistant for a primary care physician where I support a very busy internal medicine practice that has served Brooklyn for nearly 30 years. I perform numerous procedures including EKG, chest x-ray, tympanometry, allergy testing, circulation tests, spirometry, aorta and bladder scan and blood work. In my work, I strive to connect with each patient and I am energized every day by the feeling that I am making a difference. Working as a medical assistant has solidified my desire to become a physician assistant. Moreover working in primary care, I feel strongly that I would like to pursue work as a primary care physician assistant in an underserved region.

While it took me a number of years to determine my motivation to become a physician assistant, I believe these experiences will serve me well in providing superior care to my future patients as a physician assistant.

Hi yellow85,

I too am applying to PA school. I really like the content of your essay. It tells the ADCOMs that you went on a journey to get to where you are and that you didn't make just a spur of the moment decision to go to PA school. When are you submitting your CASPA application? If you have some time before you submit I think there are a few things you could work on to make it more readable and more succinctly address the CASPA prompt.

From talking to admissions counselers at multiple PA programs, I have deduced that they want to see the following in your PS: That you understand the role of a PA. In your PS you say that the residents of the facility you managed motivated you and that you knew for sure you wanted to be a PA after reading a documentary and talking to a PA. You may want to consider the following questions: Have you shadowed? What did you learn about the role of a PA? What about this role draws you to the profession?

I think its really good that you explain how you worked full time during college. I worked about 30 hours per week during school as well and my work was very important in my decision to become a PA. However, from your PS I don't really understand what your job was. The word "manager" is fairly ambigious. Did you manage nursing staff? Or were you a coordinator? Or did you actually take care of patients? You would probably only need to add one sentence to clarify this.


This paragraph is confusing. I would just proof read this and make it more concise. At the end of the paragraph you might say something like "As a PA, I will strive to provide high quality affordable healthcare." Or you could at least add a sentence explaining that PAs can help to address the problem of the lack of affordable healthcare in the US and that you want to be a part of this and it draws you to the profession.


During this statement I think you should explain why working as a medical assistant solidified your desire to become a PA. What did you like about it? Why did it make you want to become a PA and not an MD like your supervising physician?

Lastly, you have some run on sentences in your essay. I would go through and read it out loud. There are some places where you could replace a comma with a period and start a new sentence.

I hope this review helps! I wish you the best of luck with applying to school! If you have time, I would really appreciate it if you reviewed my PS as well!

Thanks,
Kris

Don't say becoming a PA is the ONLY fulfilling career for you. Statements like that aren't believable. Say you know that will will find personal fulfillment by doing good or something like that.

While you have made a good case for wanting to continue in meicine you haven't quite made the connection to the PA path. You could just remain a medical assistant. Why not add that you want to contribute more by having some autonomy in diagnosing and treating patients while being part of a medical team and your past experiences have prepared you to make that next step.