So I have been working on this essay for PA schools for a while now and I am still having trouble. Some of my family members have helped me through some revisions but would like any outside opinions as well. Below is the essay which I feel is a near final draft...
I would like to specifically ask two questions:
1) What are your overall impressions of the applicant (myself)?
2) Do I answer the prompt? -- I want to be sure that my motivations are obvious
Thanks in advance for any input!!
Please describe your motivation towards becoming a PA:
My desire for becoming a physician assistant stems from my personality, my rewarding experience in the healthcare field, and my ability to work well with both physicians and patients in a dynamic and continually changing healthcare setting. As the middle child in a Latin-American family of ten, I quickly learned how to thrive in busy settings that required a sense of versatility and resourcefulness. It is here, within my family, where my passion to serve and care for the well-being of others began and where my inspirations found meaning and momentum.
From a young age, I discovered the power and importance of service and how this could ultimately lead to healing. Working alongside my father as a missionary to low-income Hispanic communities throughout Houston, I eagerly served and inspired others as a youth group leader, outreach volunteer, and tutor to intercity children. Each experience was an opportunity to learn about the people I was serving and establish genuine relationships. Serving others requires a purposeful decision to figure out other people's needs and try to meet those as best as possible. In the process, I also experienced first-hand that to learn how to lead, you must first learn how to serve. Years of serving in my community instilled a passion and calling to improve the well-being of people in a career that combined the best of service, healing, and inspiration.
As a student in the top ten-percent of my high school class, I was awarded an internship with two thoracic surgeons and their physician assistant at the Methodist Hospital and Baylor Clinic. I observed and interacted with patients while learning about disease assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options. Experiencing the small clinic setting, cardiac operating room and intensive care units, I realized most importantly that I loved having the ability to connect with patients. My perspective and respect for the medical field grew and so did my understanding of the role of the physician assistant. I became intrigued with the manner in which the physician assistant cared for every patient on a personal level. I realized then that, because I inherently like caring for and connecting with people on a deeper level, I could best serve patients as a physician assistant.
When I enrolled at Baylor University, I decided to pursue my interest in science and began an education in Biology. After a combination of taking courses such as Human Physiology, undertaking a biological research project, and shadowing a physician assistant in the emergency department of a local hospital, I remained absorbed with physician assisting and soon became an active member of Baylor's Pre-Physician Assistant Society. Through this student organization, I met and interacted with several physician assistants, received encouraging advice from students in various physician assistant programs, and served in numerous health-related community outreach events.
After graduating, I immediately explored the business aspect of healthcare with intentions of understanding medicine further. Intrigued, I soon began a unique job opportunity working alongside two entrepreneurial emergency physicians to create and cultivate a new, market driven company which aims to better connect physicians and patients while bringing price transparency to healthcare. In the hope of making healthcare services more accessible and affordable, I understand now healthcare policies and challenges of upcoming changes. As a physician assistant, I will empower and inspire my patients to become well-informed about accessible and affordable treatment options.
Overall, I bring a unique perspective, job experience, and stead-fast knowledge base that can serve as chief assets to any physician group as I continue my lifelong passion of becoming a physician assistant. In the process, I have gained insights, enthusiasm, determination, and heart needed to provide superior, compassionate care. I am prepared to be a well-rounded resource for physicians in a challenging and changing medical field.
I would like to specifically ask two questions:
1) What are your overall impressions of the applicant (myself)?
2) Do I answer the prompt? -- I want to be sure that my motivations are obvious
Thanks in advance for any input!!
Please describe your motivation towards becoming a PA:
My desire for becoming a physician assistant stems from my personality, my rewarding experience in the healthcare field, and my ability to work well with both physicians and patients in a dynamic and continually changing healthcare setting. As the middle child in a Latin-American family of ten, I quickly learned how to thrive in busy settings that required a sense of versatility and resourcefulness. It is here, within my family, where my passion to serve and care for the well-being of others began and where my inspirations found meaning and momentum.
From a young age, I discovered the power and importance of service and how this could ultimately lead to healing. Working alongside my father as a missionary to low-income Hispanic communities throughout Houston, I eagerly served and inspired others as a youth group leader, outreach volunteer, and tutor to intercity children. Each experience was an opportunity to learn about the people I was serving and establish genuine relationships. Serving others requires a purposeful decision to figure out other people's needs and try to meet those as best as possible. In the process, I also experienced first-hand that to learn how to lead, you must first learn how to serve. Years of serving in my community instilled a passion and calling to improve the well-being of people in a career that combined the best of service, healing, and inspiration.
As a student in the top ten-percent of my high school class, I was awarded an internship with two thoracic surgeons and their physician assistant at the Methodist Hospital and Baylor Clinic. I observed and interacted with patients while learning about disease assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options. Experiencing the small clinic setting, cardiac operating room and intensive care units, I realized most importantly that I loved having the ability to connect with patients. My perspective and respect for the medical field grew and so did my understanding of the role of the physician assistant. I became intrigued with the manner in which the physician assistant cared for every patient on a personal level. I realized then that, because I inherently like caring for and connecting with people on a deeper level, I could best serve patients as a physician assistant.
When I enrolled at Baylor University, I decided to pursue my interest in science and began an education in Biology. After a combination of taking courses such as Human Physiology, undertaking a biological research project, and shadowing a physician assistant in the emergency department of a local hospital, I remained absorbed with physician assisting and soon became an active member of Baylor's Pre-Physician Assistant Society. Through this student organization, I met and interacted with several physician assistants, received encouraging advice from students in various physician assistant programs, and served in numerous health-related community outreach events.
After graduating, I immediately explored the business aspect of healthcare with intentions of understanding medicine further. Intrigued, I soon began a unique job opportunity working alongside two entrepreneurial emergency physicians to create and cultivate a new, market driven company which aims to better connect physicians and patients while bringing price transparency to healthcare. In the hope of making healthcare services more accessible and affordable, I understand now healthcare policies and challenges of upcoming changes. As a physician assistant, I will empower and inspire my patients to become well-informed about accessible and affordable treatment options.
Overall, I bring a unique perspective, job experience, and stead-fast knowledge base that can serve as chief assets to any physician group as I continue my lifelong passion of becoming a physician assistant. In the process, I have gained insights, enthusiasm, determination, and heart needed to provide superior, compassionate care. I am prepared to be a well-rounded resource for physicians in a challenging and changing medical field.
