Hello Everyone,
I have been reading around here for the last couple of months as I was preparing my grad school application. I am applying to Emory University to their Masters in Medical Science program to become an Anesthesiologist Assistant. Below is their prompt and my response to the required personal narrative. I whipped this up today and I would greatly appreciate any criticisms you guys had. Thanks in advance!
A narrative statement is required for application to the program. Enter your narrative statement in the box below. Emphasize your goal when you declared your undergraduate major, your current career goals, and your understanding of a career as an anesthesiologist assistant. Limit your statement to 1,000 words (6,000 characters).
When I began attending Georgia Perimeter College in 2006, I did not have a clearly defined career path. I had an innate love for the piano and science and an attraction to the medical field, however I was undecided as to which passion I should follow. On April 2nd, 2007, my life changed forever. My brother, at the age of 27, was killed in a sudden and unfortunate accident at work. There are no words to describe how deeply this event affected my family and myself. After going through the grieving process, my brother's death had two major impacts on my education and subsequent career choice. Because my brother had died at such a young age, I experienced a new sense of urgency to do something meaningful with my life. I wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives while I was still young and able to. The second impact my brother's death had on my life was that it solidified my previously irresolute decision to pursue a career in the medical field. During my family's dark time of grief and despair, we were able to consult with medical professionals to learn exactly what had happened to my brother and gain some vestige of closure. It was at this time that I witnessed first-hand the unique opportunities medical professionals had to help individuals in their desperate time of need.
Over the next couple of years, I narrowed down potential career opportunities by shadowing every physician and medical professional I received the opportunity to. I had the privilege to shadow pharmacists, ophthalmologists, podiatrists, and physician assistants. I usually aspire to attain the highest level of achievement personally possible therefore I initially had aspirations of going to medical school and becoming a physician. However, as I shadowed more physicians I noticed that much of the actual patient interaction was entrusted to mid-level medical professionals. This delegation of patient care deterred me from wanting to be a physician because I wanted to provide that guiding and soothing experience for the patients and their families. Because I was still unsure of my exact career path, I decided to get my undergraduate degree in general biology at the University of Georgia in order to keep my options open while I researched more career opportunities. As I completed my undergraduate degree I worked in labs to feed my love of science and I continued to shadow medical professionals. During this period of time my father and grandfather developed medical conditions that required several surgical procedures for each of them. My father and grandfather were both very apprehensive about going under anesthesia however I noticed that prior to each surgical procedure there was a person who discussed their anesthesia plan with them and reassured them. Each time I encountered these individuals I would ask them the following two questions: "What is your job?" and "Would you choose it again?" Each time I was met with the response "Anesthetist" followed by a resounding "YES." I found their enthusiasm contagious and I was determined to learn more about their career.
After much individual research and some Anesthetist shadowing I knew I had found my calling. Through my research I learned that the Anesthesiologist Assistant was a skilled medical professional working as a specialized physician assistant who had a masters degree in medical science and worked as part of an anesthesia team in the operating room along side of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and underneath the guidance of a licensed Anesthesiologist. I was fortunate enough to locate a wonderful Anesthetic Assistant at Gwinnett Medical Hospital who allowed me to shadow him and who was devoted to teaching me more about the role of the Anesthetist in an operating room. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the interactions between the Anesthetist and the patients during pre-op. I knew first-hand the trepidation that the patients were feeling about their surgeries and I was delighted at the thought that I could be one of the medical professionals to put the patient and their family at ease. I also liked the idea of always working in a team environment in the operating room under the Anesthesiologist. I am a very inquisitive person and I am happy to know that there would always be a physician in the vicinity to look to for guidance if it was ever required. Having always been enthralled by medicine, I was also very excited about the fact that I would be working in the operating room during an assortment of different surgical procedures. As a current lab technician in a microbiology lab, I also had a great appreciation for the meticulous procedures and aseptic techniques followed by the surgical and anesthesia teams during surgery.
As an Anesthesiologist Assistant, I know that I would function as an essential member of the operating room and the healthcare profession as a whole. Becoming an Anesthetic Assistant would allow me to follow my career goals developed after that life-altering period when I lost my brother; I would be able to work as a medical professional, help people in their time of need, and be able to so relatively soon. I also know that my meticulous attention to detail developed over years of working in the lab have made me an ideal candidate to work in an operating room environment. I have completed countless hours of personal research, soul searching, and shadowing and I now know resolutely that Anesthesiologist Assistant is the right career path for me.
I have been reading around here for the last couple of months as I was preparing my grad school application. I am applying to Emory University to their Masters in Medical Science program to become an Anesthesiologist Assistant. Below is their prompt and my response to the required personal narrative. I whipped this up today and I would greatly appreciate any criticisms you guys had. Thanks in advance!
A narrative statement is required for application to the program. Enter your narrative statement in the box below. Emphasize your goal when you declared your undergraduate major, your current career goals, and your understanding of a career as an anesthesiologist assistant. Limit your statement to 1,000 words (6,000 characters).
When I began attending Georgia Perimeter College in 2006, I did not have a clearly defined career path. I had an innate love for the piano and science and an attraction to the medical field, however I was undecided as to which passion I should follow. On April 2nd, 2007, my life changed forever. My brother, at the age of 27, was killed in a sudden and unfortunate accident at work. There are no words to describe how deeply this event affected my family and myself. After going through the grieving process, my brother's death had two major impacts on my education and subsequent career choice. Because my brother had died at such a young age, I experienced a new sense of urgency to do something meaningful with my life. I wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives while I was still young and able to. The second impact my brother's death had on my life was that it solidified my previously irresolute decision to pursue a career in the medical field. During my family's dark time of grief and despair, we were able to consult with medical professionals to learn exactly what had happened to my brother and gain some vestige of closure. It was at this time that I witnessed first-hand the unique opportunities medical professionals had to help individuals in their desperate time of need.
Over the next couple of years, I narrowed down potential career opportunities by shadowing every physician and medical professional I received the opportunity to. I had the privilege to shadow pharmacists, ophthalmologists, podiatrists, and physician assistants. I usually aspire to attain the highest level of achievement personally possible therefore I initially had aspirations of going to medical school and becoming a physician. However, as I shadowed more physicians I noticed that much of the actual patient interaction was entrusted to mid-level medical professionals. This delegation of patient care deterred me from wanting to be a physician because I wanted to provide that guiding and soothing experience for the patients and their families. Because I was still unsure of my exact career path, I decided to get my undergraduate degree in general biology at the University of Georgia in order to keep my options open while I researched more career opportunities. As I completed my undergraduate degree I worked in labs to feed my love of science and I continued to shadow medical professionals. During this period of time my father and grandfather developed medical conditions that required several surgical procedures for each of them. My father and grandfather were both very apprehensive about going under anesthesia however I noticed that prior to each surgical procedure there was a person who discussed their anesthesia plan with them and reassured them. Each time I encountered these individuals I would ask them the following two questions: "What is your job?" and "Would you choose it again?" Each time I was met with the response "Anesthetist" followed by a resounding "YES." I found their enthusiasm contagious and I was determined to learn more about their career.
After much individual research and some Anesthetist shadowing I knew I had found my calling. Through my research I learned that the Anesthesiologist Assistant was a skilled medical professional working as a specialized physician assistant who had a masters degree in medical science and worked as part of an anesthesia team in the operating room along side of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists and underneath the guidance of a licensed Anesthesiologist. I was fortunate enough to locate a wonderful Anesthetic Assistant at Gwinnett Medical Hospital who allowed me to shadow him and who was devoted to teaching me more about the role of the Anesthetist in an operating room. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the interactions between the Anesthetist and the patients during pre-op. I knew first-hand the trepidation that the patients were feeling about their surgeries and I was delighted at the thought that I could be one of the medical professionals to put the patient and their family at ease. I also liked the idea of always working in a team environment in the operating room under the Anesthesiologist. I am a very inquisitive person and I am happy to know that there would always be a physician in the vicinity to look to for guidance if it was ever required. Having always been enthralled by medicine, I was also very excited about the fact that I would be working in the operating room during an assortment of different surgical procedures. As a current lab technician in a microbiology lab, I also had a great appreciation for the meticulous procedures and aseptic techniques followed by the surgical and anesthesia teams during surgery.
As an Anesthesiologist Assistant, I know that I would function as an essential member of the operating room and the healthcare profession as a whole. Becoming an Anesthetic Assistant would allow me to follow my career goals developed after that life-altering period when I lost my brother; I would be able to work as a medical professional, help people in their time of need, and be able to so relatively soon. I also know that my meticulous attention to detail developed over years of working in the lab have made me an ideal candidate to work in an operating room environment. I have completed countless hours of personal research, soul searching, and shadowing and I now know resolutely that Anesthesiologist Assistant is the right career path for me.