I posted this in the undergrad section by mistake. I am not sure about the last part of the second paragraph where I talk about my family. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
All roads have led me to the decision to pursue a career as a physician assistant. When I was 21 I joined the U. S Air Force Reserves as a medical technician. This was my first true introduction to the medical field. As a technician I was trained using the medical model to be part of the patient care management team. I was taught to take in-depth medical histories and evaluate patients based on the observation of signs and symptoms. I was allowed to participate in patient conferences and grand rounds. When I finished training I entered college where my experiences interacting with diverse populations on a daily basis led me to an interest in psychology, the field that I eventually majored in. Upon graduation I used my degree in psychology to change my military specialization from medical technician to psychology technician. While this transition was the logical progression of my education, it did not give me the same satisfaction as being a medical technician. During this time I decided to pursue a Masters in Business Administration in hopes of exploring hospital administration. While it was beneficial to learn the business side of the medical field, I found that I preferred direct patient care. I was introduced to the field of neurophysiology and entered a neurodiagnostics program. When I finished this training I was offered a job at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in their epilepsy monitoring unit. While working at Barnes I was again able to have direct patient interaction once again. I ran tests, took histories and was invited to attend patient care secessions. Eventually I was hired by Saint Louis University Hospital to run their Epilepsy Monitoring unit. With this position, I again was part of the patient care team. I contributed to the diagnostic procedures and was present during conferences with the patients at the end of their stay. I am the primary contact between patients and doctors. I have also been tasked to help train new residents and fellows in epilepsy monitoring. This work experience has been extremely rewarding, however as a technician my roles and responsibilities remain limited. This has led me to search medical careers where I could expand my role in the patient care field and gain the additional responsibilities that I desire.
My career in the hospital and previous experiences in the military have allowed me the benefit of working alongside and shadowing a variety of medical personnel including Medical Doctors, Physician Assistant, Doctors of Philosophy , Licensed Nurse Practitioners and technicians in several different fields. I have had the opportunity to see the abilities that all of these professions offer along with the limitations. I have concluded that the physician assistant field offers the career opportunity that I desire. Being a physician assistant would allow me to both use and build on the medical model diagnostics skills that I have acquired. I would continue to provide direct patient care while expanding my responsibilities. On a personal level, I have a family with 2 young children, and after talking to people in all of the above fields, looking at the time lines for the different programs and the rigors of the profession once training has been completed, I have concluded that training as a Physician Assistant, while being very intense, will still allow me balance my personal and professional life.
While I believe that my journey towards becoming a physician assistant will be a challenging one, I feel that all of my experiences have prepared me to undertake this task. Both my experiences in the military and working in hospitals settings has given me the opportunity to experience a wide variety of medical departments ranging from the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Units, Surgical wards and Operating theaters. I had been out of college for over 15 years before starting this quest towards becoming a Physician Assistant. Upon returning to school take prerequisites, I discovered that my time away and experiences in the work force have given me a maturity, focus and set of priorities that I lacked when I first entered college. I now have a family that I support with a full time job and I go to night school. In order to be successful in this I have had to become very good at time management. I have had to prioritize tasks and execute them in a manner that leaves very little to chance. At the beginning of this journey I had to take stock of myself, my motivation and my determination and honestly answer one question., "Am I willing to make the sacrifices needed to re-take every prerequisite, apply to physician assistant school and excel in the program?" My answer is yes, I have found the career that all my prior experiences and desires have led to.
I have had the opportunity to see the abilities that all of these professions offer along with the limitations.
^This sentence sounds kind of awkward. I have had the opportunity to observe what each of these professions entails including both the advantages and limitations?
Being a physician assistant would allow me to both use and build on the medical model diagnostics skills that I have acquired. I would continue to provide direct patient care while expanding my responsibilities
^Maybe expand a little bit more on the duties of a PA to show you understand the profession more than just this.
I have concluded that training as a Physician Assistant, while being very intense, will still allow me *to* balance my personal and professional life.
^"While being very intense"..I like that this part shows you know it's still challenging and not the easy way out of being a doctor
The first paragraph is a little long, but yet it does show the transition between your jobs. Since some of the paragraph includes duty descriptions, you may not need this since you probably wrote the same duty descriptions on your CASPA under work experience. In general, much of the first paragraph will already be on your CASPA app. Maybe write about HOW these jobs were rewarding.
The epilepsy unit sounds like it would be a very rewarding job and probably contribute/solidify your decision to be a PA; however you only say "it was rewarding" rather than showing us. This has a lot of potential to grab the reader's attention and get to know you a little more.
Overall, I think you have SO much experience to draw from! You have been in the military and seen things normal citizens have never seen. Maybe talk about these specific experiences a little more. I didn't really get a strong feeling that you wanted to be a PA until the last paragraph where it really shows how hard you have worked to be a PA. Seriously, congrats on all you have accomplished! Being in the military, having more HCE than most other applicants, going back to college to take prereqs that are entirely different from your undergrad, having two children at home, all while working full time is an extremely great accomplishment that you should be proud of. You sound like you're underselling yourself in this. Brag! Show us more of who you are!
I think you have a great amount of potential here. Good luck!
What I knew was that I admired their wide angle of autonomy, their ability to work in different areas and the amount of time they could spend with patients.
After seeing our patients, we reviewed our findings and came up with a diagnoses and then presented it to a physician for approval.
I truly enjoyed this process and found myself coming to work early and leaving late in hopes of seeing more patients .
When I finished training, I entered college where my experiences interacting with...
Eventually I was hired by Saint Louis University Hospital to run their E.M.U, but again, my responsibilities were limited.
Both my experiences in the military and working in hospitals settings have given me the opportunity...
I had been out of college for over 15 years before starting this quest towards becoming a Physician Assistant. Upon returning to school take prerequisites, I discovered that my time away and experiences in the work force have given me a maturity, focus and set of priorities that I lacked when I first entered college.---This is great!
Great essay. Good luck with school and have fun!
:)
