Personal Statement
Please explain your motivation for selecting a career in healthcare and specifically why you are interested in becoming an anesthesiologist assistant. Describe how your personal and professional background will help you achieve your career goals and eminently suit you for this profession.
Throughout life, there is always a lesson to be learned whether it was longed-for or not. I never expected to mourn the loss of my little sister, 2 months after the birth of my daughter. Being the oldest sibling, and now a mother I have molded myself into being strong-willed. While eating my lunch one day during the summer, I received a facetime call from my little sister. Thinking nothing out of the ordinary I answered ready to talk to her about our day. Connecting the call I realized that my sister had dried blood on her nose and was hysterically screaming. In the background I could see that she was in a hospital bed, and I was clueless as to what had occurred. She was screaming through the phone for me to come get her, and that she was scared and alone. A few hours prior she was rushed into emergency surgery to remove her gallbladder and assess her kidneys. I had no idea that she was undergoing surgery that day, and realized she was experiencing emergence agitation. I had to come up with a solution, and fast to get her to calm down. It would've been very easy to be upset with the hospital staff, or family as to why she was left alone after a surgery but my main focus was my sister. Being only 11 years old, I knew she was upset with any and everything around her, I mean how could I blame her? As months go by, I replay that facetime call in my head constantly. Questioning if I handled it correctly or if there was anything else I could have done. Ultimately, I know pursuing a career in healthcare requires every bit of confidence in my decisions.
At the start of my academic career, I always told myself that I never wanted to be in a situation where someone is actively in need of medical attention and I'm not able to help. I was given the opportunity to shadow different MDs, DOs, DPMs, and even ODs. While these shadowing opportunities were informative, I couldn't picture myself in the shoes of these physicians. Yearning to know more about why my sister reacted the way she did upon waking up from anesthesia I came across the career path of an Anesthesiologist Assistant.
The allure of becoming an Anesthesiologist Assistant, granted me the opportunity to shadow a CAA. My day in the OR was captivating. I watched the CAA make life or death decisions, all while still working under the supervision of the care team. Through my experience I take great pleasure in knowing that I'd have an anesthesiologist and other medical professionals to collaborate with and continue to learn from.
Through the mourning of my little sister, I decided to dedicate my time to turning an experience of grief into a situation of hope. Volunteering with Denver hospice has opened my eyes and exposed me to situations that make me value life even more than I already do. Seeing people as others loved ones, and grandmas as opposed to another case in the morning has made me realize that this program would benefit from my background. It is important to me to give back to the community that I grew up in, I also spend my time with The Colorado Black Health Collaborative because I know it's important as minorities, that we receive all of the resources available to us. My tribulations serve as a testament as to how dedicated I am to ensuring I am more than just a statistic. Pursuing a career as an Anesthesiologist Assistant will allow me to continue to give back to my community, and work effectively with a team to ensure the best patient care is given.
