There is no scope for this narrative required by the school, this is solely my personal statement. All the help that you can share would be greatly appreciated and thank you so much for your time and feedback.
Marcus
Given the opportunity I will be a successful, felicitous and motivated Physicians Associate (PA) due to my respect for patients, the profession and the skills I have attained through my roles and experiences as an Oriental Medicine/complimentary care physician, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), swift water rescue instructor, Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA), business owner, patient and successful student.
My interest and desire to become a (PA) began during an internship while completing my four year master's degree program in Oriental Medicine. For four months, we worked in a multicultural family practice clinic in the lower socioeconomic town of Watsonville, CA. After the first day I fell in love with the PA profession. It was clear that the PA's that we worked with were compassionate and dedicated to the well being, success and the health of their patients. The vast knowledge, social skills, honesty, autonomy and diversity required of the PA set the scene for my admiration of the profession. No matter how busy the PA's were they were never short with their patients and always gave them the time that they needed to feel satisfied with their visit. If the patient was established the PA always knew something personal about their family which always showed compassion for the patient and trust. The patient was always made to feel warm and welcomed regardless of his/her disease or prognosis. The amount of time, patience and devotion the PA's spent with each and every patient set a high bar for my level of patient care in the future.
My initial introduction to patient interaction and care occurred when I worked as a volunteer at the Children's hospital of Denver. My responsibilities included helping patients and their families with their non-medical needs, setting up rooms, getting supplies, finding their caregivers and most importantly listening and spending time with patients. It became clear to me that the medical staff for the most part was too busy to provide the compassion and the human interactions that most of the families needed. I believed this was the norm for healthcare until I met my first PA.
Through my education as an EMT I learned the necessity in the medical profession for speed, proficiency and precision. Working closely with paramedics as a team elicited the comradery and dependence that was needed for the ambulance to function at its highest potential. My ability as an EMT to communicate clearly to the paramedic, as well as to the accepting Emergency Department (ED) staff and physicians was a crucial necessity. My time in the ED exposed me to the precious minutes that pass like hours while a human being teeters between life and death and the absolute need for a group of people to work as a team to save a life.
Shadowing for the last three years has provided me with an insightful and indebted exposure to the profession. I have shadowed both PA's and doctors in family practice settings, outpatient procedures and pain management settings. Observing the interactions of the PA's with their patients has been very rewarding and gratifying for both myself and for the patients. It is my opinion that the variety and diversity of the PA's life experiences typically make them better suited in terms of patient interaction and humanity. Some physicians seem very rushed and distant from the compassion and time that patients need, whereas all the PA's seem to make the time to go above and beyond their call of duty to provide for their patients and most importantly to know their patients. My favorite PA gave me the advice, "know the patient as a person and not as a disease or injury, all people deserve compassion no matter how they present." This statement has stayed with me and deeply moved me to provide that tremendous level of care to my patients.
As a nationally certified swift water rescue and white water kayaking instructor I have learned how to teach people to save their own lives and those of others. I have learned to communicate effectively with people in the midst of life threatening situations and times of deep-seated fear and desperation. In a rescue situation the ability of people to work as a team is a necessity that the victim's life depends upon. my experiences as an EMT and an instructor have provided me with the ability to direct and control a group of rescuers through clear communication and delegation to achieve the safety of all people involved. My experiences as an instructor and kayaker have taught me the need to look at the big picture during events and not to get trapped in the minutia of a situation. This carries over into the way I provide healthcare for patients because it is not solely the chief complaint that needs to be addressed for the greater good of the patient. Most of the time there are other issues which may be missed when one does not look at the patient in a big picture or whole person mindset.
Being a primary care provider in the state of California and designated so by some insurance companies in Colorado, my Oriental Medicine practice has exposed me to a great variety of patients, illnesses and problems. I have established and maintained working relationships and referrals with local physicians, PA's, Nurse Practitioners, Physical Therapists, Nutritionists and other health care providers. Establishing a successful private practice has taught me many things about how a clinic works and the importance of a healthcare team for my patients. I have learned how to establish relationships with other providers, interact effectively with insurance companies, and establish medical necessity and prior authorization for procedures and treatment protocols. Knowing when and how to make the appropriate referrals to specialists for the betterment of the patient as well as knowing when a condition or disease is over my head has lead me to a position of respect and gratitude from both my patients and other health care providers.
Working as an Oriental Medicine practitioner has provided me with great tools and options for patients who have tried most of allopathic medicine or want other options for their care. However, I have learned the limitations and restraints of practicing in my current role. I have changed and bettered many lives in my current profession yet this has not satisfied my need and desire to do and to know more.
My desire to do more for patients, to stay on the cutting edge of medicine and my insatiable desire to know more to help patients has led me to PA school. My eventful and colorful life has provided me with a great molding to fit the needs of the PA profession and most importantly of my future patients. My experiences in complimentary health care will be an asset to the PA community, in knowledge, instruction and understanding. I am confident that my professional and life experiences, motivation, ability to work in a team setting, autonomy, reliability, desire to help others, diverse clinical background and my determination will make me an excellent PA as well as a great asset to the medical community.
Nice opening paragraph!
If the patient was established, the PA always knew something personal about their family which always showed compassion for the patient and also trust.
...setting up rooms, getting supplies, finding their caregivers and most importantly listening to and spending time with the patients.
Observing the interactions between the PA's and their patients has been very rewarding and gratifying for both myself and for the patients.
As a nationally certified swift water rescue and white water kayaking instructor, I have learned how to teach people to save their own lives as well as those of others.
My experiences as an EMT and an instructor have provided me...
I have changed and bettered many lives in my current profession, yet this has not satisfied my need and desire to do and to know more.
My desire to do more for patients, to stay on the cutting edge of medicine, and my insatiable desire to know more to help patients has led me to PA school.
Your essay is great, well thought out and set up. They'll be very lucky to have you as a student! Good luck with school!
:)
