Graduate / I arrived in the United States nine years ago from Guyana. My future was like a blank canvas [3]

Provide a narrative regarding your motivation towards becoming a Physician Assistant.

I arrived in the United States nine years ago from Guyana. I remember feeling as if my future was a blank canvas and I was

given the opportunity to paint it however I wanted. Problem was, I had no idea what the picture should look like. I had

recently graduated as a certified teacher from Cyril Potter College of Education in Guyana, but knew that teaching wasn't my

passion. I knew that I wanted a solid education but was very indecisive as to what my educational background would be.

My decision to become a Physician Assistant was one that I made during the past few years but my passion for health care

began the very year I came to this country. I was hospitalized briefly a few months after arriving in the United States. I

remember that time being one of the most tumultuous periods in my life, but the care that I received from the health care

team in the hospital was impeccable and helped me through that difficult time. I never fathomed that strangers could be as

caring, considerate and compassionate as they were. I knew immediately that I wanted to replicate the same care and leave

the same lasting impression on the lives of others. I immediately enrolled in a medical assistant program because I knew that

this type of training would allow me to interact and care for patients while providing me with a source of income while I

pursued my college degree.

I initially wanted to become a Registered Nurse and began taking courses which were aligned with this degree program. I

veered off course when I became pregnant with my daughter and was placed on bed rest for four months. I lost my job as a

medical assistant and had to withdraw from school until after the birth of my child. During this time my father expanded his

mortgage business and strongly encouraged me to join him after the birth of my daughter. After my daughter was born, I

teamed up with my father and I spent the next few years being very successful with the company. I decided it was only

logical for me to attain a business degree because of my role in the company so I changed majors and began to pursue a

degree in business.

With just a couple of years of studies left until I earned my degree, the economic turmoil that affected our entire country

trickled down and affected me personally. My father's business went bankrupt and I found myself out of a job and in an

extreme financial crisis. I decided that I would finish up my degree and attain a higher degree in health care because the

business world held too many uncertainties for me. After careful consideration, I narrowed my decision down to becoming an

MD or a PA. I choose the PA program because it is more concise than the MD program and it still gives me the opportunity to

provide great patient care. I will finally have the chance to have a career that I am passionate about and be able to have a

significant impact on the lives of those that I care for. It has always been a dream of mine to have a career that I love so

that I wouldn't regret going to work every morning and becoming a PA will give me the opportunity to love my work again.