Posts by maggiek3

maggiek3

Aug 14, 2011

Undergraduate / Biomedical engineering - Why engineering? Why Duke? [2]

Overall, I think it's really good. You explained why you are interested in engineering and gave examples of what you would like to do within that discipline. I think there needs to be a little more depth in the why you chose Duke portion...but I think you definitely have a good start here.

Hope this helps!

When I view the world, I see things that I believe could be better. I'm forced to ask, "Why does this work this way? Why can't you just do this? Wouldn't it fix everything if you just moved this over here? What is the best way to make this work?" Unfortunately these are very simple questions with very complex answers. (anybody can ask "why?" that is a simple question, but obviously, in engineering, the answers are complex. Maybe here you can add a sentence or two describing your desire to be a part of finding those complex answers, then lead into how biomedical engineering is a growing field that you are interested in) ~~I think the field of biomedical engineering is primed for huge leaps and bounds in our understanding and incredible innovations will soon follow. I want to be a part of this.~~

~~My specific intrigue in the biomedical field is prosthetics~~ . The area of biomedical engineering that is most intriguing to me is prosthetics. Replacing human organs and limbs with a non-living object is an exciting and gratifying endeavor. Specifically, I want to ~~go into the~~be involved in government research projects on prosthetics to help improve the lives of wounded veterans. ~~Again you~~In this field, engineers are presented with many questions, ~~my favorite~~the most prominent being : "How do you get the mind and the machine to communicate effectively?" This is such an intriguing question to me~~; a question~~ that I hope to spend my college career ~~researching~~trying to answer it.IfWhile this problem is may be solved tomorrow, ~~no problem,~~I feel that anytime there is an advancement in a field, it opens up hundreds of new questions about how to make the invention more efficient, compact, reliable, and user friendly. ~~That~~This is why I want to be a biomedical engineer. There will never be an end to the contributions you can make towards helping people.

~~There aren't many who would question that Duke is the best biomedical engineering program in the South. To me, that had little relevance in~~I chose~~choosing~~ the Pratt School of Engineering (because of x, y, and z. Pick out a few specific aspects of the school that you liked, i.e. the faculty has advanced degrees, the school provides tutoring services, etc. This essay is about you, not the opinions of others.) Duke gives me the opportunity, resources, and most importantly, the mentorship to make progress in answering the questions that I have. Few othersschools have undergraduate research opportunities that are as well orchestrated and ~~are as~~ encouraged as Duke University. Also very important to me is the opportunity to double major in biomedical engineering along with mechanical or electrical engineering so as to focus the multidisciplinary aspect of biomedical engineering into a specific engineering while still getting the background of all disciplines. These reasons, along with the atmosphere and the hundreds of opportunities to get involved around campus, are why ~~I chose~~ Duke asis my first choice school.

maggiek3

Aug 14, 2011

Graduate / Tudelft's motivation essay for admission into Msc programme [3]

I'm sure you need to write about all three separate thesis topics, otherwise they would have asked you to write about one. For each of the three, describe your past experiences that led to your interest in that topic and what specific areas of the topic intrigue you. For example, do you live in an ecologically sensitive area and are therefore interested in clean energy sources? What specific sources interest you (wind energy, water energy, etc.)? Or maybe you have a biology background and are interested in new technologies for delivering health care. State why you are interested in health care, and then discuss what particular aspects interest you.

Use your background, experiences, and interests to support your decision to choose a particular project. That way the reader can learn about who you are as well as where your interests lie and why you would be a good fit for their program.

Hope that helps!

maggiek3

Aug 14, 2011

Graduate / CASPA Admissions: "motivation towards becoming a PA" [2]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this site...what a great idea for a webpage!
This essay is for the Personal Statement portion of the CASPA Physician Assistant application. This instructions are to "describe my motivation towards becoming a PA." I'd appreciate any feedback people may have on this essay. I'm not sure that I conveyed my points as directly as I should...but I'm just not sure how to fix it at this point. Thank you in advance for your help!

I am not one of those people who knew from a young age that it was my destiny to work in the health care field, let alone as a physician assistant. In truth, I only just learned of the PA profession about 4 years ago. What I have known for some time is that I have an insatiable desire to learn and that my empathy for people is a driving force in my relationships with others. I have also known that I have a knack for science and fortunately, I greatly enjoy the subject. This characteristic led me to a degree in biology, and subsequently a career in pre-clinical research. After graduation, I started working at a medical device research company. This company directs the preclinical trials of new medical devices which involves using animal species as test subjects. My position as a research associate allowed me to explore many different aspects of surgical care and demonstrate varying levels of responsibility. Before procedures, I would help prep the animal by placing endotracheal tubes and IV catheters. During surgical procedures, I acted as an anesthesiologist, circulating nurse, and scrub nurse. After, I would recover the animal from anesthesia. In time, I also performed many of the surgical procedures, either as a primary surgeon or assistant. I completed countless cut-down and percutaneous vessel access procedures. I assisted in orthopedic procedures, and performed craniotomies solo. I did micro-surgery on rats, and performed thoracotomies on sheep. Although I enjoyed this job, I knew that research was not a permanent place for me since it lacked the direct human interaction that I thrive in. As I was considering the next step in my career path, my supervisor suggested I look into the PA profession.

As I investigated the role of a PA in the health care field, I discovered that it is a perfect fit for my interests and goals. I was interested in surgery due to my research experience, but providing health care using a team approach (i.e. physician's and PA's working together) was intriguing. When I finally decided that PA was the career for me, I left my research job and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. Since then, I have held several jobs as a CNA in significantly different hospitals and facilities, ranging from pediatric care, to respiratory care, to geriatric and memory care. While working in these roles, I learned that I truly love interacting with patients, as well as with their family and friends and other health care providers. I feel that I possess unique personality traits make me an ideal candidate for direct patient care. I enjoy hearing the stories of other people, and as a health-care professional, I take pride in being a part of their continuing story and helping them through a difficult time. I feel that I have an ability to explain medical procedures and practices in a way that non-health-literate patients can understand. Through my work as a CNA, I was able to develop useful non-verbal communication skills to help patients who did not speak English or had varying levels of comprehension. I also spent time shadowing PA's from cardiology and orthopedic backgrounds. Observing these professionals at work allowed me to really see what the day-to-day life of a physician assistant is like. From that experience, I learned that a PA often has a more personal relationship with patients, and this type of relationship is a perfect fit for my empathic and helpful nature.

Since receiving my undergraduate degree six years ago, I feel that the knowledge I have gained outside the lecture hall has been, in ways, more beneficial than what I learned at school. Additionally, I have found that since I now have a definite goal in mind, classwork has become easier. Although my academic history had its ups and downs, I feel that as a more mature student with specific goals, my recent academic achievements are much improved and will continue to improve throughout my time in graduate school. I have spent the last three years pursuing the goal of becoming a physician assistant, and the more work I put into this endeavor, the more excited and certain I am about my future. I feel that I have put forth the necessary effort to truly understand what it takes to be a PA and I know I am fully capable of undertaking this career. I have a passion for excellent patient care, I have extensive knowledge of science and health care, and I have the drive to perform exceptionally well. I feel that these qualities, along with my past experiences, will help me to become an excellent physician assistant.