Graduate / 'I began a family while I studied' - CASPA submission for Physician Assistant [3]

5000 character limit. This is a little over 4200. Prompt: Provide a brief description of your motivation/desire to become a physician assistant...

The medical field entered my world by force in the spring of 1996. While my husband and I were preparing to evacuate our home in light of the incoming hurricane, I received a phone call that changed the course of my life; my mother was calling to tell me that what had seemed to be a persistent stomach virus had turned out to be much worse: my seventeen-year-old brother had just been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.

The strength of Hurricane Fran paled in comparison to the storm raging in my mind. Stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, I was six hours from my family's home. Over the next nine months, I traveled those six hours every week to offer support. I watched as my parents drove the two hours from their home in the Appalachian Mountains to the nearest cancer treatment center, and I began to see the hardship that was endured from not having local medical centers that could offer assistance during my brother's worst crises. My brother's battle with the disease that was attacking him from within opened my eyes to the complexities of human physiology and the issues arising from the shortage of healthcare providers in rural communities. It ignited a desire within me to understand human disease processes and to enter the medical field, assisting others in the attainment of health and wellness.

Following my service in the US Army, my husband and I began a family while I studied for my undergraduate degree. During those years, I joined the American Medical Student Association and started a local chapter of AMSA premed at my campus. Although my commitment and dedication to my three children would prevent me from committing to the twelve years it would take to enter practice as a medical doctor, I was passionate about bringing education to premed students regarding the numerous opportunities for serving rural communities after their medical training. I graduated from college and pursued a career in the medical laboratory, where I could learn more about the pathophysiology of the diseases of the human body. I loved the work in the laboratory, and I gained invaluable insights into the medical field while working closely with pathologists, clinical physicians, and nurses in a community hospital. My desire to work in a rural setting was met, but the ability to see a patient through a medical issue from beginning to end was not fulfilled.

I am grateful for the lessons that have filled my journey in medicine thus far. My time as a clinical lab scientist has allowed me to develop an understanding of the empathy, compassion, and patience that is required when providing medical care for various populations of patients. As a member of the leadership of our hospital, I have been able to learn team-building skills and have had the opportunity to offer input into ways to improve our patients' experience in the healthcare setting. I have had the opportunity to travel to other healthcare facilities, both in rural and urban settings, and experience the similarities and differences in approach to healthcare in each situation. I have been able to interact with all levels of the clinical team, and it was through these various professional relationships that I learned of the physician assistant career path. I have spent numerous hours in conversation with physician assistants from emergency departments, family care centers, and free clinics discussing various aspects of their chosen career paths, and I have recently begun shadowing physician assistants in an effort to obtain a more in-depth look at the intricacies of their profession.

I believe that a career as a physician assistant represents the culmination of my pursuit of a profession in the healthcare field. Upon completion of a physician assistant program, I aim to join the National Health Service Corps and provide quality healthcare to underserved rural communities. I believe that the self-discipline I learned in the military, the medical background I have attained in the clinical laboratory, and my overwhelming desire to serve the public will lead to a successful career as a physician assistant, and I look forward to the challenges and rewards that this profession promises to present in my future.