yellow85
Jun 11, 2013
Graduate / My motivation to become a physician assistant [3]
"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end", -Ursula K. LeGuin.
My journey to become a physician assistant was not a defined path but rather a culmination of life experiences. As I learned more about myself through work and education, I found that the only fulfilling career for me is as a Physician Assistant.
I married my husband at the age of 19 and we both worked full time while pursuing our degrees. I chose to pursue Psychology as my major as I knew I wanted to help others in some capacity although I did not know yet if it would be in mental health or medicine. While completing my degree, I worked as the full time manager of a 130 unit building for individuals with disabilities, a property called Hillcrest Village. The building housed those with extremely limited financial means, specifically incomes less than 30% of the median national income. On a daily basis I witnessed the profound consequence that one's health has on their quality of life.
The residents of Hillcrest Village are a very significant motivator in my decision to become a PA. In my two years as manager, I had the opportunity to make meaningful connections with countless residents who shared how their disabilities affected their job and education opportunities, relationships and overall enjoyment of life. I found myself wanting to solve their complications and specifically play a role in the quality of healthcare they receive.
During this period, I watched a documentary on the healthcare crisis in the Appalachia region and I was dumbfounded at the lack of health care right here in the United States. Nearly 3,000 individuals gathered over a weekend to receive healthcare as many had to choose between insurance and providing other essentials for their families. I began to grasp the overwhelming need for quality healthcare for the underserved population and I wanted to help. Although I knew about physician assistants, it wasn't until I watched this documentary that I began researching it as a potential career path.
After speaking with a physician assistant and independently researching the role, it became clear what my journey's end would be. I am meant to be a physician assistant serving the population who gave me the motivation to pursue this career in the first place.
The final experience in my journey began in August, 2013 after moving with my husband from Rhode Island to Brooklyn. I began work as a medical assistant for a primary care physician where I support a very busy internal medicine practice that has served Brooklyn for nearly 30 years. I perform numerous procedures including EKG, chest x-ray, tympanometry, allergy testing, circulation tests, spirometry, aorta and bladder scan and blood work. In my work, I strive to connect with each patient and I am energized every day by the feeling that I am making a difference. Working as a medical assistant has solidified my desire to become a physician assistant. Moreover working in primary care, I feel strongly that I would like to pursue work as a primary care physician assistant in an underserved region.
While it took me a number of years to determine my motivation to become a physician assistant, I believe these experiences will serve me well in providing superior care to my future patients as a physician assistant.
"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end", -Ursula K. LeGuin.
My journey to become a physician assistant was not a defined path but rather a culmination of life experiences. As I learned more about myself through work and education, I found that the only fulfilling career for me is as a Physician Assistant.
I married my husband at the age of 19 and we both worked full time while pursuing our degrees. I chose to pursue Psychology as my major as I knew I wanted to help others in some capacity although I did not know yet if it would be in mental health or medicine. While completing my degree, I worked as the full time manager of a 130 unit building for individuals with disabilities, a property called Hillcrest Village. The building housed those with extremely limited financial means, specifically incomes less than 30% of the median national income. On a daily basis I witnessed the profound consequence that one's health has on their quality of life.
The residents of Hillcrest Village are a very significant motivator in my decision to become a PA. In my two years as manager, I had the opportunity to make meaningful connections with countless residents who shared how their disabilities affected their job and education opportunities, relationships and overall enjoyment of life. I found myself wanting to solve their complications and specifically play a role in the quality of healthcare they receive.
During this period, I watched a documentary on the healthcare crisis in the Appalachia region and I was dumbfounded at the lack of health care right here in the United States. Nearly 3,000 individuals gathered over a weekend to receive healthcare as many had to choose between insurance and providing other essentials for their families. I began to grasp the overwhelming need for quality healthcare for the underserved population and I wanted to help. Although I knew about physician assistants, it wasn't until I watched this documentary that I began researching it as a potential career path.
After speaking with a physician assistant and independently researching the role, it became clear what my journey's end would be. I am meant to be a physician assistant serving the population who gave me the motivation to pursue this career in the first place.
The final experience in my journey began in August, 2013 after moving with my husband from Rhode Island to Brooklyn. I began work as a medical assistant for a primary care physician where I support a very busy internal medicine practice that has served Brooklyn for nearly 30 years. I perform numerous procedures including EKG, chest x-ray, tympanometry, allergy testing, circulation tests, spirometry, aorta and bladder scan and blood work. In my work, I strive to connect with each patient and I am energized every day by the feeling that I am making a difference. Working as a medical assistant has solidified my desire to become a physician assistant. Moreover working in primary care, I feel strongly that I would like to pursue work as a primary care physician assistant in an underserved region.
While it took me a number of years to determine my motivation to become a physician assistant, I believe these experiences will serve me well in providing superior care to my future patients as a physician assistant.
