Difficult patients

[lwclew]

I reviewed COnnections and Trip to Honduras

The patients that captivate me the most are the ones that are in really bad shape. They are the ones that have the most caring and compassionate family in their rooms all day long or they are the ones who have no one in their lives. The patients who need me the most are the ones that I gravitate toward.The ones who aren’t bruised or battered, who can walk the required mile before they leave the hospital: they aren’t the ones that get me excited about health care.The difficult, severely sick or most high-maintenance patients are the ones I reflect on at the end of the day.

We have a 93 year-old patient named “Juan Pablo” who has been living with cancer for the past three years. He’s staying in the hospital after an emergency surgery. He has three teeth, severe vision loss that keeps his eyes closed and is recovering from a recent stroke. When he isn’t sleeping he’s waving and blowing kisses to his endlessly sweet 85 year-old wife, or whispering sweet things in Chilean Spanish to his granddaughter, Sofia. Sofia has been taking care of Juan Pablo and Mrs. Juan Pablo for the past six years, since her grandmother was diagnosed with dementia.

My task as a physical therapy technician is to help Juan Pablo transfer from the bed to the chair. Last week we had been “walking” 15 feet to the comfy recliner he sits in for most of the day. When we came in this Monday he was on a medical hold; apparently Juan Pablo took a turn for the worse over the weekend. Sweet Sofia wanted him to get into the wheelchair, fearing that he’d never get to enjoy the sun again.

Panik suddenly washed over us as we heard our task. We walked into his room where his family was ever-present, and I took his hand and whispered, “Hola Juan Pablo,” into his ear. His cloudy eyes opened and a great big toothless smile arched across his face as he squeezed my hand. My heart melted.

He had been using an assistive device to stand over the weekend, so we followed suit and used the same machine. Almost miraculously, Juan Pablo needed little assistance getting to the edge of the bed, and nearly “popped” up to a standing position as best a frail 93 year-old in his condition could. The machine walked him to the wheelchair. The family cheered and congratulated the grinning man as they draped him in blankets for the trip outside.

This morning, we took Juan Pablo for an actual walk. It was only a four foot walk to the wheelchair, but he did the work this time. I asked him what he thought about Germany winning the World Cup against Argentina. He whispered to me, “We will always have another chance.”

I understand that Juan Pablo is ripe in age, and that this step back might be all that his body can handle, but he and his family have taught me so much about love, compassion, humor and gratefulness in the past week. It pains me that I cannot help Juan Pablo and his family more than I have. I wish I knew more about medicine. I wish I knew more about his issues. I wish I knew more about dementia. I wish I could do more. When I made the decision to go to school to be a physician assistant, I had no idea how touched I would be by the lives of patients coming in and out of my life so frequently. I’m sad when they leave; I tend to become attached. I want to call or visit them at home to see how they are, and if they’ve been doing their exercises.

Most of my health care experience is in physical therapy, and while I see this as important , I want to know more about my patients. I’d like to know and grasp the detailed reason they are in the hospital and how I can prevent them from coming back. I understand that the hospital is not a desirable place to be, and no matter how much I love spending time with some of these people, I would like to help them lead healthier lives . From observing and shadowing PAs, I have seen what a patient-centered approach to health care looks like. They take the extra time to inform or comfort patients. Every interaction I have with a PA, I become more impressed by the adaptability of their expertise and the breadth of their skills.

I may not have grown up wanting to become a physician assistant, or even made the best grades as an undergraduate student, but I definitely fell in love with medicine after my first Juan Pablo. All of the patients I’ve treated are the reason I keep coming into work and study hard to get good grades. I want to get them healthier, or I at least want to help them be comfortable when nothing else is working. I know I am ready to face the challenges and opportunities of this program and profession. Juan Pablo is the reason I want to become a PA.

[Forensikchic]

What I liked about the essay: I liked the feel of it. I liked the story of Juan Pablo. I like how it explains your passion for helping people and learning more about medicine.

Things that need work: There are grammatical errors, especially a lack of commas. Also, the story of Juan Pablo is a bit long. It leaves the reader wondering when you are going to get to what motivates you to be a PA. Also, it doesn't tell enough of your background, in my opinion.

[pclerv01]

Its a very interesting essay but I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that you need to embellish more on your motivation on becoming a PA.
The 6th paragraph, should say four feet and not four foot. Too many short phrases, try to leghten the phrases with commas. Too many "I wish", but overall great start and good luck.