From the girl who pulled out her hair to the one applying to PA school

[emilyclairebray]

Being diagnosed with trichotillomania at the age of eight has greatly impacted who I am today. Trichotillomania has been such a large part of my life and it has led me to develop skills necessary to be successful in life. I never let this disorder limit me and used it instead as an inspiration to help me reach my goals. My struggles along with my educational background and experiences have driven me to want to become a physician assistant. I am confident that I have the heart, stamina, and determination one must possess to begin such a journey. I have always been driven by both my personal and academic goals. My hard work and perseverance is shown by my high-grade point average of 3.7 which I have maintained since I became a student at Bridgewater State University.

When I decided to become a physician assistant, I was in the middle of shadowing a physical therapist at a hospital. Before we would greet a new patient, the physical therapist would give me a brief summary of what was going on with he or she medically. This was the moment I realized a career in medicine would suit me better. The enthusiasm and passion I possess for this field of medicine and the physician assistant profession is what drives me.

I currently work as an emergency medical technician for a busy private ambulance company. With this position, I constantly go from one call right to another and get to both see and learn a great amount. Because the physician assistant profession began with Navy corpsmen in the Vietnam War, I believed that a career in emergency medicine was the best place to start working with patients. Every call I go on is a learning opportunity - whether it be an emergency for chest pain or bringing a patient to dialysis. As an emergency medical technician, I have learned to deferentially diagnose and treat based on my conclusion. This skill will be a great asset as a future physician assistant.

I was sure that the rough start I had to my college career would ruin any chance at getting in to a physician assistant school. Instead of giving up and turning in, I remained resilient. When I reattempted courses such as chemistry and physics, I actively paid attention and asked questions to better understand concepts. I studied material I had not even learned to be better prepared for class and it helped tremendously. I fell in love with these areas and my professors confirmed my career path was for me when they connected topics with medicine.

Through observation of physician assistants and working as an EMT and medical assistant, I know that this profession is what I will be in the near future. When shadowing a physician assistant in different settings, I learned a great deal about the profession. The role one PA may have with their supervising physician is much different in each specialty. Also, the amount of hands-on work a physician assistant does with patients is much different based on how long they have been practicing and in a certain specialty. The lateral mobility of this profession is what initially attracted me to this career. Today, I love knowing that I will be growing with a new profession and contributing to the solution of the health care crisis.

Trichitillomania has immensely shaped who I am today. Instead of letting trichotillomania limit me, I used it as an inspiration and as a result I developed a high level of resilience. It has helped me face challenges and be able to handle anything life throws my way. I did not run and hide when I was diagnosed with trichotillomania, instead I showed up and worked hard. Together with my past and present experiences, I have been led to the decision to become a physician assistant. If given the opportunity, I will work fervently in my studies to become a great physician assistant, for I know, whole heartedly, that this is the career path for me.

[PA-S(t) due!]

Hi emilyclairebray,
Great start to your essay! The title really draws the reader in, and it really says a lot about your development to start at a place of vulnerability and show your growth over the years.

I am a big fan of 'show don't tell' and I think that would be the primary advice I would give you about this essay. After reading this I still want to know what specifically about trichotillomania changed your life. Describe your experiences and give me a window into your thoughts. I also thought the discussion of grades was a bit disconnected. You discuss your strong academic performance at Bridgewater State and then later discuss a rocky academic start. When did you experience the academic difficulty? How did it help you learn specifically and why would it make you a better PA? I would also go into more detail about why shadowing the physical therapist sparked the desire to go to PA school.. what was the transition between PT and PA? I also don't think you need the sentence about the Navy Corpsmen, and I would be careful about saying EMTs differentially diagnose and treat. I am an EMT-B and we certainly are not able to make definite diagnoses with the tools at our disposal. I know what you are trying to say-- we have to be aware of certain conditions the patient could be presenting with, which motivates our treatment / contact of ALS / hospital patients are transported to, but I would be careful of using the word diagnosis. I would also discuss, in more detail, about your shadow experience. What did you learn from shadowing in different specialties?

I think with more detail this could be a really great essay. Feel free to contact with me with any questions and BEST OF LUCK!
Thanks,
Rachael