Life experiences have molded me to who i am

[weirdbutkind]

I replied to : 1) Career change to EMS, low undergrad GPA
2) My heart was pounding, my mind racing...

It was a Wednesday evening. I heard my 17 month old niece cough and it looked as if she attempted to swallow the watermelon bit. When she realized she couldn’t, her eyes widened. My face turned pale and my heart dropped. I positioned her over my forearm and against my knee while supporting her head with my hand and began to perform CPR. When I turned her, I could see the watermelon bit right by her front tooth. I angled her forward enough to grab the watermelon bit with my finger. I looked into her mouth for any other pieces, it was empty. I stared at her for a couple of seconds wondering why she was quiet as she stared back at me. Feeling overwhelmed, I held her and cried. Realizing that if things didn’t turn out the way it did, I could have been the cause of death of a baby. I worked effectively under pressure and that moment reinforced my decision to go into medicine.

As a child I knew I wanted to work in medicine. Although at the time, it was Veterinary medicine I was focused on. It wasn’t until I was a sophomore at Palm Beach State College that I decided to find a physician to shadow. I had already been working at Coral Bay Nursing and Rehabilitation for 2 years before I approached Dr. Felix Elpedes. My attention diverted from veterinary medicine to human medicine when I realized I received more satisfaction working with people than animals. The appreciation obtained from working with patients was rewarding whether it was providing underprivileged patients with samples of their medications, showing professionalism when performing electrocardiograms while patients were exposed, or speeding up the time process without affecting the overall quality of care for patients in a hurry. I was able to come out of my shell and communicate with patients. By obtaining each patient’s vitals prior to the doctors’ examination, my interpersonal skills improved immensely. My experience working with patients reinforced my desire to work in a hands-on environment. During that year, I became familiar with medical terminology and various medications. This early training was an invaluable experience that would be impossible to obtain within a classroom setting. Dr. Elpedes opened me up to other professions. The Physician Assistant (PA) profession caught my eye.

I was fortunate enough to find Armando Veliz, PA-C who specialized in wound care. He previously assisted in general surgery but was promoted to treat patients in nursing homes while training other Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and other Pas in that field. One of the perks of being a PA is not only being able to treat patients but also being able to have flexibility to go into other fields. I recall an experience with a dementia patient that was turned to his side for his weekly debridement. As the NP gently administered a local anesthetic on his stage 3 bedsore, the patient began hysterically crying. The PA talked and comforted him till he calmed down before proceeding. From what I’ve experienced, a PA interacts on a more personal basis with the patients building more trust and making them feel more secure. Watching the MD focus the light on the lesion while the PA guided the NP on how to properly treat the wound, I admired their compassion and teamwork. This made a significant impression on me because while it is important to be a student, it is imperative to the team setting that you can be a teacher as well.

This collaboration is also evident when I shadow the Cardiologist, Dr. Duccio Baldari, and his PA, Palavi Reddy. They work effectively in diagnosing and treating their patients. The fact that a PA forms a vital part of the medical team while having a backup supervising physician, if needed, greatly appealed to me.

As receptionist, my Spanish-speaking skills become an asset in translating. I operate a multi-line telephone, take messages, and communicate with our residents and guests. Frequent interruptions and hostile or emotionally upset visitors, family members, and patients have taught me patience. Shadowing the Occupational Therapist (OT) Ayinde Robinson at Coral Bay has allowed me to put a face to the names on our census. I’ve assisted in therapy activities that strengthened our patients and incorporated themselves back into their daily lives. I’ve worked with mentally and physically unstable patients, under the OT’s supervision, in aiding them with their daily routine, such as using the bathroom, shaving, dressing and/or eating. The OT’s comical approach made the patients feel comfortable and the time spent more enjoyable. Trying the same method has enabled me to build relationships with our patients.
These experiences provided me with a foundation into becoming a medical professional and succeeding in a PA school. As a Hispanic and first generation college student, I plan to contribute to the mission of providing healthcare to underprivileged populations. I look forward to dedicating my life to serving others by utilizing my knowledge, compassion, patience, and communication to provide affordable healthcare that not only affects the individual but his/her family as well.

[joebrill]

What I liked:
I think you describe your experiences in good detail, explaining what you learned and how they shaped you while entering into human medicine. Most of your experiences were mutli-disciplinary, involving doctors, PA's, and NP's which I think contributes to a broad experience.
I also liked that you included a wide breadth of clinical work in your repertoire fortifying you as a competitive candidate.

Ideas for revision:
Go into more detail regarding why you made your decision to become a PA and not pursue another healthcare profession.
You might consider something about your success in coursework and dedication to studying ling hours. I think many schools are concerned not only about whether you will be a good PA, but that you have the prowess to maintain good marks and study long hours to graduate and stay with the program.

Hope this helps...

[sam]

What I liked: You have a very strong, eye-catching introduction. You went into a lot of detail of your experiences and showed knowledge of what a PA does which is important. Such as when you talked about the flexibility in the field.
Grammar error: 3rd paragraph you said Pas, should spell out physician assistants. I don't think you have to capitalize Physician, Nurse Practitioner, and Physician Assistant.
Needs improvement: In my research I read an article 10 things to avoid in a personal statement, and one of them being "As a child I Knew..." Maybe find another way to start your second paragraph how your experience in medicine actually began in vet medicine, and then go into how PA became your desire of interest. I think you can leave out the paragraph "this collaboration is also evident..." I would like to see a conclusion and tie in your first paragraph since it was such a strong into you should have a strong conclusion. I feel your statement is like a timeline, and you should pick what is only a few things that are important with detailed explanations because your CASPA application will show all your experiences, shadowing, and so forth so you don't need put everything down. But defiantly lead with that first paragraph and keep it interesting the whole paper.

Hope this helps! Good luck!!

[Amberguest]

Though doctors working with different medicines, but they have the basic knowledge of all the medicines. They are understood about it as they are experienced.

*** Forbidden. Sender blacklisted. Please enable JavaScript. Request number 05ab56bafb178162a4740130316f6cbd. Antispam service cleantalk.org. ***