I reviewed "a true patient connection" and " feeling lost on essay: help!"
I feel lost on my essay as well. Please give me your honest feedback. Thank you in advance.
I liked taking care of my oldest brother, Ify during his asthma episodes. Ify had a ad case of asthma. Since I was little around the age of 7, I would do anything from helping him look for his inhaler when he misplaced it, going to get him my dad's inhaler, to even fanning him to help him get some more air so he could breathe better.
When it was time to go to the university, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to be in the medical field. My parents didn’t mind making the sacrifice to send me off to the United States to get a medical degree. I applied for the SAT and chose respiratory care from the list of health care options because it was going to grant me patient contact and also because it hit home for me.
Upon starting my clinical rotations as a respiratory care student, I came in contact with different members of the health care team. That was also my first contact with physician assistants. I had never heard of the profession until then. It piqued my curiosity and I started asking questions and doing my research. I had since spoken to almost any physician assistant I saw. There was something in common that resonated with all of them - their love for what they do.
Working as a respiratory therapist so far and being a patient myself a few times has allowed me the opportunity to interact with physician assistants even more. I have especially worked closely with the PAs in the ER at the hospital where I work. I watch them see patients, interact with the ER physicians and other members of the health care team. I work mostly in the critical care units and a typical shift involves working closely with the nurse and other members of the health care team in getting ready to wean a patient off of a breathing machine among other responsibilities. Listening to and watching speech therapists, dietitians, physical therapists, wound care therapists etc consult on a patient and seeing how they all tie together into a patients' readiness to be weaned off makes me realize all the more that I want to be involved in patients care on a more holistic level.
Sometimes, however, patients are taken off breathing machines but live only a few minutes after that. Michael was one of those patients. His case particularly touched me. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years earlier and was undergoing chemotherapy that seemed to help him progressively get better, he had told me. He became my patient when he came to the hospital because he had a relapse. He was in his twenties and so full of life. He raved about his daughter and fiancée. They had even invited me to their wedding. He was cheerful and remained hopeful that he would get better and out of the hospital. I returned to work after a while of being off and saw that he had gone from breathing regular room air on the medical floor to being in the critical care unit on a ventilator. He smiled at me, held my hand and motioned for his clipboard on which he "said" hi to me. His fiancée would tease him or update him on wedding plans and he'd smile. Days following he would manage a smile but wince in pain when I did his oral care. His fiancée remained hopeful he'd get better even when he became increasingly worse to where he didn't make any facial impressions. The last night I took care of him before he passed, his fiancée and mom were given an emergent call concerning him. This time his fiancée looked visibly shaken and afraid. She gave me a hug and thanked me while she fought back tears. His mom hugged me and thanked me in the English she could manage to speak. Difficult moments like this where I can be there for patients and their family members beyond just giving therapy makes it all the more worth it.
After my one year of Optional Practical Training (that doesn't allow for working and being in school simultaneously) and upon obtaining a work visa that enabled me to work and go to school simultaneously, I enrolled in school the following semester to start taking the classes needed to fulfill PA school pre-requisite requirements. Even though it's been challenging going to class and working full time, I've kept at it and I'm motivated by my desire to become a PA and also by family and friends who encourage and support me to keep on working on my goal to become a PA.
Shadowing the PAs at an urgent care clinic even though for a short while so far has taught me a lot. I have watched them assess their patients and get more personal with their patients in their process of delivering care. One of the PAs I shadowed had practiced OB/GYN and psychiatry before now being in urgent care. She tells me that her experience practicing in both fields prior to currently practicing in urgent care comes in handy a lot. The fact that PA is a flexible profession where I get to be a health care provider in any area I'm needed makes it even more appealing to me.
I was privileged to come to the U.S. to get an education in the health care field. Becoming a PA will be an even bigger privilege that I do not intend to take for granted. I intend to go back to Nigeria from time to time after I have amassed experience as a PA to give back. I remember as a young girl growing up in my local church and going to health fairs organized by the diocese with my mom. I had seen a team of health care workers give vaccines, treat and educate members of the community and those images have always remained with me. I look forward to the journey of becoming a PA and helping people through that medium.
RT to PA
Re: RT to PA
Good content, good job relating your experiences to the PA profession. Make sure to clean up your sentence structure and grammatical errors before submitting, and you should be golden!