Personal statement, first draft. I know it needs work but I thought I would go ahead and enter a rough draft! Thank you!!

[morganwil]

October 3, 2013. That was the day my dad told me that my grandfather had fallen after suffering a brain aneurysm at his farm in Ellsworth.  My grandmother wasn’t home at the time.  They had lived on their farm in Ellsworth, KS for over 25 years.  It’s a town with a population of about 3000 people, spread across a large area of land and multiple family farms. That being said, by the time the ambulance reached the house from the town’s local hospital, several more vessels in my grandfather’s brain had weakened. When he arrived at *******, my dad informed me that although they couldn’t do much to fix the aneurysm, a family practice PA was able to stabilize my grandpa before airlifting him to ******* in Wichita.  The next day, I had traveled to Wichita myself to find that my grandpa had since suffered multiple strokes and that the bleeding had now occupied nearly fifty percent of his brain.  It was at that point that my family had made the decision to take my grandpa off life support. It had hit me like a ton of bricks. I had experienced death before; when I was little, but this was the first time I had truly seen it in person. It was the first time I had witnessed first-hand everything it took to keep a human life alive and well.  The pain I was feeling was gut wrenching.  After confirming his death, the nurse asked if we wanted to meet the medical staff that was in charge of my grandpa’s care.  I was shocked to learn that throughout that course of his stay, 2 different physicians and multiple physician assistants, of many different specialties, were responsible for making decisions regarding his care.  It was at this point that I realized the compassion and versatility of the physician assistant profession. I had been interested in the PA program since high school, but it wasn’t until this moment that I knew for certain that a PA is exactly the type of healthcare provider I wanted to be as it would give me the opportunity to serve those in my community that need help, without having to specialize in a particular field.

This passion to serve others has grown over the last several years as I have been given endless opportunities as student at Kansas State University.  Perhaps the biggest blessing was obtaining a job as a CNA at the ***********.  Despite being my first job in the healthcare system, I have learned and continue to learn knowledge regarding patient care and unique skills that are nearly impossible to obtain anywhere else.  This job has allowed me to work with healthcare providers including multiple physician assistants in providing direct patient care, all while being a full-time student. Never did I imagine that I would be able to order an MRI or CT for a patient and then be able to actually understand what the results meant. Never did I imagine that I would be able to take out sutures from a post-operative amputation one minute then apply a cast or splint to a little girl who broke her arm falling off of a swing the next minute.  

            Not only has this job taught me a wide array of skills that better allow me to serve in the healthcare field, but it has also allowed me to care for a variety of people, from multiple backgrounds. I was only working at the clinic for about a month when I had an experience with a patient that I will never forget.  The receptionist came to the back, frustrated, because there was a Spanish-speaking patient that needed help completing a health history form. She asked if there was anything we could do to help, thinking she would have to turn her away because no one knew how to help her or her son.  No one was able to offer a solution. That was until I asked if I could see the chart. I had taken Spanish classes throughout high school and college, so I thought I could offer some assistance. I called the woman back to the room, and was able to help her complete the health history form. The woman appeared so thankful. Seeing the smile on her face when she realized that someone actually understood her gave me a sense of confidence. I then proceeded to ask her questions and obtain an intake about what her problem was. By that time, I was able to brief the physician on the problem and even translate the plan of care to the patient and her son. Although this process took a while as I struggled to correctly translate, I could tell the patient was very grateful for my effort. Before leaving she gave me a hug and said,  “Gracias por tratarme como todos los otros”. She wanted to thank me for treating her like everybody else.

This moment also confirmed for me that I belonged in a field that allows me to work closely with people.  That is why I love the physician assistant job so much.  I will be able to use my compassion and knowledge in multiple specialties to serve those like my grandpa, who need the most help.

           

 

[paproof]

Overall it's about average.  Could definitely use some fine-tuning though.