Hi I am currently a Senior at the University of Pittsburgh applying for some Physician Assistant programs and I would appreciate it very much if anybody could help me with my narrative! I had trouble starting this so I know my introduction is a little weak so I appreciate any and all inputs! thank you for your time.
Being a volunteer at my local hospital last summer have really opened my eyes to what I want to do for the rest of my life. As a volunteer in our Hospital Elder Life Program(HELP), my responsibilities included visiting patients that are over the age of 70 and spending time with them in order to help make their stay enjoyable and help them get anything that they may need. This may seem like a quality improvement service that the hospital provides, but in reality, our goal is to both keep the minds of these patients active in order to help prevent decline of their mental states along with helping to maintain a positive environment in the hospital for these patients. After being around these patients, it was clear to me that not only did I help make their stay at the hospital more enjoyable, interacting with them have also taught me a lot about myself. I found that helping people by making their day better also provided me with satisfaction in what I do. By giving back to the community and making even one of these patients' day better also brightened up my day and the reward in seeing the genuine smile of a patient showing their appreciation in what you do is incomparable to any feeling in the world. I was able to make a difference in their day just by spending time with them and talking to them about their lives and interests and it was clear how just by interacting with them changed their experience in the hospital environment.
As I was shadowing a physician assistant this past summer, it became apparent just how important patient interaction was and how integral it was to being a PA. The PA took time out of their day in order to spend more time with patients to make sure they were comfortable and made sure that the patient enjoyed their time at the hospital as well as they could. This was a stark contrast to the doctor I observed that was on duty at the time who just went in, asked a couple of questions, and told the patient the bare essentials and left.
During my shadowing experience, one patient that I visited along with my PA was in clear distress. The patient was in tears because of the amount of therapy and medication they had to endure and being at the hospital for numerous weeks did not help. The PA immediately began to comfort them and explain to them how they knew how the other person felt and how they could relate to the person from their own experiences and soothed them until the patient calmed down. Not only did the PA make sure they were alright and converse with them before finishing rounds, the PA also took time out of their busy schedule on top of their lunch time to go back and check up on the previously distressed patient and every subsequent time that they entered the room, the patient lit up the room with their smile upon seeing the PA.
Coming from the HELP program, I immediately knew that being a physician assistant was what I wanted to do. To be able to have the time to interact with the patients and make sure they were happy and doing anything in my power to make sure that happens was one of the most rewarding aspects of my volunteer position, and as a result, was essential to me that I would be able to spend the time needed to interact with these patients. To be able to experience the rewarding smile of a patient is one of my topmost motivations to be a physician assistant and being able to do everything in my power to help them to make their day better.
I have think you have written very well . But in the beginning , you could have added that how you entered this career and what you had earlier thought of becoming . Was this what you expected from this career ?
I f you add this . It would be fine .
