Disadvantages Of Going Back To School

Currently, as a Healthcare Specialist (68W), I am honored to help improve the lives of U.S. Service Members, veterans, and their family members. However, my true aspiration is to make an impact on the underserved communities in the United States and globally. Therefore, to accomplish my goals, I aspire to obtain my Master's Degrees in Physician Assistant Studies. I desire this degree because I understand how much of a need for a transformation in medicine, especially in underserved areas. I am aware of this need because I grew up in an underserved community.

Recently I have spent my time researching the paths I would like to take to further my education in the medical field. While trying to discover my path and myself, I have come to the decision of pursuing the career of a Registered Nurse. This decision was not taken lightly, infact it was hard. There are so many things I could be in this world from a doctor to a zoologist and I choose to be a Registered Nurse.

I was never a kid that knew who I would become when I grow up. My interests ranged from wanting to become an interior designer to having a strong desire of becoming a pilot. I was often surrounded by healthcare professionals but I never imagined myself striving to become one. Little did I know that I would end up at a stage in my life where I would be sure about pursuing a career in healthcare. Although I have decided on my career path, I have yet to discover a particular field within healthcare that grabs my interest. The RA Internship will help me learn more about medicine and help me find a right field of study through clinical research experience and monthly lectures offered to me as an intern. Though this opportunity I will be able to

Clinical Research Internship Study Program (CRISP) at the Mayo Clinic Florida strengthened my idea that research is an integral part of clinical medicine. After the CRISP, I decided a MD/Ph.D. suits my future goals better than an MD or Ph.D. because it will better equip me with essential tools, such as the ability to practice and develop medicine, needed to provide the best patient care possible. Spending many weeks on Cerner Millennium power chart sorting

Returning back to school was a very natural decision for me. It seemed to be the next logical step in my personal and career goals. My ultimate goal is to be happy and healthy and be a good provider and role model. With that set aside for now, my next goal is to be financially stable and able to provide for my family in ways that my family was not able to provide for me. I definitely expect to work for what I want and earn every bit of it. The most recent motivator was that my company was willing to contribute a huge chunk of the yearly tuition, therefore removing some financial burden. This makes me feel like they truly care about my future and they really want to see me succeed.

I interned as a Medical Assistant and received my Associate’s in Applied Science Degree in Medical Assisting in December of 2015. I knew that receiving this degree was only the beginning. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to have a better

For a split second I caught myself reconsidering my future that I have thought for so long I had all figured out. As the President of the Ole Miss chapter of AMSA began the meeting, I found myself starting to relax a little. I listened to all the things that most medical school reviewers look for on a transcript and application, and all the things she talked about were offered through this organization or were made much simpler with the aid that it provides. The speaker went on to say that AMSA was not simply a “medical school prep”, but it was heavily involved in community service. Following the speech by the President, Dr. Gray got on stage to tell us about his experience as a member of the review board at the University of Arkansas Medical School, and he shared some of the things that he, as a reviewer, found as positives and negatives in an application. When the meeting was coming to an end, we were encouraged to join the national chapter of AMSA as well as the Ole Miss

My educational background in the medical field, continued desire to gain more knowledge, as well as my professional experiences have illustrated my capability, enthusiasm and dedication to my work and patients. I intend to approach my studies in the Physician Assistant program as I have all other challenges in my life: with a strong sense of commitment and determination. First and foremost, prior educational success has been demonstrated through the completion of an associates degree in Respiratory Care followed immediately by completion of a bachelor’s degree in Health Services. While a student in this program, I exhibited excellence in both academic and clinical skills. I was able to accomplish success as a full-time student while maintaining a full-time job and serving as the primary caretaker for my ailing father.

Although at the time it felt like a step back I didn't want this to stop me, I wanted to continue to discover what it is that I really feel is the right career path for me. After taking a marketing class the first semester and doing a term long project for the school, I was inspired to look into the field of marketing. The thrill of having a client and being able to help them out from small mom and pop shops to large companies, marketing will grant me the ability to communicate, and connect with people from varying

Throughout the majority of my life, I had dreams of becoming an attorney and did not consider medicine as a profession until much later in my academic career. I had previously pictured myself pursuing a career in intellectual property rights and hoped to become a patent attorney, given my interest in the scientific field. My interest in patent law led me to take science courses that piqued my curiosity. I soon found myself involved in undergraduate laboratory research, focused on discovering new drugs to treat chronic pain syndromes while preventing drug tolerance and limiting the side effects of conventionally used narcotic pain medications. During my last year of college, I was accepted into law school, however I ultimately did not feel that I was truly pursuing my passion and decided to withdraw my acceptance. I then found myself with a college degree and an unclear direction in life, unsure of what new career I wanted to pursue. Shortly after graduating, I discovered a medical scribe vacancy in my hometown's Emergency Department (ED). Working as a scribe in the ED was a profound experience that undoubtedly shaped my career path and inspired me to become a physician and apply to medical school.

While the idea of being a physician assistant or a physical therapist isn’t a bad one at all, I always felt that somehow, something was always missing. I was missing an objective. I was missing what I really wanted to do as a physician assistant. The practice of curing and assisting people without exposing how to prevent future outcomes of illnesses and the spread of diseases to them didn’t really sit well with me at all. I began to doubt my potential future career choice as a physician assistant in general. They say variety is the spice of life; although I knew and loved the knowledge of assisting a medical physician, it was the serious lack of variety within that specific field and the limited options of growth that gave me heavy thoughts day in and day out. I wanted a career that would enable me to help a large amount of people, help place a heavy emphasis on prevention and care, and also challenge me continually to motivate and improve myself. Seeing that I no longer had an interest in being a physician assistant as I initially intended, my thoughts and passion quickly gravitated towards the area of public health, particularly

challenge, so I went back to school, but growth with the company wasn’t offered to me. There wasn’t

Going back to school has definitely been a great challenge for my family and me. I had to learn all over again, to juggle between school, work and family. Leaning how to write a paper in the APA format was initially a struggle. I am so glad that I decided on going back to school. I did not realize the difference and importance of having a BSN vs ADN degree. According to Wagner, there will be “greater opportunity for career advancement, improved prospects for job mobility and security and higher potential earning” (as cited in American Sentinel, 2013, para 2). Wagner also believes “there is no way that nurses can get all of the needed knowledge with only an ADN degree” (as cited in American Sentinel, 2013, “Greater Opportunities”, para

Although it may sound cliché, ever since I was a little girl I had the desire to work in the medical field, whether it be a doctor or a nurse. The desire stemmed from listening to my aunt tell stories about operations that she had assisted in, or patients that she had seen and their perplexing ailments. I was never phased by blood, and watching how the human body worked was something that made me excited and eager to learn more. When I was first asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I proudly said, an anesthesiologist. Since that day, I’ve worked hard to reach each milestone that will help me get closer to my goal. My intended future goal is to become a CRNA, which requires the successful completion of my nursing degree.

High school students are often stressed how important college is and how vital it will be for their future, but students often wonder if the thousands of dollars spent to further their education is worth it. According to the New York Times, “Student debt, meanwhile, has topped $1 trillion” (Leonhardt, 2014). Having that much in student debts, often questions individuals attend college or to join the work force right out of college. There are a lot of advantages of attending college as well as disadvantages of attending college. As an individual, you have to be the one to decide if it will be worth it or not. Some may view it is not worth all the debt in the long run, whereas some think it is worth every penny in the end. I have always had strong values when it came to education, therefore I think college is worth every penny.