Personal Narrative: A Career In Healthcare

As I exit the locker room, I strap on my black cleats and tighten my gloves. I grab my silver helmet with the lightning bolt logo, touch the sign that says “Play Like A Champion Today,” and walk into the tunnel. Finally, we hear our team’s name, and we run onto the field ready to defeat the fear of losing embedded in our minds. The opportunity arose, and whether we seized it or not, this would be my last game. We took away from that day more than just a win, or a loss. As somber as I was to let this moment go, I knew I had not let my team down. There was no anguish, no agony. These lessons from football have carried over in my journey to become a physician. I knew I wanted a career in healthcare, and football has better prepared me for that.

The career I became interested in is a Physician’s Assistant, or a few people call them PAs. I became interested in this job in my sophomore year of high school. It all started when I attended the STEM fair after school one day. STEM fair is only offered to students who are in either the biomedical Stem academy or the engineer academy. At this fair, students tour around to different classrooms to acquire information on different careers. I attended the Physician’s Assistant one, where there was an actual PA to give information on what PAs achieve. For example, PAs examine patients for diseases, injuries and illnesses.

Choosing my career was not an easy choice but becoming a Medical Assistant would be my “foot in the door” to becoming a nurse. I started Alaska Career College in fall 2014 to become a Phlebotomist. I thought that with my experience as a medical receptionist, I can further my career as a medical assistant rather than a phlebotomist. I love to draw blood but because of my personality, I thought that maybe it would be more beneficial to become a medical assistant instead. As a young Hmong child, I loved helping people especially the older folks who did not speak English well. It is my goal to help others who are in need of help and because of that, I chose to become a Medical Assistant. I do hope that one day

During the course of my college years, I have considered alternate career options. I have contemplated becoming a physician’s assistant, a dentist, or a podiatrist. Physician’s assistants and doctors play similar roles in clinics; I would still be able to see patients and enjoy the interpersonal aspect of delivering healthcare. Additionally, I would still be able to play an important role in primary care and do my utmost for the sake of my patients, which is hugely appealing.

My career plan has taken quite a few turns through the field of health care but I have found my niche where I really enjoy my job and the individuals I take care of. My short term career goal is to get my bachelor degree in health care administration and apply for a job as Q of the houses I work in now. This means I would take care of the mentally handicapped individuals that I take care now just in a different capacity. My long term career goal is to eventually be an administrator for the company I work for now. This means I would have to take the state and federal exams. Then I would be able to take care of multiple homes and have the Q’s under me as employees. Another long term career goal is to continue working on my education and to go for my master’s degree.

Though I have another year and a half before I complete my schooling, it is always important to find out as much information about my future field of work. Knowing what is to be expected when going in for a job interview will not only be a bonus for myself, but allow me to feel confident when giving answers.

My nursing journey began after my aunt was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2001. Within months the cancer had metastasized throughout her body. I felt helpless as I watched her health begin to decline. Before she became ill, she had pursued a career as a school teacher. At her funeral, I listened to stories from former students about how she impacted their lives. At that time I realized that I also wanted to pursue a career involved with helping individuals. I decided nursing was the best route because it was something that interested me and it would positively impact the lives of others. My family played a major role in the successful completion of my diploma in nursing. Their love and support allowed me to pursue my studies with

Squeaking shoes, running fast, comfy scrubs that make it easy to move fast, shiny stethoscopes that help nurses hear patient's hearts beat. These are some of the things that nurses do everyday at work. Along with helping patients there are many tasks that nurses do every day in a variety of locations that not only take a toll on them physically but mentally as well.

“Letto diciassette!” I froze at the sound of “bed seventeen,” and watched with horror as the Italian nurse ran into my grandmother’s hospital room. The monitors were beeping out of control, yet my heart seemed to be beating even faster and louder. I stood at the end of the dimly lit hall, shaking and unable to move. A health care provider spotted me standing there, desperate, alone, and vulnerable, and made her way over to comfort me. The feelings I experienced next are what I remember most when I look back on that dark and gloomy day in Italy. The feelings of hope, reassurance and genuine kindness. The feeling that a missing piece of my heart had been put back where it belonged. That is what I remember most and that is the role I want to fill as a physician assistant.

Throughout the past two years of high school, I have been involved with the Health Careers Academy, where we take health and science-related courses that prepare us to go into the medical field. We also learn a large amount of medical terminology and perform many labs such as those involving forensic science and being a detective at a murder scene using all the clues needed, finding out which antibiotic is necessary to fight a specific bacteria, and even learn about electrophoresis. I chose this academy because I thought it was interesting to learn how the body works. At first, I was not fully dedicated to the sciences, but finding the murderer of a crime scene and other labs made me realize how science can be fun and that I wanted to pursue

Are you the kind of person who can appreciate your role as one player in God’s symphony? Why or why not?

The sharp scent of chlorine fills my nostrils as I crane over the microadjuster, determining whether my Platinum/Iridium wire tip is done reacting. Waving away the fumes, I observe the bubbles fizzling out, turn the voltage off, and twist the tip out of the machine. At 163 nanometers wide, it’s the sharpest tip I’ve etched this summer.

head had crowned and the doctor looked down at me and asked me a shocking question. “Kodi,

Nigeria, 2001, I awakened startled with people screaming indiscriminately. My dad's head was bleeding profusely, and my cousin, sitting in the passenger seat was bleeding from his neck. There were shards of shattered windshield everywhere. I was in the backseat uninjured but scared. This commotion was the aftermath of a car accident involving my dad, my cousin and me, while he was driving us to school. Next, we were rushed to the hospital, however, upon arrival, we were refused treatment until we paid an admissions fee. This practice was common in my country. Although the incident was disturbing, it drove me towards a career in healthcare, mainly working with patients who have a difficulty affording their medical care.

When individuals think of dead people, images of loved ones might scroll through their brain or perhaps they are reminded of the infamous quote, “I see dead people” from the movie, The Sixth Sense. However, for me, the two words evoke a momentous memory in which I inspected cadavers. I was a teenager at the time, attending a summer medical program and it seemed as if I had entered the gates of heaven or simply put, the gates of Georgetown University. I had always wanted to pursue a career in medicine, and this was evident in second grade when I dressed up as a doctor for career day. It was sensational strutting around in my immaculate, white lab coat and using my Fisher Price stethoscope to “hear” the other students’ heartbeats. I felt the