Personal Narrative: Sinus Infection

At 17 years old, I had the grueling task of deciding how I wanted to spend 40 plus years of my life. I always aspired to land a career in the medical field, so I majored in biology like most pre-med hopefuls, but during my junior year, I no longer desired to become a physician. The medical field was calling out to me, but the specialty of focus was incorrect. After graduation, I went back to the basics and put my nursing assistant certification to use.

Growing up I was always exposed to the medical field because my mom worked in the emergency department in the local hospital. When I graduated high school, I got a job working in the construction field making a great salary, for as young as I was. Because of this, I continued to work in this field for the next eleven years. It wasn’t until I was 29 years old when I got laid off of my construction job and my whole world came crashing down on me. I moped around for a month but quickly realized that this is now my time to pursue my dream of becoming a Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). That next summer I enrolled at Aims Community College in

In that time I was working a full and part time job to help my mother out while she was on disability. In those years I had no idea what I wanted to do and lacked the passion that now drives me. I knew I needed college to be successful but I also knew I was the only one bringing income in for my family. My academics took a backseat for extra shifts and taking care of mother when she was ill. As I left my exam, I remembered that mother from the accident and how I couldn’t of taken care of her if I hadn't taken of myself and emotions. I had failed to do that with my own mother and academics when I started college. I still work a full and part time job as an EMT while pursuing my prereqs for PA school but my passion to become a PA has transformed my lackluster grades into making the dean's

My life is a bit of a rollercoaster. I knew what I wanted to do since a young age; however, different paths and decisions brought me to my goal in a roundabout way. After high school I decided to take time off before going to college because I was fortunate enough to have a successful career in retail management. Around the nine year mark I decided that I wanted to return to my goal of entering the medical field, which I was already in the process of doing by attending Northeastern and working towards my BS in Biological Sciences. My ultimate goal being to achieve an MS as a physician assistant. When moving into health care I started in the Urgent Care Department which was closely related to one of the fields I am interested in when practicing

Way back when I first started college, my priorities were not clear. I knew I wanted to do something that I can be proud of, it was only a matter of what do I really want that will fill my life and complete me as a person. I was in the manufacturing field since I was 19 years old and yet, I felt a hole in my heart. I got to a point where I stop growing as an individual and it became apparent that I wanted to do something more significant. That void became the fuel to pursue something bigger and life changing. I tried to dig deep and really tried to figure out what I want in life and at the same time I started taking classes that can go towards any degree in the medical field. Taking care of people has always been a part of me. I took care of

About two months into scribing, I felt like this is where I belong, this was it. Since I was already enrolled in classes for the fall semester, I decided to start my new path in the spring, the path of becoming a Physician Assistant. My goal at the time was to work hard, take college serious and give back to the two people who brought me into this world, my parents. When I first attended college after high school I did not take it serious at all. I would use my time in college to hang out with my friends, I would tell myself I’m still young and in due time will get it all done. When I started my new path to become a Physician Assistant, I realized how important college was and from this point on would do what would be necessary to make up for lost time and poor grades. With me being human and not knowing what the future held, a turn of event took place in late summer of 2011. My parents were not getting along and decided to split

“I began the study of medicine, impelled by a desire for knowledge of facts and of man. The resolution to do disciplined work tied me to both laboratory and clinic for a long time to come” (Jaspers , n.d.). In the past week or so, I changed the career that I wanted to pursue from being a Pediatric Anesthesiologist to being a Medical Technologist. When I first decided to become a Pediatric Anesthesiologist, I was in my junior year of high school and I was simply browsing the world wide web for a good paying job that was also helping others that are in need. Two years later and taking the college course Strategies for Success in College, I have realized that money alone cannot sustain an individual in reaching their ‘dream goal’. I needed something

Currently, I am in the process of earning my Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a pre-medical emphasis from Grand Canyon University. Upon graduation, I hope to attend either a medical or physician assistant school. My specific goal in the medical field is still up in the air, however, I am avidly exploring the fields of pathology, oncology, emergency medicine, and surgery. My interest in the medical field was sparked by my human anatomy and physiology class during my senior year of high school. Put simply, my life in high school was rough, and I was completely lost, as far as my career decisions were concerned. I enrolled in a human anatomy course, to fill a hole in my schedule during my senior

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.

The most recent challenges I’ve faced on my pathway to medical school include finding the time and resources to prepare for the MCAT while raising a family and attending school full-time. For as long I as I can remember I wanted to be a physician, but my only concern was how to get there. Growing up my parents emphasized the importance of finishing high school, but never expressed the importance of further my education. They knew my lifelong goals of wanting to be a doctor, but had little understanding of how to get me there. Shortly after graduation, I began (continued?) my educational journey, attending a local community college, then transferring to Arizona State University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences. It wasn’t until I transitioned to the university when I obtained a better understanding of what it truly takes to be a competitive medical school applicant. I began preparing myself for the medical school entrance exam, worked 10-12 hours in a genetics research laboratory, gained volunteer experience, and balanced a full-time course load. My plans were going smoothly and I felt as though I knew what it took to be

When I first came to Mercer I really wanted to become a pediatric oncologist or a general practitioner. I changed my mind a couple times during my pre-college and freshman year on whether or not I wanted to be a different kind of doctor. However, I never really thought I would end up undeclared in my sophomore year. My whole high school life was spent navigating the medical pathway and joining clubs like HOSA (Healthcare Occupation Students of America). I even did well in these classes and clubs, winning honors at the state and national level for EMT and Kaiser Permanente testing. During my sophomore year, things changed because I dropped chemistry after having an uninspiring teacher and after

Throughout my high school education, I have taken a variety of honors and advanced placement science courses due to my strong interest and talent in this field. In all of these courses, I have enjoyed being in class and have excelled academically. I have received a 5 on the AP exams for both of the AP science courses I have taken thus far, biology and physics, and I strive for nothing less than a 5 on my AP Chemistry at the end of my senior year. Due to my enthusiasm and talent in science, I plan to study pre-medicine in college, hoping to be admitted into school of medicine and becoming a neurosurgeon. This has been a life goal of mine for some time now, and I have been taking the initiative to put myself in a position to achieve this ambition. As I have already stated, I have loaded my high school schedule with difficult science classes to prepare myself for the rigors of pre-medicine and medicine school. In addition, my AP Psychology course I took last year further peaked my desire and readiness to study the brain and its functionality. I am also currently working with Riverview Hospital in a volunteer/job shadowing position once a week in order to get experience and to create valuable contacts that will prepare me for medicine school as well as getting a job or residency after completing college. This individual drive to achieve such an immense life goal sets me apart from my peers and is a catalyst to achieve my life

I did not realize I wanted to be a physician until three years ago. Once this realization occurred, I worked very hard to overcome the shortcomings in my undergraduate studies. I have maintained a job in order to pay for undergraduate and graduate coursework. This has forced me to enhance my time management and multi-tasking skills, which in turn have allowed me to be exposed to countless experiences and activities.

I took a total detour to become a physician. Finishing my undergraduate as finance major at Stern business school, before starting my classes as a medical student, I worked as an intern at a Wall Street multimillion dollar firm. Soon I got picked up by a leading Wall Street financial bank with six figure salary just before my graduation. Despite all this success at the early stage of my life, I was not satisfied mentally with the direction my life had been headed. I had pursued a profession that was emotionally fulfilling and intellectually challenging, whose reward was different than bonuses and huge sales commissions; a profession that require my full abilities to use my intellect solving complex human problems with a rewarding meaningful

“Whenever I am sick I get really tired so I usually sleep a lot!! If it’s something like a cold I will usually take nyquil and dayquil. If I’m still not feeling well, sometimes I’ll take an ibuprofen with the nyquil or dayquil. My mom also tells me to eat oranges when I have a cold to give me extra Vitamin C. If I have something like a high fever, I will also lay on the couch and sleep a lot. My mom usually gives me a wet towel to put on my forehead. When I have the stomach flu, I also sleep a lot. Whenever I have the stomach flu, I am never in the mood to eat anything but my mom always gets worried and wants me to eat so I will sometimes eat Saltine crackers. No, I do not follow any practices from a culture outside the United