Personal Statement: A Career As A Physician Assistant

While writing about oneself might be one of the hardest things for some of us to do, I'm sure that figuring out the personality of the person behind the words might be equally as hard. So I'll try to make this as simple yet as comprehensive as possible. I was born in Austria to Somali parents and grew up in Saudi Arabia, went to med school in Sudan and am finally here to practice medicine in Canada. So as you might see, the common question 'Where are you from?' takes a little longer for me to answer as do other Somali refugees around the world and am glad to finally find a place I can truly call home.

My chosen degree program is Associates of Applied Science in Medical Assisting at Kaplan University. I am currently a online student. I have been doing some research of my program and I have came up with a lot of very interesting facts. First the median salary for a Medical Assistant is $28,860 per year that is about $13.87 a hour, that was in May 2010. There could be opportunities it maybe higher, For example, the experience you may have, or the facility you are working in, and even the level of the education that you have (/www. .bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm).

Other things to keep in mind when applying for these physician assistant programs are things like the GRE and more importantly, the citizenship requirement that may intervene with my plans. Though I have a permit to legally reside and work in the United States, I am not considered a citizen or a permanent resident. This could be a big problem when applying because a requirement listed is that the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Applicants should be citizens or permanent residents because insurance is required to participate in the clinical rotations. I believe this will be the most difficult part of my journey to becoming a PA but like all the other challenges I have faced due to my legal status, I will overcome it. I will use this personal issue in my favor by explaining that having to live with it has only made me more resilient and I would relate it back to their mission statements which all state that one of their priorities is to serve the underserved communities. Because of my status, I relate to these underserved communities because I

When looking at a career to become a physician assistant education is the first step that is required of you to take. It first begins with you having a high school diploma. This is important because to become a physician assistant you have to go to college and you can’t go to PA school without a high school diploma. After you receive your high school diploma you need to receive a bachelor's degree. Your bachelor’s degree can be in any major that you want, as long as you meet all the required courses that your future physician assistant school wants. According to AAPA website most of schools prerequisites include biology, chemistry, physiology, anatomy, and microbiology as well. Including your prerequisites you also may need to develop some hands on experience in the medical field before applying to some physician assistant schools. You can gain this experience by working as a certified nurse, paramedic, surgical tech and etc. After you complete all of this your next step will be getting accepted into a physician assistant program. After you are accepted to a school you spend about two and a half more years in school. Then prior to completing school you must take the PANCE this stands for physician assistant certifying exam. When you pass

Day by day, the demand of a medical profession is increasing. In every era or any situation, we need someone to help us for our health. As stated in bls.gov, employment of physician assistants is projected to grow 30 percent from 2014 to 2024; it is much faster than the average for all occupations. As demand for healthcare services grows, physician assistants will be needed to provide care to patient.

What is a Physician Assistant and why do I want to be one? I want to be a physician assistant because the job outlook is great, I love taking care of others and the benefits are quite good.

Angela Duckworth, a PENN psychologist, argues that in order to achieve long term goals, it requires one to be “gritty.” So what is grit? Grit is one’s self-discipline to pursue a goal that has been kept for a long period of time. In order to be successful in life, one has to have a long term goal that they are passionate about. A long term goal of mine that has made me become “gritty” is the career I aim to pursue.

At different times throughout my life I have envisioned myself as a cardiologist, a surgeon, or one of many other specialized physicians. However, these specializations all lacked the independence and flexibility I sought. Becoming a physician assistant will enable me to have the autonomy to practice medical care in a compassionate, economical, and ethical manner in order to address major health concerns in the United States.

Physician assistants work with doctors and surgeons and examine patients, analyze medical test results, and treating minor injuries under the supervision of medical professionals. They can also manage inventory, supervise medical technicians and prescribe medication. To become a physician’s assistant, he or she must complete four steps. Step one is to be able to qualify for a physician assistant program. To become qualified, they must acquire at least a bachelor’s degree that has education programs accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).4

43 degrees Fahrenheit and realizing I had forgotten my arm warmers and iPod, I recognized the 26.2 miles ahead of me would require some grit. Yet before the starting pistol fired and the recording of Frank Sinatra singing “New York, New York” played, I knew all the preparation done in the months and weeks prior had primed me for a successful finish. There is a mantra in distance running, “the hay is in the barn,” to affirm that all of the training and miles logged up until race day will lead you to success. And it is this mantra which has guided my preparation for a career as a physician assistant.

There are more than 100,000 certified Physician Assistants practicing medicine in the United States. PA’s have a very high starting salary and get to do a lot of hands on work. After just two years of schooling you can come out making an average of $94,000. Being stuck at a desk all day is dreadful, and physician assistants get to choose what they want their work environment to look like. Job opportunities for a PA are expected to go up by more than thirty percent between 2010 and 2020. When you are a PA you have a huge amount of flexibility to choose your specialization. I know that a PA is the best career choice for me because i love to work with people and enjoy social interaction, i love to have flexibility to be able to spend time with my family, and there are very good benefits and there will always be job openings.

Science and medicine has always fascinated me and has been interesting to be since my education started as a child. All my cousins used to play video games, playing house, playing cards, but instead I always forced everyone on pretending my patients and me treating them and caring for them as a doctor. I also wanted my family members to act if they were sick and they needed help. As time passed, I no longer had to play as it was the reality now and they really now needed help. I have witnessed my family members, my grandmother who passed away due to heart attack at an early age, my other grandmother who currently is sick, my grandfather who passed away also due to heart attack.

I am Sarah Acado and I am majoring in Biology and obtaining a certificate in Agroecology, its great to have a green thumb. I am currently employed with the USDA Research center. Besides work and school , I enjoy spending time with my significant others. I enjoy outside activities and I like to go to arcades and act as if I am thirteen years old with no responsibilities in the world (yeah right). I expect to learn more about the human race and why we do certain things and learn about the different cultural practices. Within five years, I hope to be within my physician assistant career helping to better other people lives through medicine and therapy. My links to my two favorite websites are:

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

Employers, this is your wake up call. In the past 3 years, almost everything you took for granted about job advertising has changed.