Pursuing A Career As A Medical Assistant

Time feels accelerated when I see my grandparents as though I am seeing them in a time-lapsed movie. Aside from the additional wrinkles, slower movement, and frailty that comes with aging, observing them, I have come to realize that life is short, perhaps too short. They have lived in my house throughout my life, and being close with them from a young age has given way to listening to many important life lessons, sometimes wanting to listen willfully and other times forcing myself to do so. One thing I have come to understand is that the advice and experiences of one’s elders serves an important function, to impart wisdom. They recommended to me to pursue my passions, so during my college career, I became involved in the Pre-health Professions

Throughout college, I shadowed many physician assistants and physicians and found that physician assistants have the flexibility to rotate across specialties. Since I was young, I always wanted to be a medical doctor. I would listen to my dad speak about his career, and he was always so animated when he spoke about his patients and the relationships he developed over the years. I would want that connection with my patients. However, the medical field is changing drastically, and I do not feel that doctors are able to develop these relationships as liberally. Societally, we no longer foster that type of relationship between physicians and patients. Throughout my junior year, senior year, and presently, I have worked as a medical assistant and worked directly with PAs and physicians and feel that I will be able to better develop that long-term relationship with patients better as a PA. After making rounds with several PAs, I have become more and more enthusiastic about the PA profession and impressed with the scope of responsibilities given to PAs and their ability to work autonomously with patients and collaboratively with physicians within a healthcare team. The flexibility to be able to move among specialties and the profession’s dynamic nature that commands growth and continuing education to succeed excites

Recently, I started volunteering at a local geriatric facility which is part of Peconic Bay Medical Center. I used to do this while in high school, and I forgot how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. The geriatric patients are so grateful to have you there whether it’s listening to a story about their grandchildren, playing cards to entertain them, or telling them a funny joke. I have not seen more appreciation from any patients that I have encountered than from them. When I help those that cannot help themselves, I am buoyed by a sense of purpose unmatched in my other life pursuits. Becoming a PA is challenging and rewarding and will allow me to work both independently and as part of a team. Although the path ahead will be demanding and challenging, I relish those opportunities because I have become intimate with the profession, undertaken a rigorous academic set of courses and witnessed first-hand how a word can change a life. I think about my grandpa who has recently been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and I wonder will there be anyone in the medical field who will be able to spend their time with him, to listen to his stories of his grandkids, to tell him a joke and make him laugh? The answer is yes. The