Success as a Physician Assistant by Ashlyn

Success as a Physician Assistant by Ashlyn - February 2021 Scholarship Essay

Success is a concept that varies drastically depending on the individual. It is literally defined as "the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose." It is both the aim and the purpose that differs from person to person. Some people define success by the amount of money they have. Others define success by the happiness they have. To me, success is personal fulfillment.

My personal story of "success" revolves around my journey to becoming a Physician Assistant. Throughout my journey, I have had small accomplishments that allowed me to feel "successful." It started in high school, when I became passionate about the subject of biology. I knew I wanted to enter the field of medicine, and won a biology award my freshman year for having the highest grade in my class. My junior year, I received a score of 5 on my AP Biology exam. My "success" academically allowed me to obtain an honors scholarship at my undergraduate institution. During my undergraduate studies, I graduated summa cum laude and the top of my major. This made me feel "successful," not because of my rank, but because of the amount of effort I put into my studies. I spent many late nights in the library and would carefully plan out my study schedule, often beginning studying for exams the week before. I am not the type of student where content comes naturally. I know that I need to put in more time and effort than the average student. In addition, I suffer from anxiety and panic attack disorder. These conditions greatly impacted mt mental well-being during my studies. I felt "successful" upon graduation, because I was able to overcome this adversity. In fact, it was arguably more difficult struggling with my mental health issues than it was struggling with academic content. My ability to gain control of my anxiety and mental health is one of my proudest accomplishments and is the primary reason for my feeling of "success."

Once I graduated, I applied to Physician Assistant school. I spent two and a half years gaining clinical experience, volunteering experience, and shadowing hours. I was not accepted last application cycle, but I did not give up, because being a PA is my ultimate goal. I am happy to say that this past year I was accepted into a PA program and will begin in June. While in PA school, I will define "success" similarly as I did in undergrad; trying my best and putting in my greatest efforts. I will consider myself "successful" if I know how to complete physical exams, perform procedures, and gain medical knowledge necessary to become an excellent provider. As I stated before, "success" to me does not necessarily mean being the top of the class. Rather, I will consider myself "successful" when I begin practicing as a PA working in underserved communities--a demographic that has meaning to me. I aim to provide efficient and effective care to those lacking adequate access to healthcare.