Dream Job - Physician Assistant by Katelyn

Dream Job - Physician Assistant by Katelyn - February 2019 Scholarship Essay

My dream is to become a physician assistant. A physician assistant is a job that offers versatility. One is able to move from specialty to specialty as they please. There is no residency required as there is for a physician. I like this freedom as it would allow me to easily switch things up throughout my career and avoid burnout. In addition, a physician assistant is a job that is very rewarding. PAs directly care for and treat patients. As a result, a PA can play a large role in saving someone’s life. To be able to help and save someone’s life would be an incredible privilege for me. The direct patient care is a plus for me for other reasons, too. I very much enjoy chatting and getting to know other people. I would enjoy the personal contact this career would bring me much more than sitting alone in a laboratory for instance. I also have dreams of moving to another state after college and the job of a PA would enable me to choose where I want to live without any worry. This is because PAs are needed in every state in the country and it is relatively easy to find a job as one. The United States Department of Labor reports that the employment of PAs is projected to grow thirty seven percent from 2016 to 2026. They also report PAs as being high in demand. It is due to these reasons and many more that I think it is a great profession and would be very lucky to be a physician assistant.
I am currently attending UW-La Crosse to help me reach this goal of becoming a PA. I am a biology major and psychology minor. Being a biology major and psychology minor is helping me to check off all the required classes to get into PA school and preparing me for the classes taken during PA school. The classes I am taking now at UW-La Crosse include anatomy and physiology, lifespan development, immunology, and more. Anatomy and physiology and lifespan development are two of many classes used to expose me to and build my knowledge on the human body. Immunology has taught me a great deal about the immune and lymphatic system specifically. These classes and others alike are important as they provide me with a strong foundation to continue learning about the human body in PA school. In addition, I am involved with the Pre-PA club on campus. This club offers me useful information about required classes and the GRE, while also preparing me for PA school by offering mock interviews. Furthermore, I have already completed the training at a technical college and have been working as a certified nursing assistant since high school. I am gaining valuable patient contact hours needed for PA school as well as learning great bedside manner and communication skills, how to deal with stressful situations, and how to be an exceptional team player. These are all skills that will be needed when I become a physician assistant.