My relationship with medicine began during my junior year of high school.
Through the local career center, I spent multiple hours each week volunteering as a
Certified Nurse Assistant in different settings. Each time I rotated to a new floor, the
intellectual and cooperative environment of the hospital fascinated me. As I made rounds
and answered call lights, my natural ability to empathize allowed my patients to be
comfortable with me. I effortlessly fed them and changed their dressings, treating them as
I would my own family. At only seventeen I already envisioned mending and protecting
people from disease for the rest of my life. Recognizing my gift to care for people, I
sought exposure to different types of healthcare.
A family friend and nurse introduced me to a physician assistant named Adam
because she knew I desired a hands-on leadership role. When I followed him through the
emergency room and intensive care unit, I was impressed with the way patients gravitated
toward him and trusted his opinions and skills. He knew about medicine the way doctors
do, and I noticed the careful time he spent discussing each person's vulnerable situation
with them. By joining forces with both the patient and other physicians, he ensured the
best possible outcome in every case. The versatility of this team-based role and training
in multiple areas satisfied the goal I had for myself; to find a job that focused on direct
patient care and involved clinical oversight. Each hour that I spent with a PA solidified
my career choice and reinforced the importance of the patient-provider partnership.
I recently had the opportunity to commence a new health partnership on a large
scale. Last summer I spent two weeks working in a free clinic in Granada, Nicaragua.
Supplied with only a single exam table and donated medications, I watched the
physicians work selflessly to help the most disadvantaged and poor. Wide-eyed and
sweating profusely, I triaged and directed the dozens of patients through their visits. No
one seemed to mind that I floundered through Spanish most of the time. "Doctora,
doctora!" they called to me they could not believe a blue-eyed girl from the United
States travelled so far just to be with them. Each patient that arrived experienced the
disparity between wealth and health that I had previously only read about in public health
books. With a lump in my throat, I tried to comprehend patients' stories about raising
children on the street and begging for meals. Actively choosing to care about them
despite uncommon background inexplicably fostered the relationships that inspired me to
make a greater impact.
In order to truly influence the healthcare gap I witnessed in Nicaragua, I knew
change needed to begin at the root of the problem. A fellow student and I worked to
understand the lives of this underrepresented demographic in order to sustainably
improve Granada's health and quality of life. For months, we studied literature on
socioeconomic data and the Nicaraguan healthcare system. We then designed a culturally
appropriate survey about healthcare access and health behavior and took it to the source.
Welcomed back with hugs of gratitude, I arrived in Granada again this past May to begin
researching. The data collected from over 100 interviews, at the very least, illustrates the
immense necessity of donated medications and vitamins. Currently, I am working to
present our data to clinic donors, Nicaraguan physicians, and the local non-governmental
organizations that allocate monetary support and relief. In recognition of my progress, the
Honors College invited me to co-author a book chapter describing my experience with
service learning. All of these exciting opportunities are second to the joy I have working
for the benefit of people who have touched my soul.
Even still, my capacity to improve health status is limited. Working as a medical
assistant in an emergency room has vastly increased my exposure, but becoming a PA
will compensate for so much that I have left to learn about patient advocacy and medical
science. My dream is to unite my love of pathophysiology with diverse relationships as a
provider. I see myself flourishing in a profession with constant learning and lateral
mobility between specialties. The ability to make integral clinical decisions and perform
vital procedures makes worthwhile the challenges I will face. I am lucky to pursue a
career that focuses on caring for others through the collaborative art of medicine.
