I am very keen on outdoor pursuits, especially hunting and fishing and, consequently, spend much of my spare time in rural Nevada pursuing these interests. I have come to love the wilder parts of Nevada and the local people who have an interesting view of life and a neighborliness that is heart-warming to a townsman such as me. As a Chiropractor, I have taken an interest in healthcare provision in these communities and learned, from locals, that it is scarce and often provided by PA’s.
I want to work in a rural community providing healthcare because of my affinity for the people and, my love of the ‘great outdoors.’ The forming of this desire coincides with a wish to expand my medical knowledge. I am a Chiropractor with ten years' experience and, while I know that I perform a useful service, it is quite limited in its scope. I am restricted in the clinical decisions and treatments that I can offer and want to broaden my skills and knowledge to be able to treat patients of many types, suffering a wide variety of complaints. I strongly believe that the role of Physician Assistant would meet my requirements while enabling me to provide a wide range of medical services to underserved people in a rural setting.
I have very carefully considered the role of the PA, and it has enormous appeal. I am used to working independently but also collaborating with other healthcare professionals; I have considerable experience in providing direct treatment and interacting with patients which is the reason I entered healthcare work, I endeavor to treat each patient as I would a family member; I believe that my current and substantial chiropractic knowledge, skills and experience will be very useful supplements to the breadth of PA skills, this is especially true in a society where the elderly will make up a greater and greater proportion of the population, I often treat elderly patients and enjoy gaining from their wisdom and insights; I am very experienced in diagnostics, within the limits of my specialty and I also understand the significance of non-verbal communication when making diagnoses; my background would enable me to provide very useful input in areas of research related to my work in such areas as spinal joint replacement or synthetic intervertebral disc replacement.
I possess the characteristics required of an excellent PA which are not significantly different from those I am required to display in my current work. I am analytical in my approach to problems, determined, intellectually curious and patient-centered in my approach to my profession.
My undergraduate grades were not ‘stellar’ because I was obliged to work long hours throughout my studies as my father was unable, through illness, to run his business and needed me to do so on his behalf. This situation no longer exists, and I undertake to give the program my full commitment not merely to perform adequately but to excel.
I am fully aware of the need for cultural sensitivity in healthcare provision. I am not widely travelled but have studied, worked with, and treated people from many cultural and social backgrounds and have enjoyed doing so. I speak sufficient Spanish to enable me to treat Spanish speaking patients and intend to extend this knowledge.
I know that the program will attract many professionally qualified applicants. However, I do feel that I would be an asset to my class and an interesting addition to the ‘mix’ of students as I shall be able to provide some especially useful and interesting insights from my extensive experience in healthcare.
Chiropractor's Journey Pursuing PA Studies for Rural Healthcare
Comments