Tonight (and all day today), I have been reflecting on my first Physician Assistant program interview that took place yesterday.  I was invited to attend the MEDEX Master’s Class #47 Interview Conference in Seattle, Washington.  What an experience, I am still basking in the afterglow 24 hours later. There was just a tremendous amount of positivity that came from the entire day’s experience!  I am highly impressed with the faculty and their organization as well as the thought that was put into this interview session.  The only other interview I have to relate this experience to is my interview that I had with Stanford University last year.  It is obvious that MEDEX puts alot of thought into their selection process, and I appreciate that they make a point to introduce a diverse amount of their faculty, current students, and office personnel to the candidates.  Also, I like that it doesn’t lie in the hands of just one or two people who decide on program admissions, they incorporate and include alot of the program’s key players in making the decision.  I also appreciate their evident tenacity in wanting to get to know you through your ability to formulate ethical, behavioral, and traditional P.A. interview questions.  They base your answers on who you are, and whether or not your experience fits their mold.  I admire that MEDEX is not only looking for people who fit their criteria for their program admissions but also a group that will jive and fit well together.  I think that in addition to meeting the MEDEX faculty, what was most influential was interacting with my potential future classmates!

  No matter what the admissions committee’s final decision on whether or not they deem me as what qualities they are looking for to represent Class #47, I feel honored to have been able to have the opportunity to interview with their faculty and their program.  UW MEDEX program is at the top of my list; for, their mission statement and their dedication to following their mission statement truly correlates with my passion behind why I chose the PA profession and what my long-term goal is in becoming a certified-PA.  MEDEX is fully committed to educating Primary Care physician assistants in being able to provide effective and efficient health care to underserved populations in rural and urban communities, and that, I feel is what drives me in becoming a P.A. To be able to provide a greater access of medical care to those individuals that tend to go unnoticed in our health system is my number one force in pursuing this career.

What was truly refreshing about my experience at the MEDEX conference was being able to interact with the applicants that were also interviewing as well as being able to spend our lunch hour with a few of their current students.  It was such an amazing experience for me to be able to talk with other applicants because it was as if we all became instantaneous friends since we all have so much in common by traveling along the same path and embarking on this journey in becoming a Physician Assistant.  We all come from diverse medical backgrounds and all have made this similar commitment to becoming a P.A.  It is definitely fascinating to hear all the diversity of backgrounds and the roads traveled to enable each of us the  opportunity to be sitting in that very seat in that MEDEX conference on that day in Seattle, WA.  In living in my hometown for the last four years post undergrad and working in the same job for the last three and a half years, it has been easy for me to get comfortable.  But, this interview experience and just simply traveling to Seattle and meeting these like-minded individuals from all different states around the U.S., reminds me of all the opportunity that does exist outside of my bubble of a town, of all the amazing people that are out there in this world, and of what inspirational individuals, i.e., the school faculty, that serve as a role model even if it may have just been for this one conversation or their single introduction they gave at the beginning of the day.

Of course, I am hoping that I am one of the lucky individuals that MEDEX feels would be a good fit for their program, because I am absolutely impressed with what they have to offer, with whom represents their programs, and with the exceptional candidates they are interviewing for their admissions.  I truly think we all make a good fit, and I know they will have their hands full trying to select a class!  Regardless of my personal outcome, this was a learning experience and a humbling experience in realizing how far I have come in this journey in becoming a P.A.  I feel honored just to have been considered as one of the top individuals for this profound program!

To all of my fellow P.A. school applicants who are also in the interview process, keep your head up and remember to be yourself, good luck to you!

Over the last month, it has been a tedious task in trying to finalize the school list of the programs that I intend to apply for the Fall 2013 start.  In picking my schools this year, I was able to be more choosy in regards to selecting those that I felt the didactic curriculum, clinical preceptorships, length of program, and final degree met my personal criteria and wants in a program.  Also, location has been a big deciding factor for me being that I have solely lived in California with an exception of my summer abroad in England.  I would love to stay in California if I am accepted into a program, but I am not obliged to journeying to the Pacific Northwest or any of the few state selections I made on the East Coast. 

I plan on officially submitting my CASPA applications tonight.  My final submission list includes the following Eleven programs:

• University of California Davis (Davis, California)
• Samuel Merritt University (Oakland, California)
• Touro University (Valejo, California)
• University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)
• Oregon Healthy & Science University (Portland, Oregon)
• Pacific University (Hilsboro, Oregon)
• University of Washington (Seattle, Washington)
• George Washington University (Washington D.C.)
• University of New England (Portland, Maine)
• Long Island University (Brooklyn, New York)
• Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut)

It seems that the only correlation among the schools is that I have a keen interest to live in close proximity to the coast or a body of water, apparently I intend to bring my Southern California basking in the sun next to any body of water hobby with me, although I think I will be in for a rude awakening during the Fall & Winter months if it so happens that i end up anywhere outside of CA (haha!).  In addition to finalizing my program list,  I also put the finishing touches on my personal statement.  Many thanks to all of the wonderful friends and family that took part in critiquing and proof reading my statement!  I feel that through the combined efforts of intelligent eyes and minds as well as my many strenuous hours of editing, my personal statement is mighty powerful and will take the admissions committee by storm (one can only hope, right?!).  With no further anticipation, here is the final draft of my personal statement:

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The last mile of the intended Five-Hundred-and-Forty-Five miles of the AIDS Life Cycle (ALC) was mentally the most effortless, physically the most challenging, and emotionally the most exhausting.  Psychologically, my mind reached a safety zone.  I no longer had to fantasize about the finish line because it was clearly in sight.  My body was broken and defeated; I encountered an emotional tug-of-war between feelings of overwhelming exhilaration and despondency. But, above all personal afflictions, it was my satisfaction in knowing that I was an integral component in helping raise twelve million in donated funds to increase the availability of medical treatment for those suffering with AIDS.  Like the unyielding tenacity I dedicated throughout my journey in completing the ALC, I inscribe the same endurance and perseverance in my pursuit of becoming a physician assistant.  I will not rest until the finish line is clear.

  My journey began by studying Cultural Anthropology at California State University Long Beach and UC Santa Barbara.  This is where I discovered an innate desire to focus on progressing impoverished cultures and peoples globally and locally.  Correspondingly, I have substantially advanced in the repertoire of non-profit organizations aimed at replenishing good health and medical support to underprivileged communities.  Manifesting the “Millennium Development Goals” and aiding in the distribution of Vitamin A to undernourished children in third world countries were several of my efforts during my internship at “Vitamin Angels”.  Additionally, I have become an advocate for the AIDS community as evident through my participation at various events such as the annual “Dining Out For Life”, “Tour De Palm Springs”, and “AIDS Life Cycle”.  As an ambassador for the Desert AIDS Project, I have raised awareness and available funds for medical treatment to those HIV Positive and AIDS infected individuals throughout the Coachella Valley.  Furthermore, my significant involvement in the community has served as the foundation of my aspiration to study medicine.

  Post undergrad, I began reflecting on the eminence in my studies, my enrichment within the community, and personal ambitions for my future.  I compiled a checklist of the qualities in a career that I found most fulfilling.  Evident diversity within my daily activities and encounters, devotion to improving the overall lives of individuals globally and locally, maintaining a sense of leadership by delivering a compassionate approach, and exposing modest efforts daily to instigate a profound difference in the livelihood of many over time are the conditions that frequented my list.  In seeking to bring my professional ambitions to fruition, I sought opportunity in the medical field by volunteering in the Emergency Room at Eisenhower Medical Center and working as a medical assistant for Walsh Urology Associates (WUA).  As the “Back Office Intake Nurse” at WUA, my responsibilities include collecting and measuring patient’s vital signs, obtaining and updating medical histories, assisting the physicians in office procedures, and preparing laboratory specimens.

  While observing the interaction between Dr. Walsh and a surgical physician assistant in a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, I first learned of the physician assistant occupation and began recognizing their habitual importance as an extra arm and brain extension of the physician. Furthermore, through my extensive shadowing experiences, I have seen the autonomous nature of the physician assistant profession through the diversity of the daily roles and responsibilities of a Plastic Surgeon versus an Internal Medicine physician assistant.  In spending a good number of my shadowing hours in the operating room, I was able to observe and scrub into several different cases, as well as assist the physician assistant in the final suturing of a facial reconstruction. My combined experiences of medical assisting and shadowing has helped me develop techniques for communicating and interacting with patients that will serve me well as a physician assistant.

  In addition to the opportunity to serve rural, underserved populations, what I find most appealing in a career as a physician assistant is having the advantage to experience the pleasures and challenges presented by a medical profession. Moreover, my decision in becoming a physician assistant is based on a working knowledge of the physician assistant role, and I am committed to making the essential sacrifices in accomplishing my goal.  I feel strongly that the combination of my educational background, history of community service, and prior medical experience through assisting and shadowing has prepared me to take the next step in becoming a physician assistant. If given the opportunity, I feel confident I will excel in the program and become an asset to the profession as an affirmative addition to the medical team as a whole.

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Again, thanks for reading this blog and showing interest in my success; stay tuned for the latest updates on applications and tid bits on becoming a physician assistant.

The last mile of the intended Five-Hundred-and-Forty-Five miles of the AIDS Life Cycle (ALC) was mentally the most effortless, physically the most challenging, and emotionally the most exhausting.  Psychologically, my mind reached a safety zone.  I no longer had to fantasize about the finish line because it was clearly in sight.  My body was broken and defeated; I encountered an emotional tug-of-war between feelings of overwhelming exhilaration and despondency. But, above all else, it was my satisfaction in knowing that I was an integral component in helping raise twelve million in donated funds to increase the availability of medical treatment for those suffering with AIDS.  Like the unyielding tenacity I sustained throughout my journey in completing the ALC, I inscribe that same endurance, dedication, and perseverance towards my pursuit in becoming a physician assistant.  I will not rest until the finish line is clear.

  My journey began by studying Cultural Anthropology at California State University of Long Beach and UC Santa Barbara where I found an enlightened innate desire to focus on progressing impoverished communities globally and locally.  Correspondingly, I have substantially advanced in the repertoire of non-profit organizations aimed at replenishing good health and medical support to underprivileged communities.  Manifesting the “Millennium Development Goals” and aiding in the distribution of Vitamin A to undernourished children in third world countries were several of my efforts during my internship at “Vitamin Angels”, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing essential nutrients to malnourished children.  Additionally, through my participation at several events such as the annual “Dining Out For Life”, “Tour de Palm Springs”, and “AIDS Life Cycle”, I have become an ambassador for the Desert AIDS Project by raising funds for medical treatment to those HIV Positive and AIDS infected individuals.  My significant involvement in the community has served as the foundation of my aspiration to study medicine.

  Post undergrad, I began reflecting on the eminence in my studies, my enrichment within the community, and personal ambitions for my future.  I compiled a checklist of the qualities in a career that I found most fulfilling.  Evident diversity within my day to day activities and daily encounters, devotion to improving the overall lives of cultures globally and locally, maintaining a sense of leadership by delivering a compassionate approach, and exposing modest efforts daily to instigate a profound difference in the lives of many over time are the conditions that frequented my list.  In seeking to bring my professional ambitions to fruition, I sought opportunity in the medial field by volunteering in the Emergency Room at Eisenhower Medical Center and working as a medical assistant for Walsh Urology Associates (WUA).  As the “Back Office Intake Nurse” at WUA, my responsibilities include collecting and measuring patient’s vital signs, obtaining and updating medical histories, assisting the physicians in office procedures, and preparing laboratory specimens.
 
  While observing the interaction between Dr. Walsh and a surgical physician assistant in a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, I first learned of the physician assistant occupation and began recognizing their habitual importance as an extra arm and brain extension of the physician. Furthermore, through my extensive shadowing experiences, I have seen the autonomous nature of the physician assistant profession through the diversity of the daily roles and responsibilities of a Plastic Surgeon versus an Internal Medicine physician assistant.  In spending a good number of my shadowing experiences in the operating room, I was able to observe and scrub into several different cases, as well as assist the physician assistant in the final suturing of a facial reconstruction. The combination of medical assisting and shadowing has helped me develop techniques for communicating and interacting with patients that will serve me well as a physician assistant.

  In addition to the opportunity to serve rural, underprivileged populations, what I find most appealing in a career as a physician assistant is having the opportunity to experience the pleasures and challenges of a medical profession. Moreover, my decision in becoming a physician assistant is based on a working knowledge of the physician assistant role, and I am committed to making the essential sacrifices to accomplish my goal.  I am confident that the combination of my educational background, history of community service, and prior medical experience through assisting and shadowing has prepared me to take the next step in becoming a physician assistant. If given the opportunity, I am confident I will excel in the program and become an asset to the profession as an affirmative addition to the medical team as a whole.

  The last mile of the intended Five-Hundred-and-Forty-Five miles of the AIDS Life Cycle (ALC) was mentally the most effortless, physically the most challenging, and emotionally the most exhausting.  Psychologically, my mind reached a safety zone.  I no longer had to fantasize about the finish line; it was clearly in sight.  Physically, my physique was broken, fatigued, and defeated; while, emotionally, I was feeling a tug-a-war between feelings of overpowering exhilaration and overwhelming despondency. Above all else, it was my satisfaction in knowing that I was an integral component in helping raise twelve million in donated funds to increase the availability of medical treatment for those suffering with AIDS.  Like the unyielding tenacity I perspired throughout my journey in completing the ALC, I inscribe that same endurance, dedication, and perseverance towards my pursuit in becoming a physician assistant; I will not rest mentally, physically, or emotionally until the finish line is within my reach.

Beginning my undergraduate studies in Cultural Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara is where I found an enlightened innate desire to focus on progressing impoverished communities globally and locally.  Correspondingly, I have substantially advanced in the repertoire of non-profit organizations aimed at replenishing good health and medical support to underprivileged peoples and communities. 

Manifesting the Millennium Development Goals and aiding in the distribution of Vitamin A to undernourished children in third world countries were several of my efforts when volunteering at “Vitamin Angels”, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing essential nutrients to malnourished children internationally.  Likewise, I have become an ambassador for the Desert AIDS Project in raising funds for medical treatment to those HIV Positive and AIDS infected individuals through several instances such as the annual “Dining Out For Life”and ALC events.  My commitment in becoming a Physician Assistant (PA) is significantly partial on my involvement in the community, which in part has served as a foundation of my aspiration to study medicine.

Post undergrad, I began reflecting on the eminence in my studies, my enrichment within the community, and personal ambitions for my future.  I compiled a checklist of the qualities in a career that I found most fulling.  Evident diversity within my day to day activities and daily encounters, devotion to improving the overall lives of cultures globally and locally, maintaining a sense of leadership by delivering a compassionate approach, and exposing modest efforts daily to instigate a profound difference in the lives of many over time are the parameters that frequented my list.

In seeking to bring my professional ambitions to fruition, I sought opportunity in the medial field by volunteering in the Emergency Room at Eisenhower Medical Center and working as a medical assistant at Walsh Urology Associates (WUA).  As the “Back Office Intake Nurse”, my responsibilities include collecting and measuring patient’s vital signs, obtaining and updating medical histories, assisting the physicians in office procedures, and preparing laboratory specimens.  

While observing the interaction between Dr. Walsh and a surgical physician assistant in a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, I first learned of the PA occupation and began recognizing the habitual importance of the PA as being an extra arm and brain extension in both absence and presence of the physician. Furthermore, through my extensive shadowing experiences, I have seen the autonomous nature of the PA profession through the diversity of the daily roles and responsibilities of a Plastic Surgeon PA verses an Internal Medicine PA.  In spending a good number of my shadowing experiences in the operating room, I fortunately was able to observe and scrub into several reconstructive and elective surgeries as well as assist the PA in the final suturing during a facial reconstruction. It is through the combination of medical assisting and shadowing that has helped me develop techniques for communicating and interacting with patients that will beneficially serve me well as a physician assistant.

What I find most appealing about the PA profession is having the opportunity to experience both the pleasures and challenges of a medical profession combined with an underlying duty to serve rural, underprivileged populations. My decision to become a physician assistant is based on a working knowledge of the PA role, and I am committed to making the essential sacrifices to accomplish this goal.  I am trusting that the combination of my educational background, previous engagements serving the community, and prior medical experience in assisting and shadowing have rightfully prepared me substantially; if given the opportunity, I am confident I will excel in a program and become an asset to the profession as an affirmative addition to the medical team as a whole.

Requirements: no more than 5000 characters, approx. 625 words

Question: Describe your Motivations in Becoming a Physician Assistant

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My very last mile of the intended Five-Hundred-and-Forty-Five miles to complete the AIDS Life Cycle (ALC) was mentally the most effortless, physically the most challenging, and emotionally the most exhausting.  Psychologically, my mind reached a safety zone.  I no longer had to fantasize about the finish line; it was clearly in sight.  Physically, my physique was broken, fatigued, and defeated; while, emotionally, I was feeling an internal tug-a-war between feelings of overpowering exhilaration and overwhelming despondency. More than my consistent endurance, strict dedication, and proven perseverance, it was my satisfaction in knowing that I was an integral component in helping raise twelve million in donated funds to increase the availability of medical treatment for those suffering with AIDS.  Like this relentless determination I perspired during my journey in completing the ALC, with a similar force, I dedicate endurance, dedication, and perseverance towards my pursuit of becoming a physician assistant; I will not rest mentally, physically, or emotionally until the finish line is near.

Beginning with my undergraduate studies in Cultural Anthropology at UC Santa Barbara is I where I found  an enlightened innate desire to focus on progressing impoverished communities globally and locally.  Correspondingly, I have made a substantial advance in the repertoire of non-profit organizations aimed at replenishing  health and providing medical support to underprivileged peoples and communities.  Manifesting the Millennium Development Goals and aiding in the distribution of Vitamin A to undernourished children in third world countries were some of my efforts while volunteering at “Vitamin Angels”, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing essential nutrients to malnourished children internationally.  Likewise, I have become an ambassador for the Desert AIDS Project raising funds for medical treatment amongst the AIDS community by  participating in events such as the annual “Dining Out For Life” and the ALC.  My commitment in becoming a Physician Assistant is significantly partial on my involvement in the community, which in part has served as a foundation of my aspiration to study medicine.

In seeking to bring my professional ambitions to fruition, I sought opportunity in the medial field in working as a medical assistant at Walsh Urology Associates (WUA).  As a medical assistant, my responsibilities include collecting and measuring patient’s vital signs, obtaining and updating medical histories, assisting the physicians in office procedures, and preparing laboratory specimens.  While observing the relational interaction between the physician and the physician assistant in a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy, I first learned of the physician assistant occupation and began recognizing the habitual importance of the role of the PA as being an extra arm and brain extension of the physician. Furthermore, through my extensive shadowing experiences, I have seen the autonomous nature of the PA profession expressed in the diversity of the daily roles and responsibilities of a Plastic Surgeon PA verses an Internal Medicine PA, both in whom I have shadowed.  Spending most of my shadowing hours in the operating room, I fortunately was able to observe several reconstructive and elective cases as well as scrub in and assist in the final suturing during a facial reconstructive case. It is through the combination of medical assisting and shadowing that has helped me develop techniques for communicating and interacting with patients that will beneficially serve me well as a physician assistant.

What I find most appealing as a physician assistant is having the opportunity to experience both the pleasures and challenges of a medical profession combined with an underlying duty to serve rural, underprivileged populations without the overwhelming hardship and years of dedication in attending medical school. My decision to become a PA is based on a working knowledge of the role of the PA, and I am committed to making the necessary sacrifices to achieve this goal.  I am confident that the combination of my educational background, previous engagements in serving the community, and prior medical experience through assisting and shadowing has rightfully prepared me substantially, that if given the opportunity, I am confident I will excel in a PA program and become an asset to the profession as an affirmative addition to the medical team as a whole. 

It seems that these last few weeks have flown by in a flash; with little effort, it has been easy to neglect this little corner of mine on the web.  In attempt to squash that neglect, I wanted to leave you with  a quick update on what has been the happenings:

• Shadowing has been fascinating & fantastic.  I have continued to shadow the Plastic Surgeon Physician Assistant, Rob, because it seems that their clinic and surgery schedule works well with my little pockets of time that I have available to shadow during the week.  My favorite thing about shadowing at this surgery center is all the O.R. action that I am able to observe.  In fact, I was actually asked to put on sterile gloves yesterday and assist Rob in finishing up one of the reconstructive cases, which made me subconsciously feel like I was an integral component of the surgical team even if I was just simply holding a pair of scissors and snipping the suture strings as Rob was finishing up.  I have seen a wide array of surgeries at this surgery center including Breast Reduction & Breast Implant Reconstruction, Neck Lift, Cheek Implant Reconstruction, Liposuction, Face Lift, Reconstructive surgery including closing up a nickel sized hole on a woman’s nose due to the removal of skin cancer, and several Botox Injections.  I am invited back to their clinic on Friday to observe the patient clinic in the morning and participate in their ACLS & CPR training in the afternoon, which are both pluses for me since i had intentions of getting that training on my own, anyway
• I am three-quarters of my way done with Summer School, which is going very well, but summer school is the culprit of dominating most of my time.  In the last three weeks, I have had three Biology exams and a Human Sexuality exam. It seems that I am always studying; for, the Lab and Lectures alternate every other day and starting each Lab, we are quizzed on the prior experiments/information.  “Getting Busy with Biology” has been my motto this summer; for, it seems that that is where I spend most of my quality time.  But, my hard work has paid off, I have earned A’s in the three lecture exams, almost all perfect scores on my lab quizzes, and a high B on lab exam; so far, so good! Human Sexuality has also been an interesting class; what is most interesting is hearing the diverse opinions between fellow female and male classmates as our instructor poses discussions concerning whatever chapter/topics we are studying.
• As far as Physician Assistant Applications go-the clock is ticking fast; I have a September 1 deadline for four of the programs that I plan on applying to.  I have given myself a personal deadline of August 1st to have everything submitted so that I am not rushing until the last minute.  Due to some of the programs having “Rolling Admissions”, I plan on submitting all of my applications, even those that are not due until October & November at this August 1st deadline, just to be said and done with them as well as having the opportunity to be one of the applicants that is reviewed several months prior to the deadline.  I feel really confident with my applications this year; for, I have been able to add a lot of information in regards to shadowing and volunteer/community involvement (things that I didn’t include last year).  Also, I feel confident about my letters of recommendation, I feel that I have three strong letters, two of which are coming for the physicians that I work for and the last one coming from Rob, the Physician Assistant that I have been shadowing.  So, all in all, things are wrapping up rather nicely, and I hope that this year, will be my year!
• Lastly, on a personal note, I have started a new blog, which I don’t want to release too much information about yet because I am still tweaking and learning how to make it look more professional, but, as soon as I get the basics down, I will invite you all to follow.  Also, I am two weeks to meeting the little button that we will be calling “August Rose Taylor”, my sister’s little one.  She is due to come the first week of August, which is right around the corner!  Also, my dad is recovering well from his heart attack, at least there has not been any scares since his initial procedures and release from the hospital.  He is still under close watch of his Cardiologist and requested to stay moderately inactive.  Slowly, but surely, I am hoping that he will be able to recover to his old self!  His latest thing is “juicing,” which I have to admit is quite addicting as I found myself frequenting his place in the middle of the hot afternoon to make a refreshing fruit juice!  The summer here in the desert is extremely hot & draining, so I can’t complain much about the staying busy since it seems that the studying and applications keep me posted in an air conditioned coffee shop, library, or my apartment.  Once summer school is over and after the baby comes, I have intentions of fleeing to San Diego for a few days to visit my two best friends! So for now, dreaming of the beach and hoping that I finish summer school with two strong A’s and will be asked for interviews in the next few months!

This week of shadowing proved to be more interesting than anticipated; for one particular reason being that over the last few weeks I have been studying up on my “Plastic Surgery”  via Netflix by watching my latest drama obsession, Nip Tuck, which involves these two hunky men pictured above. Yes, there is a tad bit of sarcasm in my previous statement; I have not been “studying” plastic surgery through Nip Tuck, more so just enjoying and getting fish hooked by the twisted drama and gory surgical details.  Although, I would have to admit the show helped me pick up on specific medical terminology while shadowing that I would not have otherwise been able to detect prior to beginning the series.  So, in a all realness, I guess my Nip Tuck obsession could be considered studying to a certain degree! 

With very little prior intrigue towards Plastic Surgery, I figured, well, at least the most I can get out of shadowing a plastic surgeon physician assistant is to be able to determine whether or not the producers do a good job at portraying the surgeries on Nip Tuck or if they are more exaggerated to appeal to the viewers.  Prior to watching Nip Tuck and shadowing over the last few weeks, plastic surgery never really appealed to me; I always thought of plastic surgery in a negative way in which people were trying to seek inner confidence through physical transformation but never could find that peace before they got sucked into the vicious cycle of “just this one procedure will make me happy” that turned into “I want to fix this also” and “this too”.  Very stereotypical, I know!  But, if anything, this shadowing experience has given me a greater respect for the specialty and for the surgeons and medical professionals that have the knowledge and skills to perform such procedures!

After leaving my biology lecture Wednesday afternoon, I headed to “The Plastic Surgery Institute” of Rancho Mirage in which I had an appointment to shadow my second Physician Assistant, Rob.  In seeking the clinic, I drove to what seemed like a cute remodeled bungalow in Rancho Mirage. As I entered the Bungalow-Surgery Center, I was immediately drawn to the swanky charm of the office which housed modern chic white leather couches, zebra patterned rugs, hanging crystal chandeliers, and brightly painted walls. This is different, I thought to myself in comparing this style of an office to the one I work in as well as the office I had shadowed in Coachella earlier this week.

  I checked in with the receptionist, explaining who I was, and, immediately she introduced me to the office Registered Nurse who showed me where to put my bag and explained to me that I made it just in time for the surgery to start and instructed me to “scrub in”.  In thinking aloud, “what an introduction my name is Christina nice to meet you to,” I started remembering the doctors of Nip Tuck scrubbing in; so I began, with first thing first-scrubbing my hands.  In searching round and round for the water faucet knob to turn on running water so I can rinse the soap off my hands, I finally looked down and realized that there were foot pedals, the left with a letter “H” and the right with a letter “C”.  Luckily, I picked up on context clues that this was how you turn on the water-yikes!  This was my first time in an Operating Room, after all!

Without boring you of all the details of my scrubbing in process, I will flash forward to about 5 minutes later in which I found myself in an Operating Room (O.R.) with Rob, the Physician Assistant, the Anesthesiologist, a Surgical Tech, a Registered Nurse, and two Plastic Surgeons.  “The reason why I am painting this onto this patient’s body is for sterility purposes”, explains the physician assistant-fully gowned, masked, and gloved-the moment after he introduces himself to me.  “Today we are removing cheek implants and replacing them with fat that we will obtain from her lower abdomen and then continue with liposuction of her thighs and lower abdomen,” explained the physician assistant.  As the surgery started and continued, the doctors and the physician assistant explained the whole process to me, why they were cutting her and doing this there and continually asked if I had any questions in which they readily answered.  It was a very interesting surgery to see in real time (outside of Nip Tuck); the procedure lasted about three hours, which was enough for me-my nerves and brain were completely flooded with thoughts, concerns, questions, visual stimulus, curiosities, etc.

After the completion of the surgery, I witnessed the “waking up” the patient process, and then I had a Q&A session with the Physician Assistant in the break room over a cup of coffee/tea for me.  Most of my questions revolved around his line of work and his 30 years of experience as a physician assistant.  He has practiced autonomously in a few different specialties including Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, and Internal Medicine with the bulk of his career being 25 years in Plastic.  Also, being a former part of the admissions team @ Cornell University, it was a tactful experience to pick his brain on what the admissions committees, although different between the schools, are looking for in candidates.  Most of the information was what I had already read in a book or on blogs, but, it was still beneficial, regardless!  Although very different from my last shadowing experience, this was very informative and inspirational as well. 

Today, I returned to the same facility to shadow Rob again, but, this time in a clinical setting when he was at the office by himself seeing patients.  He saw approximately 10 patients, most of the appointments being post ops/follow ups ranging from post ops from face lifts, liposuction, breast reductions, and lastly, a Botox injection.  In between patients, Rob showed me many before and after photos of previous patients’ procedures and used a textbook with images to explain different suturing techniques and procedures that would involve patients having serious procedures such as cancer cell removal from the face that caused a need for facial reconstruction.

Overall, in all aspects, I have had a paradigm shift; plastic surgery is truly fascinating!  It is a specialty that requires talent and precise knowledge of different nerves, muscular tissue, suturing, and the like.  With only two days of seeing the during and aftermath of plastic surgery procedures, I am amazed at the ability doctors have to transform someone-I will be back to this office on Sunday for a few hours as well as another time in a week or so.  I am very grateful to have found this Physician Assistant and team of doctors; for, they are open to helping me in any way they can, which I am undoubtedly thankful for!

Other Highlights for this weekend include:

*Studying for my Bio Exam for Monday

-Cell Reproduction: Meiosis & Mitosis

-Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration

-Genetics-Patterns of Inheritance

-The Structure & Function of DNA

*Studying for my Human Sexuality Exam for Tuesday

-Perspectives on Sexuality

-Sex Research: Methods & Problems

-Female Sexual Anatomy & Physiology

-Male Sexual Anatomy & Physiology

-Gender Issues

*Working half the day on Saturday

*Shadowing for a few hours on Sunday

*House/Baby Warming Party

(Life can’t be all work and no play, right?!)

I have adopted the motto, “Hard work pays off”…I keep reminding myself, that, in due time, all of this dedication will be worth it!

Today marked the beginning of my third week of Summer School, and, besides learning the phenomena of Mitosis, Meiosis, and what makes me different from you; today started a new venture in my pursuit of becoming a Physician Assistant.

“Shadowing”, ahh the world of shadowing.  I was beckoning on the verge of hating that word for how complicated of a task shadowing or for more proper terminology, finding a P.A. to shadow has been.  But, since, 1:00pm this afternoon, I have grown to love the word shadowing including the information and experiences that come along with it!  I left my Biology class an hour early this morning to make my way to a clinic called, “Santa Rosa De Valle” in Coachella Valley.  This is a family practice clinic located in a rural & underprivileged populated area of the desert, serving the East end of the valley as well as Mecca and surrounding towns.  I had an appointment with Heather, a 9-year practicing P.A. who graduated from the USC program in 2003.  I followed Heather around for the greater part of this afternoon while she saw her patients ranging from infant twin girls to a 44-year old female patient.  With a combination of infant physical exams, teenage male & female physical exams, as well as breast exam/testicular exam for young adults and leg rotations for a female complaining of knee pain are many of the different physical exams I witnessed today. 

In addition to the physical aspect, seeing first hand the patient/Physician Assistant interaction, the Physician Assistant/other medical personnel interaction, and the Physician Assistant/Physician interaction was an educational experience for me.  Overall, Heather worked as an independent practitioner; she and I were the only two in the room when seeing patients while the only conversation Heather had with the physician was hello and comments while passing each other in between patients. 

What I found most helpful was our Q&A session in which Heather clarified:

-In P.A. school, you are basically married to your books; it is a tough program and there will be alot (Alot!) of studying-holding a job is not a smart option during P.A. school and fellow classmates will become your closest friends during the few years—close family/friend relationships will diminish due to class/books being top priority

-Having and being able to express your passion for becoming a P.A. is what will make you stand out—the harder part is making your passion visible on paper since that is all the admissions committee has to go by until they meet you

-Incorporate all aspects of what makes you you—community involvement, extracurricular activities, educational/professional background, etc.

-Not to worry about the loans—almost everyone has to take out some sort of loans to get themselves through a physician assistant program

-The more professional certifications/knowledge you have backing you up/the more they see you fit to be an eligible candidate for a P.A. program.  i.e, medical assistant, phlebotomy, Emergency Medical Technician, CPR Training, etc.

-Being bilingual/studying Spanish can only help you!

Overall, today was a very influential day for me to be able to see the physician assistant role first hand.  I am going to plan to shadow Heather again in the next few weeks.  In continuing my week of shadowing, Wednesday afternoon and all-day Friday, I have an appointment to shadow a Plastic Surgeon Physician Assistant in Palm Desert.  It’ll be interesting to compare a family practice vs. a specialist physician assistant and their similar and diverse roles within each of their scope of practice. 

As I smell my finished zucchini bread sifting through my apartment and my salivary glands start activating, I bid you farewell until next time!

My attempted healthy zucchini bread recipe (opted out of the chocolate chips but added a layer of ground flax seed + dried blueberries on the top):

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/eatingwell_zucchini_bread.html

More to come later!

A little less than a week ago today, I received a phone call at 3:00am from my little brother explaining that my dad was having a heart attack.  Much ado to being awoken in a deep slumber and to my surprise, I stalled in response for a minute, and then tried to piece together my many thoughts with what I wanted to say abridged up to, “I will be right over!”  Teeth brushed, deodorant applied, and consciousness almost apparent, I ran down the flight of stairs exiting my apartment and to my 2 day newly purchased vehicle.  While rushing to Eisenhower Medical Center’s Emergency Room and thinking of all the worst possible case scenarios, tears started streaming from my eyes….this can’t be happening, I began thinking to my self.  In between whimpers and attempts to speak audibly, I mustered up being able to convey my intended question to the security guard in the ER but little did he know about my father’s case.  After waiting in silence for what seemed like an hour but probably was only 20 minutes, the guard approached me explaining that the nurses were in with my dad, that he was conscious, talking, but in a lot of pain.  Almost a week later with two back to back procedures, an infection at the site of the IV placement, and pneumonia, my dad was discharged from the hospital today!  Thanking my lucky stars, I am pleased to say that he is on his way to recovery; and, when I say “on his way”, he has a long way to recover, three months of precautionary activity, to be exact.  Alive, well, and heart beating is what I am thankful for even if it does take a few months for him to recover.

In the midst of my dad’s scare, my older brother and his fiance came into town for a short visit and I somehow, with much help from my Nana, was able to put on my sister’s baby shower as planned.  The former and latter mentioned were both a nice surprise and turned out to be a wonderful time well spent!  My sister was very grateful and happy with her baby shower, which makes me smile, because, it was her day, after all!

On another note, summer school started this week as did my “sabbatical” from work.  Since, I am not due to be at school until 10:00am,  I subconsciously feel lazy in having the opportunity to sleep in past 7:00am on a day that is Monday through Friday; for, over the last three years of working a full time job I have been due in to work @ 8:00am which undetectably coincides with a 6:30am —> ‘snoozed’ until 7:00am alarm chime.  Two of the days, I figured, ehh, I deserve to be able to sleep in; whereas, another day, I figured I would use my extra morning hour to go to the gym while this morning I planned a coffee date—these are things I always wished I had that extra morning hour for, so I might as well make use of it while is lasts!  Besides the extra time that my “sabbatical” has graced me with, I found out good news at 6:30pm last night.  In being one of a possible fifteen students trying to crash a summer bio course, my professor, for whatever reason, emailed me saying I was in!  No second thoughts, I dropped my Health science class; for, Bio is what I needed to truly make summer school worthwhile! Thank my lucky stars again!

Four chapters and one lab shy, I had attended my first biology class today.  In taking an unprepared quiz on my first day, I know that I have catch up work to do!  In eight accelerated weeks (seven from today), I will be highly educated on the “Elements of Biology” & “Human Sexuality”.  This is summer school at it’s finest, quick!  I am taking Human Sexuality from the same professor that I took Human Development from last semester; I liked her enough to devote three hours of my Tuesday & Thursday afternoons at the hottest time of the day to learning Human Sexuality. This class has proven to be interesting so far; as this professor has an awesome ability to engage the class in staying focused and interested for a three hour block of time. So, with all complaints aside, at least I am in air conditioning and learning about an interesting subject during the dreadful afternoon hours of this Palm Springs summer heat!

As far as other accomplishments on Physician Assistant school, I am still working on setting up shadowing hours-I have three possible PAs to shadow now, but no appointments actually scheduled yet!  I am still working on this, and I am not giving up until I have shadowed at least two PAs two times each!  I have already started my CASPA application, and I have just about all of it complete with an exception of my personal statement which is the hardest part of the application since it tends to be the most important “getting to know you” aspect for applicants with the admissions committee.  I still need to really narrow down the schools I plan on applying to, which will be on my To Do List for this weekend.

More updates soon as this is the height of all of the application action!

So, Dr. Walsh has included me as part of the crew that is compiling the research information for his publication on Prostate Cancer that he will be presenting to the Western Union AUA Convention in Hawaii in a few months.  This is of much excitement to me because my name will be added to the publication for doing the research!!  The research is based on tracing back his patients (male) who were diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and opted for the Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy procedure within the last five years.  Data that I am compiling includes:

*Pt’s status on continence and potency prior to surgery (This is privy information because two of the main concerns/side effects to having one’s prostate removed is Erectile Dysfunction & Leaky bladder/Stress Incontinence)

*The stage of Prostate Cancer the patient has (Deducted from the number of positive cores that were reflected in the pathology report from the patient’s prostate biopsy as well as his Gleason Score)

*What date the patient had his surgery, when he came back into our clinic to have catheter removed (this is determined based on the cooperation of the patient’s bladder-when you start snipping around in a place that is highly connected to other functional organs, i.e., bladder, rectum, urethra-things tend to get messy)…as long as the patient’s cystogram (Xray of the bladder) showed no leakage, the patient almost always had the catheter removed w/i a week’s time post surgery

*The more important information that is compiled (The bulk of what Dr. Walsh is presenting info. on) is the complications the patient has after surgery and how long it takes to recover..in doing so, I am critiquing what the patient’s continence status & potency status is w/i the 3 month follow up, > 3months, and > 1 year post surgery

Because male’s have a driven libido and are not satisfied with a year of no erections, there are many erectile “Aids” that men can choose to use.  From what I collected today and yesterday, the most common are a combination treatment of using a Vaccuum Pump with Oral Erectile aid such as Viagra, Cialis, and Staxyn.

Overall, it seems that more times than not, men do not achieve being able to have erections on their own without some type of aide for over a year’s time post having thier prostate removed.  But, all in all, having to take Viagra or using a pump outweighs the potentiality of malignant cancer cells spreading beyond your prostate.

A man has got needs & he must get his needs met (period).

…and then my mind wandered to my AIDS Life Cycle Ride that I partook in 1 year ago; I laughed out loud in remembering the infamous “Viagra Man” (Pictured Above)