Job that Brings Happiness and Passion: Physician Assistant

Have you ever been asked the profound question…”How do you define happiness?” For some, it’s having lots of money, for others it’s landing the dream job. For me, I’ve found happiness through serving others. Throughout my working life, I’ve had good jobs, I’ve made decent wages, but I’ve been the happiest when I have had the opportunity to make a change and positive impact in others lives.

One of the most gratifying and fulfilling experiences I have had was working with with the organization Adaptive Kinesiology. This is a cognitive and physical exercise program designed to work with special needs handicapped adults and teens. I taught students social and physical activities that they had never had the opportunity to participate in. It was rewarding to watch their progress throughout the program. The students were making just as big an impact on me (if not bigger) than I could ever make on them. These students, unaware of their social miscomings, made a huge impact on me. It opened my mind to find joy in their world, not just societies exceptions. Seeing their growth at the completion of this program made me realize this is the kind of work that I am meant to do. I am forever grateful for the opportunity I had to help make a difference in these special peoples lives.

One of my most humbling experiences that has shaped my passion for working with underserved communities came from working as an emergency room tech at Huntington Beach Community Hospital. The community has seen a rising growth in numbers of homeless residents. Every shift I had numerous interactions with patients who were homeless. It had become clear to me that many of these patients were presenting with multiple mental and physical health problems. I made every effort to make each patient I cared for feel valued and equal. One particular patient shared with me that he had lost everything that mattered in his life: money, family, friends, health, and perhaps worst of all, his self-esteem. This patient inspired me to start my organization “Clothes for Charity”. This is a movement to gain community involvement to donate clothing to our hospital so we can provide our patients with a clean set of clothing upon discharge. Through social media campaigns that I ran, we were able to collect hundreds of warm jackets, shirts, and shoes that we organized by gender and size. When we shared the items with our homeless friends, many of them were so grateful they would give us a hug, shed a tear, or express gratitude by many thanks. I truly believe that every person who visited our emergency room should feel they were discharged with dignity. I am touched deeply by my experience working in the emergency room.

My goal is to become a Physician Assistant that serves my community with compassion for underserved populations. The immense emphasis that the PA profession has on providing care for underserved communities is one of the reasons why I am so passionate about this field. In my quest for choosing a PA program that would be a good fit for me, it was clear that Marshall B. Ketchum was my top choice. MBKU’s PA program’s commitment towards providing care for underserved communities perfectly aligns with my values.

Upon graduation, I plan on working in a community ER, primary care, or urgent care clinic that serves demographically disadvantaged patients. I hope to put all the knowledge I’ve gained through PA school and my prior health care experiences into practice in my future career as a PA.

There is a large gap in the health care system. I have a thorough understanding that there is shortage of medical providers in rural, urban, suburban, and underserved communities. As a PA, I plan on being a part of the solution of filling this gap. PAs make a positive impact on our healthcare system. They help increase patient access to healthcare and improve overall patient satisfaction. I’m honored to be joining this respected profession. As a healthcare provider who will care for the underserved, I will strive to recognize that the patient may have unexpressed needs. I will take the role of the patients advocate, and educate them on community resources. I feel a good provider treats the disease, the great provider treats the patient who has the disease. A quote from my favorite book titled The Energy Bus by Jon Gordan states 'When you get excited and enthusiastic about your life and your work you bring a powerful divine energy to everything you do, and people notice.' I am committed to becoming a PA in which every patient feels that I made time for them, listened to them, recognized them, and served them. With a combination of hard work, education, and a positive attitude I know that MBKU will help me achieve my goal of becoming an exemplary PA that makes a difference in my community.

So if you asked me “How do you define happiness?” I would answer undoubtedly, happiness is my passion to continue this gratifying work as a Physician Assistant, which will treat every patient equally including the disadvantaged and underserved.