Personal Narrative: My Journey Into The Health Field

My journey into the health field began with one of my most tragic experiences in life, which was when my mother had a stroke 13 years ago. Ever since then, I have accompanied her on her INR visits, transesophageal echocardiograms, and balloon valvotomy. Her condition was difficult to understand because I was young and the language barrier that existed for my parents. But throughout the years, her cardiologist and physician assistant have spent extra time to ensure our understanding of her condition. Not only did they provide compassionate care that changed my mother’s prognosis for the better, their exceptional medical services helped pave the career path that I am on today. Previously seen as a tragedy, I now consider it as one of the most influential experiences in my life. …show more content…
While learning about the heart in high school anatomy and physiology, I started piecing together how defects in heart valves, like my mother’s mitral valve stenosis, can lead to an embolic stroke. By being able to connect diseases to its pathophysiology component, it furthered my interest and led me to begin exploring a career in the health field. With such a large field to consider, I shadowed various PAs, doctors, nurses and also worked as a pharmacy technician throughout high school and college to better gain perspective on which part would suit me best. What truly confirmed my interest in the PA profession was my experience as a Medical Scribe and Medical Assistant. These experiences allowed me to interact closely with PAs, witness first-hand the level of skill and expertise that PAs have and gain a deeper knowledge of the profession and the demands of it. After gaining several years of experience, I started to see my interests and desires most compatible with those of a