Back Office Medical Assistant Personal Statement

I have been a back office medical assistant (MA) in a pediatric and internal medicine clinic for the past four and a half years. I assist a pediatrician and an internist in providing direct patient care by assisting in examinations and procedures, taking medical histories, charting vitals, and explaining treatment plans. My role as an MA includes (but is not limited to) obtaining patients’ temperature, weight, and height, and calculating patients’ BMI. I collect blood specimens and perform all routine labs, such as visual and auditory tests and urinalysis. I am familiar with normal laboratory readings and can alert physicians to abnormal results and to other problems. I administer medications and prepare vaccines as directed by the supervising

physicians. In addition, I assist the pediatrician in administering vaccines by holding and calming patients in my arms. I assist the internist in communicating with non-English speaking patients by providing Vietnamese translation.

2. Discuss the three most important priorities in your life, and how they apply to your interest in our PA program [1500 characters].

My family is a top priority in my life because they are my boundless source of support, love, and care.

As a PA, I want to treat my patients as if they were my own family and to care for them in the most respectful and dignified manner possible. This concept applies to my interest in the PA program because MBKU values the dignity of patients and their families. The PA program will nurture me to become a compassionate PA who is capable of building lasting bonds with patients and families.

Giving back to the community is an important priority in my life. My commitment towards the welfare of others stems from assisting medically underserved and rural populations and from being a member of the underprivileged community. MBKU recognizes and instills the importance of caring for the underserved communities. Therefore, the PA program will grant me the opportunity to continue serving in these areas and to remain active in ongoing community service.

Education is an important priority in my life because I am committed to lifelong learning. I am impressed by the PA program’s dynamic learning environment, which offers individualized attention. The individually focused environment will allow me to strengthen my weaknesses and develop my talents. The unique integrated curriculum will also help enhance my knowledge and skills to provide patients with the highest quality health care. Therefore, MBKU’s excellence in teaching and patient care will help foster my growth as a competent

PA.

3. What do you expect to contribute to this University and community? [1500 characters].

My values on humanism and service will contribute to the University’s mission to provide the highest quality health care. My virtues are the essence of my character and are used as a foundation to eliminate biases and stereotypes in individuals and in health care. I recognize and understand that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. As an MA, I continue to provide effective and equitable care that does not vary based on patients’ race, socioeconomic status, or other factors. The decisions I make in health care are strongly guided by my principles, which are directed towards improving patient outcomes through the delivery of high quality and culturally competent care.

I will use the knowledge and skills that I have obtained as a health science major to formulate ideas and to find solutions that will improve the quality of life for individuals in the community. My focus area of study is on health promotion and disease prevention. I want to utilize my extensive knowledge in this area of study to raise awareness and promote health education in the community. In addition, I will use my critical thinking and problem-solving skills to identify and address community health disparities. I have designed a health promotion program and want to develop similar programs for the maintenance and improvement of community health. Furthermore, my strengths include cultural sensitivity and an ability to build rapport with diverse and multicultural communities.

4.

Choose one of the following topics to write about A) Tell us about a person from history or present day who has influenced your life, and how. B) Tell us about a talent or interest you have outside of medicine. C) Tell us about a book you read in the last year that had a big impact on you, and why. D) Where do you see yourself in five years? [1500 characters].

Outside of medicine, I spend my leisure time dancing and choreographing. My love for dance and music stems from my early childhood. I recall listening to Disney songs and “choreographing” dance moves – moves that appeared as uncoordinated, but exquisite loose wiggles. As a result of my parents’ strict upbringing, dance was an important activity because it served as a safe haven away from the stress and pressure I felt as a child. Dancing was, and is still, my source of joy.

I carried my passion for dance along with me when I transitioned into high school, and into college as well. My role as a cheerleader in high school aided in the maintenance of my physical and mental well-being. I felt most empowered when I was performing on stage, and when I was able to enthuse the crowd with my lively facial expressions and body movements. Furthermore, I enjoyed expressing my creativity through dance routines I choreographed for school assemblies and cheer competitions. My profound interest in dance had also led me to choreograph routines for my college

sorority.

Dancing has a positive impact on my personal development. It helps build my courage, self-esteem, and confidence and has transformed me into a cheerful and outgoing individual. I now spend my leisure time dancing in the comfort of my bedroom because it helps rejuvenate me from everyday stresses. In addition to it being an enjoyable activity, dancing and choreographing provides me with mental clarity and emotional stability.