Introduction

Recently I have been reading many blogs written by physician assistant students, and I thought it would be a great idea to document my journey from pre-PA student to (hopefully!) my entrance into the workforce as a PA-C. There is so much preparation involved throughout all stages, so my goal is to be able to document my experiences for others in my same situation, as well as to keep friends and family updated about this portion of my life, since I know I don't talk about it often.

So here I go! Here is my very own introductory FAQ section:

How did you get the name for your blog?
The name PA Flame comes from my inability to title anything I do or write. PA is for physician assistant, of course, and flame is from the song I was currently listening to at the time (The Flame in All of Us by Thousand Foot Krutch). I was trying to think of something more insightful, but nothing came to mind. :)

Why do you want to be a physician assistant?
My three main reasons for wanting to be a physician assistant are as follows: 1) my love for human anatomy and physiology, 2) my desire for a job where can I interact with people daily in a servant role, and 3) the fact that as a PA, I will be a lifelong learner and constantly challenged. I also had some very positive experiences with the PAs that worked with my orthopedic surgeon (I had ACL reconstruction and arthroscopic surgery to repair my lateral meniscus in Jan. 07). As for why I am choosing to be a PA over an MD, it's primarily the flexibility in the career (both schedule-wise and health field-wise). I am planning on coaching once I have settled down, and would also like to be able to devote most of my time to my future family. Being a PA seems to me the best way to help reach all my life goals.

When did you make this decision?
I made the decision to pursue a job in health care (as opposed to the field of recreation, my other major) the winter of 2006. I didn't settle down on becoming a PA until after my internship at a cardiac rehabilitation program in April 07--one month before I was to graduate! I loved going into clinic every day and interacting with the patients, and after talking to several exercise physiologists about what they DIDN'T like about their job, I did some research and decided to pursue the PA field.

What kind of background are you coming from?
I hope to make this a separate post, but briefly, I have a B.S from a small Christian liberal arts school in the Northeast, where I was a double major in Kinesiology and Recreation and Leisure studies. I graduated in May '07, and am currently nannying and finishing up some general prerequisites.

When are you going to start your PA education?
HOPEFULLY Summer/fall 2009. I plan on applying by August 2008, and if accepted, will start the following summer.

What schools are you applying to, and why?
My biggest factor in deciding where to apply, although certainly not the actual deciding factor, is expenses. I have more debt from undergrad than I want, and I hope to keep the overall amount as low as possible. My top three schools at this point are: University of Toledo, University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, and University of Kentucky. I was going to apply to Baylor College of Medicine, but I found out that scholarship program that I am interested in (Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students) is only offered to students in their med program.

So there, a brief introduction about who I am and my background. In the future I plan on getting more into who I am as an applicant, resources I use, and other experiences I have while on this mission to become a PA-C! I welcome any thoughts or questions, as well as hearing about others' experiences.