Personal Narrative: My Experience At The Health Careers Academy

I was never a kid that knew who I would become when I grow up. My interests ranged from wanting to become an interior designer to having a strong desire of becoming a pilot. I was often surrounded by healthcare professionals but I never imagined myself striving to become one. Little did I know that I would end up at a stage in my life where I would be sure about pursuing a career in healthcare. Although I have decided on my career path, I have yet to discover a particular field within healthcare that grabs my interest. The RA Internship will help me learn more about medicine and help me find a right field of study through clinical research experience and monthly lectures offered to me as an intern. Though this opportunity I will be able to

The career I became interested in is a Physician’s Assistant, or a few people call them PAs. I became interested in this job in my sophomore year of high school. It all started when I attended the STEM fair after school one day. STEM fair is only offered to students who are in either the biomedical Stem academy or the engineer academy. At this fair, students tour around to different classrooms to acquire information on different careers. I attended the Physician’s Assistant one, where there was an actual PA to give information on what PAs achieve. For example, PAs examine patients for diseases, injuries and illnesses.

My interest for science blossomed as a child, my mom is a lab technician and going to her job and seeing them learn all these astonishing things about a person from a simple tube of blood blew me away. In middle school I went to a STEM school, The Academy for Science and Design in order to allow that passion to grow, and from there I have participated in multiple science related research projects that I have been able to bring with me to national level competitions. In addition, in high school I am taking AP level science classes, such as AP Biology, in order to expand my knowledge. Soon I plan on starting to volunteer at the community hospital for an opportunity to gain real world experience in the scientific field. The thing I take most pride

During the course of my college years, I have considered alternate career options. I have contemplated becoming a physician’s assistant, a dentist, or a podiatrist. Physician’s assistants and doctors play similar roles in clinics; I would still be able to see patients and enjoy the interpersonal aspect of delivering healthcare. Additionally, I would still be able to play an important role in primary care and do my utmost for the sake of my patients, which is hugely appealing.

Sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, 7-year-old me swung my feet back and forth under the generic, time-worn furniture and anxiously wrung my sweaty palms. I’d been to the doctor’s before, but with each returning yearly visit the dread that sunk to the bottom of my gut never shrunk. “Jillianne Carrasco?” The nurse called. My stomach turned. I began to shoot my mother a pleading look, but she wasted no time in grabbing my hand and leading me to the smiling nurse waiting at the door, and we both followed her through the pasty white halls to a customary exam room. The nurse closed the door behind us and asked me to take a seat on the crinkly tissue paper cot. She smiled warmly, likely taking note of my nervous breathing and shaky hands.

When I entered high school, I did not know what career I wanted to pursue, however, there was one subject that intrigued me, science. Taking Honors Biology gave me a basic foundation of how the human body and life worked. Which prompted me to further my knowledge by taking a Project Lead The Way class called Honors Human Body Systems (HBS) and Honors Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). My curiosity for these classes made me realize that I want to pursue an education in health science because it is something that I am passionate about, and it is a way for me to expand me knowledge and help others. New information is always being learned in the field of science.

Having been a certified nursing assistant for just about six years I have had many experiences and come into contact with countless people who have touched my life and inspired me to become greater; to become a nurse. Co-workers, patients, patient family members and my own friends and family have always told me to pursue a career as a registered nurse. A very special co-worker of mine, Kathy a registered nurse, inspired me every day I came into work. She always had a smile on her face, she was always the first nurse to rush to help, she would listen to the patients and take the time to talk to them, and she treated every patient that came on our unit with care. Kathy would also take the time to answer questions that any of the CNAs had and

I sat at the kitchen counter, staring at the green cabinets and bowls of fruit. I wanted to play in tonight’s soccer game, but my mind was still foggy from the drugs I received in the hospital the day before. I didn’t want my teammates to see me like this. My hair was matted from where my head rubbed against the blue hospital pillow, and a wrinkled piece of clear tape secured a nasal feeding tube onto my cheek. I hated what the tube meant: that I was inadequate and that I couldn’t drink by myself. I was someone who insisted on doing everything on my own, and the thin, flexible tube was a physical reminder that I could not. My mom and dad lauded my bravery, but I dismissed them. I didn’t believe bravery was dictated by necessity.

I heard about the program from a close friend who is currently enrolled as a COPE Health Scholar. Because she also grew up in the same school environment and with the same goals of being in the medical field, she and I have a lot in common. We both wanted to find unique programs that offered us hands-on experience as students. That dream proved to be very difficult, but she soon found the COPE Health Scholars Program as a college student. She immediately told me about it and I was hooked. After learning about the close mentor-to-mentee experience obtained from this opportunity, I decided to put my utmost dedication and time into the COPE Junior Health Scholars.

“Letto diciassette!” I froze at the sound of “bed seventeen,” and watched with horror as the Italian nurse ran into my grandmother’s hospital room. The monitors were beeping out of control, yet my heart seemed to be beating even faster and louder. I stood at the end of the dimly lit hall, shaking and unable to move. A health care provider spotted me standing there, desperate, alone, and vulnerable, and made her way over to comfort me. The feelings I experienced next are what I remember most when I look back on that dark and gloomy day in Italy. The feelings of hope, reassurance and genuine kindness. The feeling that a missing piece of my heart had been put back where it belonged. That is what I remember most and that is the role I want to fill as a physician assistant.

Choosing my career was not an easy choice but becoming a Medical Assistant would be my “foot in the door” to becoming a nurse. I started Alaska Career College in fall 2014 to become a Phlebotomist. I thought that with my experience as a medical receptionist, I can further my career as a medical assistant rather than a phlebotomist. I love to draw blood but because of my personality, I thought that maybe it would be more beneficial to become a medical assistant instead. As a young Hmong child, I loved helping people especially the older folks who did not speak English well. It is my goal to help others who are in need of help and because of that, I chose to become a Medical Assistant. I do hope that one day

The auditorium buzzes with a nervous energy. Everyone holds their breath as the emcee announces the sweepstakes winners. “In second place,” this was our defining moment and we would win, “Northside Health Careers High School!” Just like that, our ten year winning streak in overall sweepstakes at the Texas State Junior Classical League convention was over. I felt that I hadn’t contributed enough to the club and that my passion for classics had diminished.

My education and career goals are to get an early childhood education degree from the University of Alaska, receive my teaching license, and hopefully find a job with Head Start or perhaps one of the public schools in Anchorage. I hope to achieve this within four years. I am returning to college after a 35 year break in which I had an acting career, got married, had two daughters and taught preschool classes in the Minneapolis park system for 13 years. My goals in teaching are to engage children in learning with scientifically based curriculum and use my talents and experience in music, creative drama and the arts to enhance my lesson plans. I have found that young children respond energetically and enthusiastically when lessons walk hand in

It was magical – so many people and things working in perfect rhythm, carefully constructed rules in place to keep everyone safe and informed, and puzzles constantly being solved by all the moving parts inside. It was more than a well-oiled machine; it was a living, breathing being. I didn’t know it yet, but here began my interest in the field of public health and the many areas it encompasses in its approach to keeping the world safe.

For over two decades I conducted Special Operations in the military. This physically demanding and damaging occupation resulted in chronic pain since 2007. After years of being in pain, my physicians inform me it was something I would just have to “get used to”. That statement sparked my interest alternative medicine and the discovery of the benefits of acupuncture changed my life. Rather than starting a second career using skills I had honed during my time in the service, I decided to pursue a career in alternative medicine. In 2015, I moved from Virginia to Washington to study Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine at Bastyr University. In March, just months after arriving on the West Coast I was a passenger in a vehicle that was rear-ended at 40 MPH. In addition to reinjuring previously healed traumas, the impact also created injuries I’m still recovering from. Five months later I broke my clavicle, which required surgery. During the following weeks, I relied on my non-dominant hand making schoolwork challenging. Then in November, I lost dexterity in my left hand due to a pinched nerve; the associated nerve pain was so intense it prevented sleep. The last 3 weeks of the quarter were blurry due to the sleep deprivation I suffered. The sum of my injuries caused a steady decline of my wellbeing resulted in the decision to take a medical leave of absence from my education. One could surmise