Healthcare Assistant Supporting Information

With the goal of becoming a Healthcare Assistant at Orchards Inpatient Unit, I am applying for the NHS. This dream has been part of my life for many reasons. The most important reason is that I have seen firsthand the impact professional help can make in helping people with mental illness. I want to be part of a team that saves lives and improves quality of life.

I chose to study Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University in 2013 to further my passion and to feed my desire to learn. It was a great experience and I enjoyed every moment of it. University can be a difficult and stressful environment to adjust to. I was diagnosed with anxiety in my second year and depression in my third. After seeing how many people, including my classmates, were helped by professionals, I was inspired to pursue a career as a healthcare professional. My final degree show was inspired by this experience. I created contemporary art that addressed mental illness and raised awareness about it.

I have gained a degree that has allowed me to critically analyze and articulate relevant research to help me formulate my own ideas and practice. I communicate well in writing and speech and can confidently and convincingly present my ideas. I can work under pressure and have the ability to think creatively and logically in order to solve problems. This is a benefit in unexpected situations like caring for people with mental illness or in hospitals. My modules in my degree required a lot of self-motivated practice. I had to work with others and worked alone. There was also a lot of self-evaluation.

My current job is Activities Coordinator at Etheldred House in Cambridgeshire. Although I was only part of the Ethelred House Family for a brief time, these few weeks were crucial in helping me find the right career path.

The most fulfilling and interesting job I’ve ever had was caring for people with mental illness. I have learned so much about dementia and the effects it has on thinking, personality, and character. I would like to continue this journey by pursuing a nursing qualification. This is one reason I want to be a Healthcare Assistant.

Although my current job is my first professional role, I have worked in many situations that required me to be practical, patient, and understanding to achieve the best outcome. My Grandmother fell and needed additional help in order to be able to continue her daily activities. This was when I helped her. For three weeks, I was her job, washing and dressing her, as well as helping her with daily tasks.

As a volunteer at 1st Witchford Brownies I was responsible for their safety and well-being as well as teaching them new skills through outward-bound activities. It was important to have patience and to be able to recognize the students’ level of understanding to make the lessons memorable.

Because I am understanding, patient, polite, caring, and proud of my work ethic, I would make a great candidate for this position. I am sensitive to confidentiality and respect the dignity of patients, regardless of their stage in life.

These skills were supplemented by a variety of e-learning programs, including Dementia Awareness and Fire Safety, Food Hygiene and Equality and Diversity. I also have experience with Mental Capacity Act and End of Life Care, Fluids and Nutrition, and CoSHH. I also completed a Foodsafe Level 1 course while I was in Canada. I scored 94%. This course will help you care for people with mental illness during meal times. It is also beneficial in ensuring their overall health and well-being. Apart from the food safety classes I attended, I have practical experience in feeding Etheldred House residents, both hard- and soft food.

Avalanche Safety Level 1 is another course that I have taken with contributing attributes. The course was not as valuable in England as it is in Canada but included basic First Aid training and basic emergency medicine training.

In 2014, my ability to motivate, inspire, and work in a group was demonstrated when I rode 850 miles in a ten-day cycle from Amsterdam to Berlin with two friends. This was to raise money for Cardiac research at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. To keep my schedule, I had to overcome a variety of issues and find solutions almost immediately. This demonstrates my determination and my extraordinary time management and organizational skills.

I am a versatile candidate because of my education, work experience, and daily life. I have many valuable attributes that I can use in a healthcare career. I’ve been both on the receiving and providing sides of mental healthcare and I feel that I understand the roles. Public healthcare is an integral and vital part of society. I want to be part of it. I want to make a difference.

A particular tradition that my grandparents shared is one of the things that has shaped me as a person and influenced my passion for medicine. My grandfather used to grow pumpkins at home, and my grandmother kept hundreds of Gatorade water bottles in her home. I grew up and realized that these seemingly bizarre practices helped my family deal with their PTSD. It was an old custom to prevent theft and starvation that my grandfather kept pumpkins under his beds. Due to the death of her son during the Cambodian genocide, my grandmother began collecting water bottles. These experiences were deeply painful, but they have helped me grow and have engrained a deep-rooted desire for positive impact on others’ lives while also challenging my intellectual curiosity through a career as a physician. I set out to become a surgeon assistant with the help of my clinical clerkships and medical assistant experience.

I was a medical assistant to a variety of hand, reconstructive, microvascular and craniofacial surgeons. This experience drew my attention to surgery. Patients I’ve had the opportunity to meet have given me insights into the issues I’ll be treating as a PA. These include invasive cancers of my tongue and face, Le Fort and mandible injuries, severe hand infections due to dog bite wounds and infected Aortic Grafts that require debridements and flap transposition. These patient encounters have greatly influenced my interest in general, acute, trauma, and reconstructive surgeries. I am interested in a career as a surgical doctor assistant because it covers a broad range of medical and surgical conditions and has a diverse patient base. This requires surgical expertise and diagnostic insight.

Keck School of Medicine of USC Physician assistant program has given me a solid medical education. I have had many opportunities through clinical clerkships to treat a broad range of acute illnesses, injuries, or exacerbations of chronic diseases. My general surgery clerkship at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center was where I first assisted with extremity amputations and cholecystectomies. I also performed liver biopsies, high-impact falls due to skiing accidents. Los Angeles County’s orthopedic and trauma surgeons, and USC Medical Center, had me involved in many reductions and stabilizations of pedestrian and automobile traumas as well as high-impact falls injuries. I was able to accurately assess medical conditions and determine the level of risk. This allowed me to make informed decisions under pressure.

Since then, I’ve found that diagnosing and determining the best course of treatment for each case, as well as caring for complex surgical patients, is both rewarding and challenging. As a surgical PA, I can use the strengths that I have already developed, such as my ability to build rapport with patients and educate them about their health and disease.

My clinical experiences in general and orthopedic trauma as a PA student were very rewarding. I am excited to continue my intellectual growth and clinical training by pursuing a surgical fellowship. I look forward to being challenged and exposed to many surgical specialties. I bring with me a strong work ethic and desire to excel. I am looking forward to the opportunity to gain valuable surgical experience and expertise in managing acute illness, trauma, and exacerbation chronic diseases. I would like to start a surgical fellowship to gain the necessary training to be a confident and well-rounded physician assistant capable of managing the many challenges that come with providing medical care in a fast-paced setting.