How Psychology Changed My Life

“Calm Down” I shouted, “I’m going to do it quick”. My 6 year old brother squirmed on a dirty floor surrounded by dust, wood, and nails. I was 9 years old, and my family had just moved to New York, and our “house: was less than livable. He had stepped on a long rusty nail that was loosely sticking up from a barely stable floor. It was sticking out of his foot, and blood was trickling down onto my skirt. This was not the first time something like this had happened and as his older sister I knew what to do. Take it out of his foot, bandage it up tight so the blood couldn’t escape, and ask our parents to take him to a doctor for a tetanus shot.

I always knew I wanted to help people. Not just watch, not just assist, but really make a difference in another human’s life. When I started college, psychology was a major that spoke to me. It was challenging, and personal – and it could save lives. As I continued, I was not completely satisfied with my choice. From my classes and teachers, I got the feeling I would be sitting behind a desk staring at a future where I may not ever even get through to my patients. But my focus was the same. I wanted to improve people’s quality of life and I wanted to work in a

What I found most intriguing was that PAs can work in different specialties during their career. I know that I would enjoy geriatrics as that is what I am currently most comfortable in and where my journey began. However, I am a learner and I succeed most when I’m challenged. I am also attracted by the balance between autonomy and supervision; having the scope to diagnose and treat patients, joined with the ability to consult the doctor when necessary. One can never know what circumstances in their lives, what moments, will be the ones that change everything. But I am grateful for all of the little moments, positive and negative, big and small, that brought me to where I am