Introduction:

As much as I don’t like the idea of growing up and facing change, we eventually have to face it and move on. Sadly, I can not live the carefree life of a minor because I will not stay as a kid forever. As we are maturing we learn that life is a process of events that can lead us to our career goal. While thinking about my future, I’m always uncertain about what I want to do, which makes me question if I really want to become a Physician Assistant as my career. How will I be able to approach my problem? Since I am inexperienced in the field my indecisive actions will affect how I will approach my design as an informed designer. I decided to approach this design by knowing what my strengths and weaknesses which can help me to become a better Physician Assistant. As I took this FIQWS class, I learned that I can interpret different methods and strategies in my life design process.

Reflection:

Ever since I was little, I always wanted to help people who were in need. I first encountered inspiration while my parents were watching a medical T.V drama that involves a group of doctors and nurses who voluntarily travel to less fortunate countries and provide medical assistance. As I grew older, I volunteered at an elderly care center and when I saw their little smiles on their faces I felt this urge of happiness peeping out of myself. This was when I came to realize that I wanted to work in the medical field as a future career. In high school, I took a class and became interested in becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)- an emergency responder who is trained to provide medical care to people who are in critical condition as they are being transported to the hospital. As I was doing research I changed my mind to nursing and I found out that EMT is a stepping stone for nursing. After graduating high school I changed my mind to becoming a Physician Assistant because there were more beneficial factors of becoming a Physician Assistant rather than an EMT. I am still contemplating different careers since the medical field has a diverse amount of occupations. With the help of the Holland Code test- an assessment that focuses on career and vocational choices based on our personality. My Holland code is Investigative, Conventional, and Realistic (ICR) with this code I was able to research some careers using O-Net. Some examples that I can consider as a career are teaching, counseling, being a specialist, nurse, and medical assistant. As I was researching I was able to have a better idea of what skills and activities a Physician Assistant would need while encountering different patients. I also explored different physician assistant specialties which consisted of pathology, dermatology, emergency medicine, and surgical subspecialties.

While growing up in an Asian household the expectations of pursuing a career that is a well-paying job and is successful can influence your decisions on what you to do. You don’t know whether you are making choices to meet your parent’s expectations or it is what you actually want to do as a career, which is an issue that I am going through as I am approaching my decisions for my major. Being able to say that you want to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, singer, when you grow up is easier said than done. There are a lot of responsibilities and consequences as a Physician Assistant. Since I don’t have any experience in the medical field other than volunteering at the elderly care center it is hard for me to consider committing to a career in the medical field. But, the inspiration that I had when I was a child and now has never changed. With a positive mindset, I was able to design my major and career effectively for my three Odyssey plans.

Another method that we learned in the class was the prioritized list of transferable skills, which are based off our Good Times Journal or the Life Stories. The Good Times Journal was a good way to keep track of what activities that you do in the everyday life that keep you engaged (flow) and energized. The Life Story was based off an experience where you explained how you overcame the obstacle in a step-by-step process. When logging the Good Times Journal I noticed that I was doing the same activities every day which is why I didn’t understand how the Good Times Journal and Life Stories and the transferable skills grid correlated with each other. However, I noticed that each of the activities correlated with some of the required skills as a Physician Assistant. Based on my prioritized grid the final top three items (skills) are using my brain, listening, and analyzing, break down into its parts. With these skills, I will be able to promote a good quality diagnosis for the patient as a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner.

Selection Of Major and Design of your College Career:

Freshman students in City College are mandatory to take pathway classes in our first year of university to master the skills to succeed in the subsequent courses. Since I am doing something in the medical field it is important to research some majors that are associated with becoming a Physician Assistant. While exploring some majors I have found that the biology and chemistry are the two majors that can lead me to the pre-med track. In biology and chemistry majors, we can encounter different perspectives on whether the majors are worth pursuing or not. However, the two majors include rigorous courses that can have its benefits and tradeoffs.

As a biology student, I first need to take pathway classes which would include classes such as art, FIQWS, math, speech, and history, etc. When I excel in these courses I can begin taking classes in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. For biology, I would need to take BIO I and II ( Biological Foundation), Introduction to Genetics and Organismic Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Cell, and Molecular Biology. For chemistry, I would need to take General Chemistry I and II, Organic Chemistry I, General Physics II. For math, I need to take Calculus I and II.

The requirements as a senior in the biology major can vary depending on which biology concentration you choose to do. In my case, there are no senior projects, instead, I can take fifteen credits of biology electives that are included in the 39 credit hours to graduate as a biology major. The biology major is a beneficial factor for being a Physician Assistant because it is heavily based on the concept of what human anatomy is made up of.

Next semester I will be taking Biological Foundation I. In my honest opinion, I am quite anxious for next semester because I have not taken biology since freshman year of high school. Based on what I heard from my upperclassmen and my mentor it will be a stressful journey. Due to the Professor’s grading standard, not a lot of students did well in the course. Which means that  I have to mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare myself for sleepless nights, constant studying, and be overwhelmed by the workload of lab reports, homework, and practice questions. My mentor showed me some materials that were given throughout the course and advised me to watch some Khan Academy videos over the break so that I can refresh my memory.

The requirements as a chemistry major are similar to the biology major except as a chemistry major we will be taking more chemistry classes. As I mentioned before, all students need to take pathway courses before we taking the subsequent courses, then we can move onto the higher classes. Some classes as a chemistry major are biology, chemistry, math, and physics. For biology, I would need to take BIO I and I have an option to take either Earth Systems Science or BIO II. For chemistry, I would need to take General Chem I and II, Quantitative Analysis, Organic Chemistry I and II with Organic Chemistry Lab I, and Physical Chemistry I. For math and physics I would need to take Calculus I, II and III, and Methods of Differential Equations and University Physics I. There are also no senior projects for the chemistry major, it has the same concept as the biology major, where you can take chemistry electives which lead to a total of twenty-four credit hours. Some beneficial factors graduating as a chemistry major is that it can promote high-quality patient care by knowing the mechanics of how medicine works.

I chose to major in biology rather than chemistry because I am not as confident when it comes to chemistry. The concepts in chemistry are harder to comprehend and more steps are required. For example, performing stoichiometric calculations, in this topic, we have to balance the equations(reactants and products) then convert the units to moles, and calculate the moles that are in the substance which causes the reactant to become the product. When I was doing this topic in high school I was struggling because of the misconceptions to the concept. Whereas, in the biology major I find it more interesting and everything links together. For example, we are able to diagnose patients using the concepts of how the molecular cells alter our immune system.

Based on Bolles 10 transferable skill analysis both majors have a correlation with my skills and interests. Most of the activities that I have checked off were skills and requirements of a Physician Assistant such as skills of speaking, listening, counseling, synthesizing, and working with data and people. Although being a biology major can have its pros and cons, it is beneficial for me to major in biology. This is because being a Physician Assistant is heavily based on the concept of what the human anatomy is made up of. The job of a physician assistant is to provide health care services under the supervision of a physician. They typically complete physicals, counsel patients, provide treatments, and in some cases are able to prescribe medication.

I also have to keep in mind that academics are not the only thing that schools look at. Looking into different internships that shadow a Physician Assistant will be a beneficial factor to gain experience/ knowledge and also to put in my resume. An internship program that I found online is called Gapmedics. Gapmedics consists of different programs ( medicine, nursing, midwifery, and physician assistants) where you would shadow and experience what the career is like. Anyone from the ages of 16 and older with and without experience can join this program.  For the physician assistant program, we will be paired with other students and medical doctors for a pre-physician assistant journey to observe the aspects of what day-to-day clinical work can look like. Some can consist of reporting a short briefing to your mentor and accompanying them onward rounds in the O.R or clinics. Depending on your skill level the mentors would take that into consideration and adapt the experience. I think I qualified for this internship and for other experiences after graduation because I have the dedication to help others who are in need.

After contemplating that the biology major is more beneficial for me in pursuing my career. The required courses that I have to take are biology, chemistry, physics, and math. In my junior year, I want to go to a Gapmedics internship. From this internship, I will my expand skills/ knowledge by providing the proper health care services which can make me a possible candidate for PA school. As I encounter this stressful journey I need to prepare myself mentally, physically, and emotionally, the journey will only get harder as I mature.    

Investigation of a Job:

After getting my undergraduate degree in biology the job that I am considering is becoming a Pediatric Physician Assistant. The job of a pediatric physician assistant is the same as a physician assistant except you are providing health care services for infants, children, adolescents and young adults under the supervision of a physician. They complete physicals, counsel patients, provide treatments, and prescribe medication. To become a specialized pediatric physician assistant you would need a bachelor’s degree in behavioral or biological science, then apply to a physician assistant program where you would need to complete at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience. Lastly, to be able to work as a physician assistant in the U.S. you must pass the Nation Commision on Certification of Physician Assistant (NNCPA) and apply for the state licensure so that you can practice in that state.

I interviewed a senior in Hunter who plans on becoming a Surgical Subspecialty Otorhinolaryngology (ENT). He finds passion in working with his hands, solving and diagnosing puzzles related to Sinus and the throat. Some experiences and jobs that he did were conducting research and publishing scientific articles at BMMC under his lab mentor, and volunteering at Columbia Medical Center ER. While volunteering at Columbia Medical Center ER, he encountered a frightened kid whose father was going into surgery. During the process, he was counseling and comforting the family and making sure the patient goes through each step of recovery. After shadowing and experiencing the work of doctors, nurses, EMTs, and PA he was able to solidify his choice in becoming a PA.

As a pediatric physician assistant, some skills that are needed are active listening, have logical reasoning to come up with solutions, comprehend documents, consulting with coworkers and talking to patients. It is also essential to have abilities in deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, oral comprehension, oral expression and problem sensitivity. Based on the task analysis that I did for a Pediatric Physician Assistants they examine the patients by obtaining information about their physical conditions. From the information given the physician assistant will make provisional diagnoses and decisions about how to manage and treat patients (use x-ray, electrocardiogram, and laboratory tests). Once they get the physician’s approval they will prescribe therapy or medication. Lastly, they documenting and recording information in a written or electronic/magnetic form to the patient’s record medical histories.

As a Physician Assistant (PA) provide health care services under the supervision of a physician. They complete physical examination, diagnose and provide treatments, order and interpret tests, counsel patients, prescribe medication and assist in surgery. The process of becoming a PA can vary between 4-6 years depending on whether you choose to do a dual degree or not. In this process, you first have to obtain a bachelor’s degree which includes taking the GRE and gaining health care experience. Then you apply to a Master level PA program by obtaining reference letters, supplementals, and going through extensive interviews; so you can be a possible candidate for PA school. The first and second year of PA school consists of lectures and clinical rotations. Lastly, you will need to take the  Nation Commision on Certification of Physician Assistant examination which allows you to be a certified PA. Once you obtain the Certification, you have an option to do residency or fellowship between different specialties but it is not required. PA is more lenient in terms of changing specialties. It is required to renew their certification every ten years and also, the minimum educational requirement is having a Master’s degree.

When it comes to the medical field there are many options. The other career that I was contemplating on becoming is a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Like PA’s, NP’s can prescribes medication, examine patients, diagnose illnesses and provide treatment independently or as a part of the healthcare team. For this process of becoming an NP can vary between the minimum of 7-14 years. If you have a Bachelor’s of Science in nursing then you saved 4 years of schooling. To become a Nurse Practitioner you first have to become a registered nurse (RN)- like PAs and NPs, RNs are able to examine patients, provide treatment, record medical histories and assist in the administration of diagnostic tests; and obtain a Bachelor of Science in nursing where you also obtain a state licensure that is administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing as an RN – 4 years by taking NCLEX. However, if you graduated with a non-nursing bachelors degree you can opt for a BSN-to-Master’s fast-track program which is typically 3 years. Next, you will choose a specialty and gain experience 1-2 years. Unlike PAs, NPs must choose a specialty early and stick with it, less flexible in terms of changing specialty. When you decided which specialty, you will have to apply for a Nurse Practitioner Master’s degree from an Accredited Program (1-3 years). Lastly, apply to certification which requires 750-1400 clinical hours in the specialty. Based on schooling, nursing school is cheaper than PA school due to the amount of schooling the nurse practitioner that is required. Also, the nurse practitioner will have minimal supervision from the physician assistant but cannot have independent practices. In order to keep the NP license, each state may differ the requirements for renewing the certification every five years or less.

It is important to have the qualifications as a Physician Assistant because you need to be able to provide health care services for the people in need. Some qualifications include active listening, logical reasoning, comprehend documents, consulting with coworkers and diagnosing patients. To become an official Physician Assistant in the U.S you must pass the NNCPA exam and apply for state licensure. The reason why I chose to be a Physician Assistant instead of a Nurse Practitioner is that it is more flexible in terms of changing your specialty.  If the specialty does not interest me I can change it to another specialty. Whereas once you choose a specialty as an NP, you have to commit to the specialty even if that particular specialty no longer interests me. Due to my curious nature, I will be able to have the upper hand in changing to different specialties which allow me to expand my knowledge as medical personnel.

Your Design Thinking Process:

My ideal career design process that I created for myself is to become a physician assistant. Throughout the design process, I noticed that depending on the pattern being a beginner designer and an informed designer can vary. The Informed Design Rubric is a self-rating assessment whether you think as a beginner designer or an informed designer based on each Pattern which ranges from Patterns A-G. During the process of brainstorming about the different majors that I can do as a Physician Assistant, I already knew that biology was going to be the major that I was going to study in. This can be a disadvantage because being a Physician Assistant requires more knowledge than just biology, for example, you would need to know chemistry to be able to provide medication. As I kept approaching my design, the problem that I encountered was the task analysis. I was unable to get a proper task analysis of a day-to-day Physician Assistant can look like. However, with the help of O-NET and other search engines, I was able to explore the requirements as a Physician Assistant and what they do.

From writing this essay, I am able to have an organized perspective on how my next few years in City College will look and my future career. Being able to use some of the methods from Burnett and Evans, “Designing Your Life” helped me clarify which major and career best fits with my interests and skills. The Odyssey Plans played a key role in mapping out different life plans; in my first odyssey plan I hope to pursue my dreams in becoming a Physician Assistant, however, if that doesn’t work out I plan to own my own pet cafe. From doing the Odyssey Plans, I learned that it is best if you have more than one backup because not everything will go your way or the way you think it will be. Also, conducting an interview with a senior was a beneficial factor for my career path. I was able to gain insight into what courses should be taken as well as the things I should be doing, such as internships, to graduate as a biology student and become a Physician Assistant.  

For this assignment, I interviewed 2 undergraduate students who have plans on becoming a Physician Assistant. The first person I interviewed is my mentor who is a senior at CCNY. My mentor’s name is Jinyu. He is currently double majoring in biology and psychology and minoring in chemistry. He plans to become a physician assistant as a future career. The second person that I interviewed is, Bertin is a senior at Hunter and is currently majoring in biochemistry. He plans on becoming a Surgical Subspecialty Otorhinolaryngology (ENT). Interviewing my mentor Jinyu, gave me better insight into what my next years in college would be like. I was able to have a better understanding of what classes are required as a biology student and the dedication to succeed in the major. He has also taught me that, while doing internships, it can help expand your knowledge and experience. Gaining insight from someone who went through a similar situation was a beneficial factor to my curiosity as a freshman. Interviewing Bertin was slightly different from interviewing my mentor Jinyu. While interviewing Bertin, he had taught me that it is always important to have good time management while maintaining a high GPA. Not only maintaining a high GPA is important, doing extra-curricular activities that are related to the field are important as well, which shows your intra and inter-personal skills are on par for patient care. He also taught me that there are different specialties in the medical field. In order to find the right specialty for myself, I should volunteer or work at a clinic to expand my knowledge. In PA school, you graduate with a specialty that you want to be immersed within 2 to 3 years. Whereas in medical school, you have to do 4 years of medical school, 3 to 4 years of residency, and, depending on your specialty, the extra years may vary for fellowship. Both interviewees were able to expand my knowledge through their own perspectives of becoming a physician assistant.

Other sources that I used while researching to contribute to my design thinking process about the job of a physician assistant were 2 educational blog post and Gapmedics. From the first blog, I was able to research and comprehend what is needed to be specialized as a pediatric physician assistant such as what they do, where they work, and what the education and training requirements are. The second blog consists of the benefits and tradeoffs for being a physician assistant, doctor, and nurse practitioner. By displaying the benefits and tradeoffs I was able to decide that I wanted to be a physician assistant instead of a nurse. While researching about the career of a physician assistant I came across Gapmedics which is a program that allows you to shadow and experience the work of doctors, nurses, physician assistants, and anyone in the medical field. This site was really beneficial for me because, for most internships, they require you to have experience with medical care. However, as a student with no experience or knowledge in the medical field being able to attend this program will help me with both issues. Another benefit in attending this program is that, from the experience, I will know if I still want to be in the medical field or not.

As I am designing my college major and vocational career I will try to improve on my beginning design patterns and change them to what informed designers do. I will also balance out the classes that I would need to take in order for me to graduate as a biology major. While taking classes I also have to keep in mind that academics aren’t the only thing that schools look at; I should start looking at more information regarding Gapmedics and start different internships that shadow a Physician Assistant. Doing any internships in the medical field can assist my chances of being a candidate for the PA schools that I will apply to. I will also make time to revise my odyssey plans by doing what informed designers do, which is making changes to their ideas and not avoiding the problematic areas.             

Citations

1. New York Physician Assistant Programs for Licensure. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.physicianassistantedu.org/new-york/
2. Gonzales, P. (2014, February 19). PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, DOCTORS, AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://doseofpa.blogspot.com/2014/02/physician-assistants-doctors-and-nurse.html
3. Medics, G. (2018, October 24). 2018 – Physician Assistant Shadowing Program. Retrieved from https://www.gapmedics.com/physician-assistant-placements/clinical-shadowing/