Introducing myself

After many requests from friends and family, I have finally started a blog. My plan is is to recount the many experiences I have had from the first thoughts of choosing to pursue the path to become a physician assistant, gaining acceptance, school and clinicals through to earning the C behind the PA.
Growing up as a Navy dependent, I had the opportunity to live in some exotic places, from the middle east to Europe. In fact, I was born in Italy: my mother is was born and raised in Italy and my father is American of Italian descent and the two met on one of his first duty stations. This great love story is still going strong 48 years later. My exposure to the health care system was limited to the wonderful corpsmen who took care of my scrapes and bruises along with all those vaccinations necessary to travel overseas. It was these well trained professionals that would give life to the profession that I would strive to become a part of.
I traveled frequently after high school and eventually settled down in Italy, married a fantastic Carabiniere, a member of Italy's national police force, and was happily living life in an astoundingly beautiful country. I found work within the tourism industry and I also became involved with translating for tourists in need at the hospital and found that I enjoyed the medical environment. There was a great sense of satisfaction that came with knowing that my services were not only helping someone in dire situations but also in being the link between the medical professionals and the families. Unfortunately, in 1994, I became a young widow and returned to the US, specifically to Orlando where my parents had retired.
Orlando is a spectacular place to live. As a great tourist destination, it was natural for me to continue working in the tourism industry. I also went back to school and earned an associates degree in hospitality and tourism management, eventually opening several travel agencies locally. On one of the many trips across the pond accompanying a group, I met my first PA.
The transatlantic flight was so much more delightful because of the Army PA that I sat next to and chatted with throughout the flight. I was intrigued and upon returning home, I began to research the profession, school requirements and future employment statistics. The travel industry had suffered since the tragic events of 911 the year prior and the increased use of the internet, so I was considering a career change. Several years would pass before I actually began to seriously consider the possibilities and start taking the pre requisite classes.
In 2007, with grumblings beginning to hit the economy, I made the move and took several evening classes at Valencia Community College. I was looking at PA programs in Florida because by this time, and at my age, I was firmly settled into the area. I bought property and my siblings had all gravitated to Orlando over the years. Perhaps the most important factor for wanting to remain as close to home for school was the fact that my parents were aging and needed assistance. My mother had suffered a devastating stroke and now lacks speech capacity and is partially paralyzed on the right side. Meanwhile my father underwent quadruple by-pass surgery and my older sister had a heart attack which resulted in 3 stents being placed in her heart. I also must mention my brother who passed away, sadly, from a massive heart attack the same year that all these other events took place. My younger sister and I are very attentive to the fact that this obviously is a inherited possibility.
I was very committed to taking classes and completing the requirements for PA school. Meanwhile, I earned a second associates degree in general studies. The requirements for the degree only added a few classes to my schedule and was a personal satisfaction. While still taking some tough classes like microbiology, A & P I and II, and organic chemistry, I enrolled in the University of Phoenix to work towards my BA in management. I was very excited when one of my classmates who also ended up being my academic counselor at UOP told me that there was rumor that Nova Southeastern University was opening a PA program in Orlando. What kind of luck was that?? Now, if I could get into the program at Nova, I would be able to stay in my home, avoiding the expense of paying rent elsewhere and a mortgage at home and most importantly, I could still be available to my elderly parents.
Research research research! This is my advice to anyone interested in becoming a PA, or any profession for that matter. Many a night was spent researching and then researching everything PA I could find. I signed up for an open house at Nova Orlando even before the offices and classroom were fully completed knowing full well that it would be at least another year minimum before I could even apply.