About Majerry
I expected to live a life not unlike most of the town’s inhabitants – struggling to survive. At the age of five, I insisted on becoming the caregiver for my younger sister, who had developed severe deficits in verbal and functional ability as a result of an uncontrolled fever. Helping her walk, talk, and interact was our daily goal, and while the efforts of a 5-year-old might not have been the multidisciplinary medical care she needed, I was committed to do everything I could to help my sister achieve her full potential. With one hospital in the community and medical care being a luxury for most, including my family, my sister’s severe Rett Syndrome and Autism went largely undiagnosed until she was five. Frustrated by the lack of understanding of her needs, my parents made the difficult decision to immigrate to the U.S. in pursuit of access to healthcare. Holding my sister’s hands during that first pediatric visit, I was at once grateful that we had finally found medical care we can trust and also in awe of the skill and compassion of the healthcare professionals caring for her. In retrospect, having witnessed how access to medical care transformed my sister’s future, facilitated by the critical reasoning and clinical finesse of the providers, I am inspired to pursue a career as a Physician Assistant, with a special focus on providing preventive healthcare to underserved populations.
Why PA?
Growing up in an underserved country with no access to healthcare, I’m able to have a deeper understanding of the benefit of healthcare. Most of us might not know that the cost of healthcare is in the trillion of dollars and I strongly believe that providing high-quality care as a Physician Assistant will be more cost-effective. I think right now we should be focusing more on improving the quality of healthcare while lowering the cost. What attracted me the most to the PA profession was that PAs are able to deliver a broad range of medical and surgical services in a variety of clinical settings. I remember having a conversation with an amazing PA who expressed how she loves and enjoys Emergency Medicine, but she has plans to gain more experience in Dermatology for the next chapter of her career.
Did you face any adversities or challenges during the process?
Of course! I once had a meeting with a school advisor who "advised" me to look into another profession. Couple of weeks later, I received an interview from FIU PA Program. Some things in life are nothing but DISTRACTORS. NEVER let DISTRACTORS stop you from achieving your goals!
Do you have any study tips for PA students?
I was out of school for a couple of years prior to applying to PA school. The studying habits I adopted during undergraduate simply do not work in PA school. One thing I would recommend to PA students is reviewing some important materials 3 to 4 hours after each lecture. My husband taught me that there's a window period where a material will either be stored as short-term memory or long-term memory. We should always thrive for long-term memory as all the subjects in PA school are somewhat related to one another.
How do you deal with stress?
Being in PA school is an overwhelming process and there's no way to avoid that feeling. Honestly speaking, I am still trying to find the best way to deal with that myself. One thing I've figured out is once I reach the point where I can no longer retain information, I found myself watching any show that will make me laugh as hard as I can. My go to show is definitely the Martin Show.
Most challenging class/rotation and why?
My most challenging class thus far was physiology. Physiology is the foundation for studying medicine, but our class and the professor were unfortunately not on the same page. It became more of a self-taught kind of situation and YouTube videos.
What's a good resource that you've found helpful?
Professor FINK from YouTube teaches physiology in a way you can relate. His drive for teaching makes you want to learn and it also gives you that hunger to understand the material. I also used essential anatomy app for Gross Anatomy and I watch Armando Hasudungan, Khan Academy and Ak Lectures videos.
Best experience in PA school?
One of the best experience in PA school was when my classmates realized that we are no longer in competition with one another and what's important now is being there for each other physically and emotionally. Another amazing experience is when I was voted to become the Philanthropy Chair of the 2019 cohort.
Advice for pre-PA students
1) Take your time with all your Pre-Reqs and do no rush the whole process. GPA matters, but your unique characteristics will set you apart from the high GPA cookie-cutters.
2) While constructing your personal statement make sure to digest and understand the program's philosophy and mission statement.
3) Do not put blames on your undergrad program or undergrad professors if you choose to explain your academic deficiencies in your personal statement. Some wordings I used were ...."While I have not endured the challenges faced by my sister. I have indeed had to overcome my set of struggles. Not a student who sailed through her coursework, I have had to fight for every grade, gaining the confidence needed—along the way —to successfully major in biology, double-minor in psychology and chemistry. I attribute my success to scholastic maturity, a combination of sustained intellectual curiosity, and an ability to push forward despite obstacles."
4) Scribing has become a popular Health Care Experience (HCE). While some schools accept scribing as a " hands-on experience", most schools do not. It is pertinent to research and to know exactly what the programs you're interested in consider "hands-on experience" and just regular "Health Care Experience".
5) One last piece of advice to pay close attention to is online classes. Some PA schools do not accept online science classes.
For more on Majerry you can find her on IG: @majerrypap
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