My second year at Ohio State was definitely filled with many challenges, all of which the pandemic did not make any better. However, I feel that this year made me grow as an individual and made me realize that I can overcome a lot of the obstacles I face when I really try to work around them. The first challenge that I faced was switching my major. While the process itself for me wasn’t too complicated, it was still stressful for me to try to figure out different variables in doing so. I spent days looking at how the switch could benefit me, what classes I already had fulfilled for the major, and overall contemplating my choice before making my final decision. In addition to this, my academic year was also a hard one. I was taking some very time-consuming courses that were outside of anything I have ever had to take before in terms of difficulty level. But I think these difficult classes and obstacles really strengthened my desire to want to go into healthcare, despite whatever has been thrown at me.
Moving forward, I wish to collect more experiences to better equip me for the PA profession. While the pandemic made the search for shadow opportunities almost impossible, restrictions being lifted now and the vaccine being given to more people has made me hopeful of finding a shadowing position this summer. I have also started a new position at a hospital as a nurse aide, and hope to become more involved with some the committees the hospital offers. I have high hopes that all these experiences will help prepare me for whatever I might face in the future when I enter healthcare, and also help me understand that not everyday is going to be the perfect day.