As a newly-minted PA 35 years ago, I faced & encountered numerous obstacles, early on in my career. Perhaps, more than I’ll ever publicly share. There were countless instances where my 1st 3 employers & peers doubted my ability to thrive in general in my newly chosen career. In retrospect, many years later after my slow start (from their perspective), I came to learn they had written me off for a host of reasons...none of which would have been fair to anyone at that point. But those were the demons I had to battle day in and day out.
Many assumed that I would become just another statistic, one who wouldn't be "able to cut the mustard" in the business of medicine. That's how wrongly & strongly they felt about my early beginnings and future as a Surgical PA. I carried some painful memories about those days, wondering if I would ever be accepted and belong
Honestly speaking and without a drop of animosity, I have to say, Thank You, to those who judged me, but forgetting that they too were novices and untested clinicians. How quickly they forgot that they were also student too in many respects early on in their careers.
Because of those unsupportive working environments, I had to learn quickly, that no one was going to determine my career fate without me having the final say. Because of that negativity, I was able to make lemonade from lemons as the old cliche saying goes. Basically, those experiences provided fuel for my fire that didn’t allow me to succumb to the doubting Thomases surrounding me. No matter how hurtful people were, I chose the "higher ground", meaning I carried on with love in my heart and treated everyone with respect regardless of how dismissive, indifferent, or adversarial they were towards me.
It has been a roller coaster ride at times, yet, I feel proud of myself for enduring the trials and tribulations of these days. I am humbly proud to be here today, defying those expectations and remaining true to my value system. proving that with determination, resilience, and hard work, I was able to rise above every difficult circumstance encountered along the journey.
I’ve experienced first-hand a journey thus far that has taught me the unshakable value of perseverance and the strength that comes from embracing challenges head-on and not giving up when everyone else scoffed assuming that I would. However, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge those who believed in me and provided support, there were a few people who have been instrumental in my success, and I am truly grateful for their encouragement that reinforced my beliefs while traveling down this journey.
Today, I share this personal sense of personal and professional accomplishment of being an empathetic provider of value through the years to my patients as well as to my students and colleagues. Throughout our careers, we will have "ups" and "downs", much like Paul the apostle wrote to his protege Timothy stating not only was he a warrior but more importantly he fought the good battle in being an exemplary to those who would come after him.
I suppose, this personal milestone of mine of no different than many other successful folks. Fortunately, much like them, I can claim that also my success is a testament to the power of belief in oneself and the capacity to achieve dreams despite societal/other expectations. As my clinical retirement horizon approaches rapidly, I am still excited to embark on this new chapter of my life where I am confident, I will continue to grow personally in my senecent years.
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