From my perspective as someone who hopes to enter the medical field to contribute directly to the health and welfare of patients and communities, the most important advantage of the physician assistant position is that it allows a much quicker transition into the field in ways that will allow me to begin making the contribution that motivated my vocational interest in the first place. Finally, I am also hoping to contribute my energies and my professional medical training to some of the poorest communities in the world. In particular, there is a tremendous unmet need for quality medical services on the African continent. Everyday, thousands of Africans (most of them infants and children) succumb to diseases and deprivations that do not require especially sophisticated medical interventions to treat and prevent. The nature of many of the most serious...

Physicians are, of course, also needed; however, the largest changes in community health and welfare that are necessary to protect health and wellness on that continent do not require the more extensive training of physicians.
As a physician assistant, my long-term goals are to help protect patients from the type of medical malpractice that took my mother's life prematurely, to help bring improved medical care to rural American communities, and to fill a role in helping to address the widespread healthcare-access deficiencies in Africa through my participation in programs such as the Bridge to Africa initiative.