I will explain why I want to become a PA, through the principles of beneficence, dignity, and truthfulness.

As a child, my younger sister was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, and because my mom was not fluent in speaking English, I would go with her to the hospital when my sister got sick to translate, and of course, I wanted to be a part of her care. My sister was frequently admitted into the hospital, especially after her menstrual cycle started, so I spent a lot of my teen years at the hospital. I soon noticed that the closest people that were working with my sister were the nurses, and the person that could explain to me what was going on was the PA that was taking care of my sister. Through that type of communication, I could tell my mom what was going on, which would bring us both at ease. I barely ever even my sister’s doctor, and her specialist showed up once a year, to check up on her. I didn’t find that type of care valuable, and I felt that nurses had too many boundaries that they had to abide by. The PA role felt like the perfect medium, to which I would be able to make a trusting relationship with my patients, as well as be part of the diagnosing process.

One of the most important aspects of clinical medicine that I would like to provide to my patients would be developing a trusting relationship with them, where they would fully understand exactly what is going on, and would openly ask me questions if they had any. I would like to make the patient feel that their cultural and religious backgrounds are being respected to the highest of levels, and that the care that is being provided to them, is centered around what the patient is comfortable with. Finally, I would want to make sure the patient leaves the clinic/ hospital feeling much better than when they walked in, whether that is physically and/or emotionally.

I would provide beneficence to my patient by maximizing their benefit, minimizing their harm, and with that patient, we could choose that decision with the most favorable benefit to harm ratio (Yeo & Moorhouse, 2010, p. 103). I would provide truthfulness to my patients by providing them with the facts of their situation and disclosing any relevant information to the patient that is necessary for them to make their own decision (Tucket, 2004, p.504).  I would provide the patient with dignity by giving them value and worth as human beings and respecting their decision, even if it does not benefit them (Sulmasy, 2013, p.938).

I would provide beneficence to the patient, by making sure that they leave the facilities in a much better state than when they first came in. I would do this my trying to figure out, physically what is best for their health, and make up a plan that would also help them with their emotional needs. I would not proceed with a procedure that would cause the patient mental harm, for that would-be maleficence. I would provide the patient with truthfulness by making sure they understand exactly what is going on with their diagnosis and treatment plan. Even though I would have a preference to a certain treatment plan, I would let them know what I think is best, but I would also let them know all the other options that they have, as well as their benefits and harm. If I made a mistake during the treatment plan, I would let the patient know right away and would sincerely apologize, and come up with a plan that would erase my mistake, if possible. The patient should be able to trust me as a clinician if I am being as honest as possible to them. I would want the patient to be proactive in their decision making for the treatment plan, for it is a sign that they understand what is going on. Finally, I would provide the patient with dignity by valuing their opinion and desires as a human being. The best way, I feel that I would be able to carry this out would be by respecting the patients cultural/ religious background, being sensitive to their outlooks on certain situations, even if I don’t understand them. An example would be someone respecting someone’s cultural belief that they got HTN because of black magic, and not because they are getting older, and need to lower their salt intake.

Through the principles of beneficence, dignity, and truthfulness, I would try to be the best PA I could be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work Cited:

Baillie, L, Gallagher, A, Wainwright, P. (2008). Defending dignity: Challenges and

opportunities for nursing. London: Royal College of Nursing

Sulmasy, D. P. (2013). The varieties of human dignity: a logical and conceptual analysis.

Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 16(4), 937-944. doi:10.1007/s11019-012-9400-1

Yeo, M., & Moorhouse A. (2010). Beneficence. In Yeo, M., Moorhouse A., Khan P., & Rodney, P. (Eds.), Concepts and Cases in Nursing Ethics. [3rd edition] (pp. 103-116).    Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press.

Yeo, M., Moorhouse A., & Dalziel, J., (2010). Autonomy. In Yeo, M., Moorhouse A., Khan P., & Rodney, P. (Eds.), Concepts and Cases in Nursing Ethics. [3rd edition] (pp.       91-97, 103-109). Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press.