Relaxing on my much-awaited spring break after completing two semesters of pre-clinical year, I am still in a state of disbelief that I am part of Duke University’s Physician Assistant (PA) program. If anyone had told me a few years ago that I would become a PA student at Duke University, I would have thought the person was making fun of me. It is a surreal journey that has brought me to this stage of my life. I think sharing my journey would be helpful to at least a few like me who would never dare to dream of this.
MY JOURNEY
I was born and raised in a remote village in India. I grew up experiencing the challenges that anyone from any part of the world with similar infrastructure experiences. Additionally, health emergencies make life more complicated. Life paths change, dreams get shattered, and the only thing that matters is survival. I served in the Indian Air Force but never forgot my dreams of working in the health care field, a career that was very close to my heart and probably to many others who grew up in these remote areas of the world where there is a severe scarcity of health care access. I continued with my education and kept my hopes alive. Fortunately, in early 2000 I got an opportunity to be trained as a medical transcriptionist for the United States health care system and, after few years, miraculously got a chance to immigrate to the United States.
From there on, opportunities kept opening up. It is still unbelievable how I became a respiratory therapist, how I came across Physician Assistants, and how I came to this decision “Yes, now I know what I should do – I finally can see the path that fate has been planning for me!”
The next 3-4 years were challenging. I had to get my transcripts from India, which seemed an impossible task. However, everyone has angels in their lives, and I had a few who helped me every step of the way. I got the transcripts, had them evaluated, and completed all my prerequisites. There were more hurdles to cross. I had to take the English proficiency test, TOEFL. Then the last, most difficult, and unexpected hurdle came up - sudden changes in policies of some PA programs in 2019 of not accepting foreign graduates. I had almost given up, but now I realize destiny had other plans for me. I sat down one day and opened up the PAEA website firm on my belief that I would find universities that would accept my application. The biggest blessing happened - I found Duke University’s PA program and plenty of others who had no such restrictions. Never in my imagination had I believed that I would even get an interview at Duke University, but I still applied, hoping for the impossible. When finally I got an interview and was accepted at Duke University, I just broke down. It took me 30 years to reach my goal of becoming a medical provider.
TO NON-TRADITIONAL IMMIGRANT APPLICANTS
Every step seemed impossible, but opportunities kept opening up, and I landed as a student at the best physician assistant program in the country. If a small villager from India with no resources could reach Duke University, I think anything is possible. To all applicants who are like me, please believe in yourself and your dreams. Everyone’s journey is unique, and do not compare your data with anyone. The PA school application process is much more than just data. Give credit to your life experiences, and they will give you the answers to the questions you might face in this application process. Thank you, and best wishes to all of you! Please feel free to reach out to me.
Indrajit Sengupta is a first-year student with the Duke Physician Assistant Program. Email indrajit.sengupta@duke.edu with questions.
Editor’s note: Duke Physician Assistant Program students blog twice a month. Blogs represent the opinion of the author, not the Duke Physician Assistant Program, the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, or Duke University.