What is your hometown?
Rochester, Minnesota
How or when did you become interested in science and medicine, and what led to your decision to pursue becoming a Physician Assistant?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in science. I was, and still am, fascinated by how the human body works. In middle school, I had several sports injuries, including an ACL tear, through which I gained an interest in medicine. After college, I worked as a paramedic for several years, but realized that I wanted to go further so that I could help people more than I could in my role as paramedic. The physician assistant profession really appealed to me for several reasons. You have the flexibility to work in any field of medicine after graduating. You have a great deal of autonomy and are involved in all aspects of patient care, yet you can also always consult a physician if you’re not sure what’s going on. Additionally, two years of physician assistant school versus four years of medical school plus residency seemed far more appealing to me at this point in my life.
How or why did you choose the University of Iowa to attend the Physician Assistant program?
I knew the University of Iowa had a great program, but what really stood out for me when I came for my interview was the genuine warmth of the entire staff. They were very welcoming and helped me feel incredibly at ease. As a student in the program, that hasn’t changed. I also liked Iowa City itself, the “small university town” feel it exuded – I knew I would enjoy my time here.
Is there a teacher, mentor or UI Carver College of Medicine faculty member who has helped shape your education?
Lin Aanonsen and Jan Serie are remarkable professors and scientists and served as role models to me during my undergraduate years. During my junior year of college, I also had the privilege to shadow Dr. Tim Rumsey, an amazingly empathic family practice physician. From him, I began to understand how important it is to care for the whole patient (i.e. physical, mental, & social well-being aspects) and not solely focus on his or her medical problems. Here at the University of Iowa, the PA program faculty has been helpful by sharing more about the profession and the many opportunities for practice available, which I believe is helping me determine which direction I want to go as a PA.
What kinds of opportunities or advantages does being a PA student at Iowa provide? What about challenges?
I think learning alongside the second year medical students helps both PA and medical students to understand each other’s role in the delivery of health care. The medical students have been welcoming and supportive of our presence. Attending PA school at an institution with an associated medical school and hospital also affords us many opportunities to see patients and gives us access to lots of resources that stand-alone PA schools just don’t possess. The advantage of taking classes with the sophomore medical students is also one of the challenges of being a PA student at Iowa. We are held to the same high academic standard. I have never had to work this hard before, but I see the reward every time I make a connection between what I’ve learned in class and what I see in a patient.
Please describe your professional goals and interests.
While I’m not completely sure which field I want to go into, right now I’m leaning toward a surgical field, perhaps orthopaedic surgery or general surgery. I’d also love to work internationally some day, especially in the developing world where adequate medical care is desperately lacking. Ultimately, I would like to teach future PAs. I have a teaching background and look forward to getting back into the classroom.
What are some of your outside interests?
I love the outdoors – camping, backpacking, canoeing, etc. I also love sports of any kind, but have focused on triathlons in recent years. Last year I finished an Ironman, one of my life goals, which was an amazing experience. I also enjoy singing and sing with Major Grooves here at school and with my church choir.
Do you participate in any community service/outreach projects? If so, what are they and what have your experiences been?
I am the chairperson of the PA Community Service committee, so I organize an event for the entire class to get involved with every month. Personally, I’ve volunteered through my church for various activities and I have also gotten involved some with Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity.
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your work?
My general philosophy for a lot of things is “everything in moderation.” I think it works well in the context of school and work in that if you let any one thing take up a major part of your life, other parts will certainly suffer. While I work hard to become the best PA that I can be, I also realize I need time for family, friends, and myself, otherwise my studies suffer.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?"
Lessen the disparity between the rich and the poor. An increasing amount of the world’s resources is in the hands of a select few. This is a cause of so many problems, both locally and globally.
What one piece of advice would you give to students who are interested in applying to a Physician Assistant program?
Enjoy your freedom before you start because the next two to three years will be incredibly demanding. Seriously though, my advice would be to get as much experience interacting with people, listening to their stories, understanding where they are coming from, and learning about their culture and how it shapes their view of health care and life. You’ll learn the medicine in class, but empathy and understanding can only come with experience.
What do you see as "the future" of medicine?
This may be a bit idealistic, but my vision of the future of medicine is that all people will have access to adequate health care and that preventive care will truly become the primary focus of health care delivery.