The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
What is your hometown?
Salt Lake City, Utah
How or when did you become interested in science and medicine?
Bugs are what originally got me interested in science. I’ve loved them since I was old enough to catch them and part of me is still an entomologist at heart. My interest in medicine evolved from an interest in biology in general that eventually led to the human body.
How or why did you choose the Carver College of Medicine?
The reputation of the physician assistance (PA) program with its combined curriculum with the medical school is what originally caught my interest. After my interview with the faculty and coming to Iowa, I knew this is the program I wanted to attend.
Is there a teacher, mentor or Carver College of Medicine faculty member who has helped shape your education?
I’d most likely give the credit here to Ben Pardini. He was a great example of how effective a PA can be both as a clinician and a person. His courses on cardio physiology gave me a push towards considering cardiology as a specialty.
What opportunities or advantages does being a medical student at Iowa provide? What about challenges?
The medical school affords us many opportunities to learn from excellent instructors and have many resources that other PA students don’t have. One challenge that comes with this is that our program gets kind of engulfed into the bigger mechanism of the med school even though our training is still very different on some levels.
What are your professional goals and interests?
I’d like to work in pediatrics, but there are many other areas that interest me as well. The PA profession is still evolving and I hope to be a part of making it an even stronger force for good health care as we look for solutions to our problems.
What are some of your outside interests?
White water rafting, skiing, backpacking, biking, (If only Iowa had mountains) and hanging out with my awesome wife and boys.
What community service/outreach projects do you participate in? What have your experiences been?
I’ve tried to get involved with many of the service projects organized through our communities in the school. It is great to not only have the opportunity to work on something that is helping others, but also to see so many other students put in a good deal of sacrifice and work to make it all happen.
What philosophy guides you in your work?
The philosophy of my Dad, "A job worth doing is worth doing right." Add to that my own feeling of "I work to live, but I don’t live to work". I don’t want my career to be the sole defining and all consuming essence of who I am.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
I don’t really want to change one big thing about the world. I think what we perceive as the good and bad in life all works together to serve a higher purpose. We do change the world by the choices we make having an effect on those around us.
What advice do you have for students interested in applying to medical school?
Get enough exposure to medical careers to know if it is what you want. PA school was not my initial thought when I finished undergraduate work, but for my personality and interests it is a great career.
What is the future of medicine?
(Part of me wants to reply with a sarcastic answer about robots and spaceships). I think it is great. Sure there are some big hurdles, but I look at the students I work with and there are going to be some excellent PAs and MDs and other healthcare workers who can adapt to and solve the issues like provider shortages and insurance coverage. Team oriented healthcare is going to be a large part of facing some of the big issues and I think Iowa is doing a great job of preparing students for that model.