Choosing Mount Union
I chose Mount Union’s PA program because it is well-known and respected all over the state. It has been ranked the #1 PA program in the state of Ohio many times and after talking to previous students it seemed like Mount prepared them well to enter their careers. Additionally, the faculty really treats you like a family and they are always there for you to reach out and ask questions. I think all the hands-on experiences are the most helpful for me. Being able to work with the fresh cadavers at the Cleveland Clinic was an awesome experience to bring the anatomy to life. I also really enjoyed learning all the different skills we are able to use in practice as PAs. We have unlimited access to many different models to help us practice which I feel like was helpful to try to learn the different techniques. Overall, Mount Union is an amazing program and there is not just one thing that this program does to help prepare us for our careers.
Experience from Clinicals
Up to this point I have been in the emergency room and general surgery settings. Both areas are high intensity and fast paced. I have enjoyed both very much! Going into clinical rotations I was most nervous about my emergency medicine rotation because I had never shadowed in that setting so I wasn’t really sure what to expect going in. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed my experience. I was able to see so many different disease processes during each shift and it really helped me to hone my history taking and physical exam techniques. Each clinical is a steppingstone for the next and each time I go into a new one I have more confidence than the last.
Becoming a PA
I wanted to become a PA because of the flexibility this career offers. I enjoy being able to learn about many different aspects of medicine and then be able to work in pretty much any area of medicine I can imagine. Before attending PA school, I think it’s helpful to try to find as many different healthcare experiences as possible. I worked as an STNA, scribe, and as a private health aide for someone who was paralyzed. I also was able to shadow in geriatrics, OB/GYN, and dermatology. These experiences helped me in school because I was able to link the information, I was learning to a past event I had already experienced. This helped to really solidify some of the material for me.