What is your hometown?
Moline, IL
How or when did you become interested in science and medicine, and what led to your decision to pursue becoming a Physician Assistant?
I first became interested in medicine after my grandfather had a heart attack when I was 14. I remember my family saying that they did not believe that he received adequate care from his physician and I made a decision right there - I would provide better medical care for patients. Since that moment I knew that I wanted to practice medicine, but I made my decision to become a Physician Assistant several years after I graduated from college. I liked the flexibility that a PA has in changing specialties, the shorter course of schooling, and having more time available to spend with my friends and family.
How or why did you choose the University of Iowa to attend the Physician Assistant program?
Primarily, I chose the University of Iowa because of its outstanding reputation as one of the foremost programs in the country. I also chose it because of Iowa City’s wonderful social atmosphere. I worked at the University of Iowa before the PA program and came to love all of the things Iowa City has to offer such as theater, music, museums, and definitely the fabulous food you can find at so many diverse restaurants.
Is there a teacher, mentor or Carver College of Medicine faculty member who has helped shape your education?
Ben Pardini (98MPAS) has served as a teacher, mentor, and faculty member for me. Before I even started the program, Ben let me shadow him in clinic and I was amazed at how well he interacted with the children who were there to see him. As a teacher, Ben helped me to learn some of the toughest physiology concepts during my first term in the summer and was more than willing to have review sessions with the PA students at night or even on weekends! Ben is now the faculty leader for the Flocks Learning Community and the Iowa PA Society President, and has helped to open up many opportunities for PA students that did not previously exist.
What kinds of opportunities or advantages does being a PA student at Iowa provide? What about challenges?
The PA program at the University of Iowa has a distinct advantage of sharing over 60% of its coursework and many of our clinical rotations with the medical students. This is both an opportunity and a challenge and provides us with several advantages.
First, the medical students know what kind of education we are getting and when they go out to their residencies and then into their practices, they will have first-hand knowledge of what kind of education a PA receives and what to expect from a PA.
Second, having the same classes and rotations as the medical students gives our PA students top-notch education and clinical experience, which leads to greater success with our licensing exam and our careers. In fact, since the program’s first graduates took the licensing exam in 1974, the University of Iowa PA Program has enjoyed a 99% first-time pass rate, consistently performing among the top 5-10% of all programs in the country each year.
Please describe your professional goals and interests.
My interests lie with orthopaedics and sports medicine. In fact, I have recently accepted a job from Orthopaedic and Rheumatology Associates in the Quad Cities. One of my professional goals is to be a constant advocate for my patients. I want to keep their costs as low as possible without jeopardizing their care. I also want to build a strong bond through sound medicine with all of my patients so they feel that they can always trust my care and judgment.
What are some of your outside interests?
My number one priority outside of school and work is my wife, Anne, and my family. However, as my fellow PA students can attest, one of my biggest outside interests is birding. Right now my wife and I own a house that overlooks the Mississippi River and the Bald Eagles can be seen fishing there all day—it is truly breathtaking! I also enjoy biking and hope to complete part of RAGBRAI this summer.
Do you participate in any community service/outreach projects? If so, what are they and what have your experiences been?
Not currently, but I hope to become more involved once I get settled in my position at Orthopaedics and Rheumatology Associates.
Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your work?
Keep focused on what you’re doing now, but make sure to look ahead to what’s next and keep on top of things. You must take in the whole picture, whether it’s working with a patient, school work, or life. If you get too focused on one thing, you will miss so much.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
I wish people were more thoughtful about the world they live in. So, if I could change one thing, I would make sure that all people make a conscious effort to live a life that benefits others and the Earth. Those who are wealthy would unquestioningly give to those in need. Those who pollute the Earth and consume thoughtlessly would be conscious of what they use and how it impacts their environment. Those who wish to create war and take from those less fortunate would use their powerful positions to help create more equality in the world around them.
What one piece of advice you would give to students who are interested in applying to a Physician Assistant program?
Just be yourself. If you are truly interested in becoming a PA and you have prepared yourself for that journey, you don’t need to act like a “Super-Applicant.”
What do you see as "the future" of medicine?
Physician Assistants! With health care becoming evermore expensive, the baby-boomers getting older, and physician numbers on the decline, PAs are becoming more available to provide excellent mid-level care for the majority of patients in many settings. With a lower salary than a physician, clinics and hospitals are hiring PAs to take care of many tasks that don’t require the specialized knowledge of a physician in order to decrease the overall cost of health care. Of course, without high-quality supervision and excellent training from a physician willing to take on a PA, this future is not possible.