PAs Go Beyond

PA Chuck Dowell talks about a typical day as lead PA for an orthopaedic, urgent care-type clinic. He also recommends attending the AAPA/AAOS Musculoskeletal Galaxy Conference—a good fit for PAs in any specialty who are treating orthopaedic injuries.

PA Melissa Volpe was approaching mile 13 of the Richmond Marathon in Virginia when she saw another runner on the ground. She sprinted to the scene and led a group in giving CPR. From this experience, Volpe found a new goal: advocating for widespread CPR training and the use of automated external defibrillators to improve outcomes for people who experience cardiac arrest.

Jessica DeLuise, PA-C, MHS, CCMS, set out to provide her patients with more tools to help prevent hospital readmission or exacerbations of their chronic diseases. Now, she infuses culinary medicine concepts into her Emmy Award winning show, examining how certain foods can impact one’s health.

As an educator and mentor, PA Carl Frizell focuses on creating equitable educational environments so students, faculty, and staff feel safe and have the resources they need to meet their goals. It’s a framework that Frizell also encourages his PA students to consider using in their future clinical environments.

PA and medical students at Florida State University are providing care to unsheltered individuals through the Homeless Outreach Medicine & Education (HOME) Street Medicine Program. Assistant Professor and PA Allison Justice and PA student and HOME president, Samantha Mankus, talk about how they connect with patients who have made their homes in the deep woods, and how this program benefits everyone involved.

In 1998, eight-year-old Olivia Bell had open-heart surgery to patch a hole between the top two chambers of her heart. In November of this year, Bell commemorated the 25th anniversary of that surgery by running the New York City Marathon for The Children’s Heart Foundation.

PAs who choose to practice in family medicine will learn a broad range of skills and have the opportunity to build lasting relationships with their patients. Read about a day in the life of PA Joseph Carter, who has practiced in family medicine for four years, and consider signing up for AAPA’s We Are Family (Medicine) Conference in January.