Episodes

In this episode, we speak with Erika Brooks, CSPO, manager of admission services at the PA Education Association, and Olivia Ziegler, PA, chief experience officer at the PA Education Association. We discuss applicant experience and the CASPA process, advice for students who are thinking about applying to a PA program, the importance of letters of reference, and the timing for submitting an application. This episode is sponsored by Aquifer. Show notes Erika Brooks has worked in the graduate me...

In this episode, speak with one of the pillars of our profession, Dr. Donald Pedersen, PA-C, about his path to becoming a PA, his leadership and philanthropic efforts in the industry, building a strong PA program at the University of Utah, and the future of PA education. This episode is sponsored by Sentinel U.

Steph and Kevin reflect on the lessons learned in Season 2 and give a brief glimpse of Season 3.

We speak with Dr. Elana Min and Mr. Sam Ritchey about the ideal applicant for their program in Chicago. We also speak about PAs in education and Dr. Min’s passion for research. The episode was recorded in January, 2022.

We speak with Ms. Karen Hills, MS, PA-C; Chief of Educational Development for PAEA about her path to becoming a PA, her various roles in the profession, and about some of the trends in PA education.

We speak with Dr. Brian Lauf about the developing program at the University of Nevada-Reno. We learn about his path to becoming a PA and about his unique background in the profession. We also discuss the changes taking place nationally for the profession and he shares his perspective from his 25 years as a PA.

We speak with Dr. Kevin Schuer from the University of Kentucky about his path to becoming a PA, about the University of Kentucky PA Department; and about his career as a professional musician with a band called The Schuers. The session includes some excerpts from their 2001 album Step Outside.

We speak with Dr. Justine Strand de Oliveira, former PAEA President and Division Chief for Duke University's PA program about her path to becoming a PA; her state, national, and international leadership roles; and her new journey as a fiction author with her new novel "The Moon is Backwards".

This week we speak with Tyler Smith, MPH, Senior Director for Government Relations with the Physician Assistant Education Association. Tyler and I speak about student involvement in advocacy, the National Health Service Corps, and other key issues PAEA is tackling for the profession.

Today we speak with Dr. Daniel Park, Director of the Keck Medicine Urology Fellowship for PAs. Dan and I talk about the pros and cons of a post-graduate fellowship, his doctoral degree, and his leadership.

We speak with Stephen Neal, MPAP, PA-C who serves as the Chief of Staff for the Chinle Comprehensive Health Facility, an IHS facility in northern Arizona. He has worked here since 2016 as a PA in Family Practice and clinical informatics. We speak about COVID-19 and the impact on the Navajo Nation, the National Health Service Corps, and financial literacy for PAs.

Steph and I have a delightful conversation with Drs. Ritsema and Hermann from the George Washington University Physician Assistant Program. We learn about their program and about their roles in the Physician Associate movement in the United Kingdom and with the National Health Service Corps. We also discuss some different perspectives on the doctoral degree for PAs.

We speak with Mr. Quinten van den Driesschen, MPA about the PA profession in the Netherlands and his nearly two decades serving as a PA in their health system. We also learn of a very unique model of education that pays students to go to PA school while serving their sponsoring institution along the way.

We speak with Prof. Dr. Marcus Hoffman who is widely known as the father of the German PA profession about the origin of their model, their current path, and some of the curriculum differences between the U.S. model and the German model. We also talk about his work with the Euro PA-C movement as well.

We speak with Dr. Lisa Mustone Alexander about the physician associate profession in Ireland. Dr. Alexander shares her insights on the differences between the Royal College of Surgeons' programme and most U.S. PA programs and she explains the challenges and rewards of helping the profession grow in the Emerald Isle.

Mr. Ian Jones, MPAS, PA-C, CCPA, DFAAPA is a certified PA in Canada and in the United States. Trained at the University of Washington MEDEX Northwest PA Program, Mr. Jones went on to serve in Alaska and Manitoba, Canada before being asked to lead the University of Manitoba Physician Assistant Program. He is an international leader and past president of the Canadian Association of PAs. He shares his insights on the growth of the PA profession and provides a perspective of what is different betwee...

Welcome to Season 2! We start this season by learning from one of our profession's national treasures, Ms. Ruth Ballweg, MPA, PA-C Emeritus. Ruth shares her story as one of the pioneers of our profession as well as her work on supporting the international growth of the profession with the support of the NCCPA. She highlights the challenges of being a woman in the early days of the profession and how she deftly navigated the politics to become one of our biggest names in the profession.