Why did you choose to attend Carroll University?
When I was interviewing at Carroll, previous students always raved about the "family feel" of the program between the students and faculty. I never really bought into that until I was on campus experiencing it firsthand. The class size of Carroll's PA program really allows everyone to get extremely close and create a community at school. And the faculty are amazing — they all make themselves completely available for help and feedback when you need it, and do everything they can to support you as a whole class and as individuals.
What made you choose your academic major or area of study?
I have experienced how much of a blessing it can be to serve other people, all while creating connections with them. Through my time learning in both my workplace and in the community, I have grown to appreciate the opportunity that I have to make an impact in other people’s lives and also acknowledge the impact that they may make in my own life. Working as a Physician Assistant would allow me to incorporate both my passion for science and human biology with my passion for people and the connections that I can create with them.
How has what you’ve learned prepared you for your future?
Aside from all of the memorizing information, learning about disease processes and the ways that we can treat them, I have also learned what it looks like to truly care about patients and treat them as if they are your family. All of the faculty that we learn from in Carroll's PA program care about us as if we are their own, and it is clear to see that they care about the patients they treat as well.
What opportunities have you had to work closely with a faculty member and what impact has that had on your education?
It is difficult for me to choose just one opportunity because all of our faculty really made themselves available to us for anything that we needed. Our professor's doors were always open for each of us to come in and chat. Whether it was help with an assignment, help with understanding class material, or help with something in my personal life completely outside of my education, I was able to approach any and all of my professors. Ultimately, it made my year of completing a really difficult education just a bit easier because I knew that I had people in my corner that would not let me fall behind.
What’s one unique experience you’ve had relating to the coursework for your academic major or area of study?
This past Spring, our whole PA class was able to perform Carroll's athlete's sports physicals in one night. All 32 of us practiced our clinical skills by taking a history on the student athletes and completing a physical exam. It allowed us to not only gain confidence in our clinical schools right before beginning our year of clinical rotations, but also provide care to students right on campus.
How has Carroll enriched your growth as a person outside of the skills you’re learning in the classroom?
My education at Carroll has instilled confidence in myself to be a great provider after graduation. Not only confidence in the knowledge and clinical skills that I learned in the classroom, but more so the interprofessional skills that I was able to strengthen. The emphasis in our education on caring for a whole person, not just the disease or disorder, has really framed the way that I treat patients during my clinical rotations.
