LIVE From South College - PA School Tips with Dr. Don Yager & PA Student

Summary

This conversation delves into the Physician Assistant (PA) program at South College, highlighting the importance of PAs in the healthcare system, the rigorous training involved, and the personal experiences of students and faculty. The discussion covers the differences between PA and MD programs, the application process, community service initiatives, and the challenges faced by PA students. Additionally, insights into the future of the PA profession and advice for prospective students are shared, emphasizing the dedication required to succeed in this field.

Takeaways

• The PA program at South College is highly ranked nationally.
• PAs play a critical role in expanding access to healthcare.
• Balancing life outside of school is essential for PA students.
• The interview process is crucial for PA school admissions.
• Community service is integrated into the PA training.
• Students often face challenges adjusting to the pace of PA school.
• The PA profession is evolving with potential changes in legislation.
• PAs are trained to provide high-quality care at lower costs.
• The application process requires strong academic and clinical backgrounds.
• Personal journeys to becoming a PA can vary widely.

Titles

• Exploring the PA Program at South College
• The Vital Role of Physician Assistants

Sound Bites

• "PA is a hot topic right now."
• "PAs enhance the efficiency of healthcare."
• "The PA profession is evolving rapidly."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction to South College and PA Program

02:07
The Role of Physician Assistants in Healthcare

04:03
Differences Between PAs and MDs

05:20
Profile of a Successful PA Student

07:30
Shadowing Opportunities for Aspiring PAs

08:35
Tips for Standing Out in PA Applications

10:14
Dr. Don Yager's Journey to South College

14:37
Future of PAs: Legislation and Autonomy

20:00
Challenges of PA School

23:00
Celebrating the Success of South College PA Program

27:40
Introduction to the PA Program

32:54
The Unique Challenges of PA School

38:06
Looking Ahead: Clinical Rotations and Future Goals

Got a question? Have some feedback? Email us at SouthCollegePodcast@south.edu or come visit us at www.south.edu.  Follow us on social media too.  The Live from South College Podcast is your source for all South College activity including new student information, deeps dive’s into our 100+ programs, and concentrations,  “Tools of the Trade,” and even Live on location from all of our campuses! Great interviews with Faculty, Staff, Deans and hear from South College students and alumni in their own words. From Certificates all the way to Doctoral degrees, catch up with “Live from South College” for the lighter side of helping your dreams find direction. 

Transcript

TRANSCRIPT – PA School Tips with Dr Don Yager & A PA Student

Kathleen Stockham (00:34)

Welcome to the Live From South College podcast. I'm your host, Kathleen Stockham. The Live From South College podcast is your source for all South College activity, including new student information, deep dives into our 100 plus programs and concentration, tools of the trade, and even live on location from all of our campuses. Great interviews with faculty, staff, deans.

and hear from South College students and alumni in their own words. From certificates all the way to doctoral degrees, catch up with live from South College for the lighter side of helping your dreams find direction. We have an exciting episode for you today. Did you know South College is ranked 23rd in the nation? Yes, the whole United States for master's degree in physician assistant. 

It's true, College Factual has ranked us number one in the state of Tennessee for PA school and number four in the Southeast region. My first guest is part of that reason why. From our Circle of Excellence segment, I'm pleased to introduce Don Yeager, Associate Dean, Program Director of PA for South College Knoxville. Hi, Don.

Dr. Don Yager (01:53)

Hi, how are you today?

Kathleen Stockham (01:55)

I am great and I'm so excited you're here. PA is a hot topic right now and we have lots to cover. So let's get started. So tell me more about the PA profession, why it's so critical to the healthcare ecosystem.

Dr. Don Yager (02:10)

Well, again, thank you for inviting me. know, PAs are highly trained licensed healthcare professionals. We practice medicine with a collaborating physician. Many of our responsibilities are similar. We conduct physical exams. We order and interpret diagnostics. We diagnose and treat illnesses. We write prescriptions. We counsel patients. We consult specialists. We assist in surgery. So...

We are a vital part of the healthcare ecosystem because essentially what we're doing is playing a role in expanding access to medical services by addressing shortages of our primary care providers, especially in those underserved areas. We help bridge that gap in healthcare by providing services in rural and urban settings where

Maybe physicians might be scarce. And this is really important because given the increased demand for healthcare services due to our aging population, the prevalence of chronic illness, essentially PAs are, we enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare delivery. We often handle preventative care. We manage routine chronic conditions. And this,

this really helps to reduce the overall burden of the healthcare system. And lastly, you may not know this, but there are about 178,000 practicing PAs in the US alone. Not only, and that does not include the UK, the European Union, Canada, and other countries. So the concept has really gone global. And in the end,

We provide high quality care at a lower cost. We help to make health care more affordable and accessible.

Kathleen Stockham (04:14)

Yeah, that's amazing. So for our listeners, can you explain the differences between a PA and an MD? Because it sounds like there's a lot of similarities. So tell me what the difference is.

Dr. Don Yager (04:28)

So for a physician, of course, they go through a bachelor's program, then they go through a medical program, which is four years, and then they go into a specialty. That specialty can be about three to five, six, seven years, depending on what area of study that you are, what area of practice that you want to be in. For PAs, it is kind of like mini medical school. It's very condensed.

Our program is essentially based on primary care. However, upon graduation, if there's an interest in a certain specialty, that door is typically open if a physician is interested in having a PA. So the PA program is about 27 months in duration on average. It depends on the school that you go to, but it's very condensed. But we learned essentially,

We use the same books typically in most programs.

Kathleen Stockham (05:33)

Yeah, for South College we get thousands of applications each year for our campuses, for our PA slots. What is the typical profile of a student that gets in?

Dr. Don Yager (05:46)

So for most students, mean, initially, of course, you have to have a bachelor's degree. Typically, it's going to be in the health sciences or a health related degree, similar to that of going into medical school. So this would be followed by a master's level PA program. This is accredited by ARCPA, our creditor. And this is rigorous training. It helps to ensure that we are well prepared to

to provide high quality care to our patients. So the typical profile for a candidate is one who is well-rounded, who has a strong academic record, provides impactful contributions outside the classroom. Essentially, we're looking for a candidate with high grades, especially in the sciences, as this is a science-based curriculum, has had roles maybe in leadership, community service, volunteer work.

Candidates need to have a strong clinical thinking skill set and they need to be self-aware. So most students applying to the program typically have an overall GPA of about 3.68 and a science GPA of 3.61. Then we also ask for the GRE, which is usually on average about 304. And then we want our students to have direct patient care.

So this varies from cohort to cohort, but on average it's about 2,000 3,000 hours. And we also recommend shadowing hours, of course, because we really want you to live in the day of the life of a PA. We want to make sure that you know what you're getting into. So in the end, know, the field requires passion for work, compassion for patients, and critical thinking skills so that you can

assess a medical problem, come up with a diagnosis, and a treatment plan.

Kathleen Stockham (07:50)

I know for the shadowing piece, I mean, do the students just, they just find a PA maybe at their local walk-in clinic or their own doctor's office? Where do you recommend that potential students look for shadowing opportunities?

Dr. Don Yager (08:00)

So many students typically think about where they get their care. Okay. So it might be their family physician. It could be a PA. It could be another healthcare provider. Typically, we'd like to have some shadowing hours with a PA. Although all of us as clinicians kind of do the same thing in a sense. Although our educations may be slightly different in the end, we practice medicine. We.

diagnose, we treat illnesses. So while our training might be slightly different, whether you shadow with a PA or a physician or a nurse practitioner, I mean, that's really what we're looking for. Again, just seeing what we do as a clinician.

Kathleen Stockham (08:56)

you know, with potential students listening, what's like the number one secret that you would give to an applicant to help them stand out?

Dr. Don Yager (09:06)

So I don't know if it's necessarily secret or not, but what I would just tell students is you just need to be prepared for the interview. I mean, I will just say that our faculty are very passionate regarding our students and they're great instructors. They're very intuitive. So during the interview, we just ask you to be honest and be yourself. know, admissions committees are looking for candidates who are...

not only have strong academic and clinical backgrounds, but also bring a diverse perspective and a genuine passion for the profession. you know, the application in essence provides us with your academic background. It includes letters of recommendation, personal statements of that nature. But, you know, during the interview process, we just want to make sure that you're a good fit for us and us for you.

And so we want to know that ultimately you're all in and you're prepared to embark on becoming an outstanding clinician.

Kathleen Stockham (10:12)

Yeah, that's and I think that's obviously going to be the telltale sign. You talked about the rigorous, study and academics if they're able to handle that. So then that kind of leads me to a little bit about you. So what's your journey in getting to this point? You're also a Navy veteran, which I was actually pretty excited to hear about. What's your journey and how did you get here to South College?

Dr. Don Yager (10:27)

Well, I will just tell you, I will be celebrating my 30th anniversary of being a physician assistant as of next year. So I can't tell you how passionate I am. I hope that those people that are interested in the field will have the same passion that I have even after 30 years, because I truly love this field. It's a great profession to be in. And

And I just recently took my boards, which certifies me for another 10 years. So like physicians, physician assistants following medical models, so we are required to re-board every 10 years. But, you know, my real interest in becoming a PA began when I was a Navy corpsman. I was on board ship for a few years. And essentially, I was in laboratory science and was

encouraged to expand my role. So I started shooting x-rays. I started working in sick call. I worked in pharmacy. It was a great opportunity. So, you know, it was really these diverse experiences that provided that clinical foundation needed to set a course for becoming a PA. I started working on my bachelor's degree while I was working at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth.

and I was working the night shift, it was very, very hard balancing 12 hour night shifts, going to classes in the morning. It was hard. And I recall even calling my mom one time and just saying, yeah, I don't know, this is really difficult. And she encouraged me to persevere and I'm glad she did. I kept moving forward. She said, you know, if you don't take the opportunity, you might kick yourself one day. So thank you, mom, for pushing me. you know, after my service, I...

I went ahead and applied to PA school and I really never knew that PAs were in the civilian sector. At that time, they were just mainly in the military sector. like I said, PAs really didn't take off until the 70s. mean, the first PAs graduated in 1967, but it wasn't until the 70s that they really started to take off because of sparring.

healthcare costs. anyway, I went ahead and applied to a school and after graduating, I ended up finding a position here in Tennessee. I worked in rural family medicine. And then it was at that time I actually got a commission in the Naval Reserves. So, but I found, I really found my love in emergency medicine. So I started working in North Georgia and ER down there. And, you know, it was really funny because

I was the first PA that they had ever had. And to be honest with you, I don't think they really knew what to do with me because they had never worked with one before. They didn't know what our capabilities were. So I just started seeing patients and earning their trust. And after about a year, a year and a half, they decided to hire three more. So it was like, you guys are great. We need three more of you all. So I was kind of a little bit of a trendsetter, trendsetter down there.

Kathleen Stockham (13:55)

Pioneer. You're really a pioneer in this space. That's amazing.

Dr. Don Yager (13:59)

Yes. Yeah. So I ultimately moved to Knoxville and I was working at the university in the ER down there. And it was just by happenstance that I heard about this program at South College that they were creating this program. And I had just recently finished my doctorate degree. And so I thought this is a great opportunity. I don't want to miss this boat. So I was actually one of the first five of the original co-developers for the program.

And so we put in a lot of hours, usually six days a week, just building this program. And that was almost 18 years ago. And since then, we've graduated over a thousand students, of which 80 have been either military reserve or veterans. So very proud, very proud of what we've done here.

Kathleen Stockham (14:50)

Yeah, that's amazing. So it's really come full circle for you and that is fantastic and thank you for your service and most importantly thank you for encouraging your students to continue their military service as well. That is that's remarkable and

Dr. Don Yager (14:57)

Thank you.

Kathleen Stockham (15:06)

You know, the fact that you really are a pioneer because I know PAs have, you know, continued to evolve in their service to the community and their service to healthcare. So, you know, in 2025, as I was researching ahead of our conversation, the laws are expected to expand for PAs to have maybe more autonomy in certain states, including a potential name change possibly to physician associate.

that's being proposed right now. What are your thoughts on that?

Dr. Don Yager (15:38)

So I'm glad we're discussing legislation because I'm just going to put a plug in here. You know, without our state and national PA organizations, we would not have the privileges that we currently have today. So of course, those privileges do vary from state to state, but I feel it is very important that every PA become a member of these organizations. And you know, the combined cost to be a member of both of these organizations are about $400.

a year and I feel like that is a very small price to protect our privileges and our profession. So I encourage everyone, you're not a member, please join. You know, as far as optimum team practice, you know, this is a concept where PAs, physicians, or healthcare professionals, essentially we're working together to provide high quality care without a burdensome administrative constraint.

And so there's a few parts of this. And the first one is really removing the legal requirements for PAs to have specific supervisory or collaborative relationships with a physician. So this kind of allows PAs to practice to the fullest extent of their education, their training, and experience. So I think personally that, you know, if a PA has practiced for several years within a specific specialty, and the fact that we do take

a competency-based examination why we would not be considered to practice independently, especially in those areas of rural medicine. I think that it might be a little bit limited in some of those specialties because, for an example, if you work in surgery, sure, we can do procedures, but we're not surgeons.

But if you're in family medicine, I could see where you could work pretty independently after, know, several years of experience in providing access to those who don't have that healthcare. So the next piece is really establishing a separate majority PA board. And we've already done that. So initially we had the Committee on Physician Assistance.

Now we have the Board of Physician Assistants, which started about a year or two ago. And this just allows the board to regulate policy and procedure for our profession. And then the last piece of this is really for self-payment, as far as direct payment. I'm sorry, direct payment. And this is by all public and private insurers. So currently, I can tell you that...

Most carriers will reimburse PAs at about 80 to 85 % of physicians rates for similar care. So a good example of this might be I would go into room one and see a patient that had strep throat. I treat them. The physician might go into room two, see a different patient who has strep throat and treat them the same. So why shouldn't we be reimbursed at the same rate? And again,

this reimbursement would be based on similar care, okay? So I think there's several things for OTP. We're talking about flexibility. We're talking about enhanced access to care and then professional growth for PAs. Now as far as the name change, you know, this has been debated for a while. I think, you know, associate can be, it can have several meanings first of all.

You think about one hand as associate refers to collaboration, working together, say as a business partner. On the other hand, associate could also mean that you have partial rights or privileges. So, you know, I think the biggest concern for PAs with the term assistant is being compared to maybe some of the other healthcare professionals who typically maybe have two years or less of training.

out of high school versus a PA whose training requires a graduate degree is rigorous, is framed on a medical model of practicing medicine. So I think the term can be confusing for the public, but I think we just need to continue to educate the public about who we are. And there are many studies that have been shown that

PAs do increase satisfaction of care by physician assistants. So I think increased awareness of who we are, regardless of the name, it's going to prevent apprehension of patients seeking quality care.

Kathleen Stockham (20:44)

Yeah, that's amazing. I had actually never considered the billing part, but that makes a lot of sense. So I think it's great that there are associations that are helping to sort of guide and lead the way. So for our listeners who are considering PA school, let's just be really candid. How hard is PA school? And the reason why I ask that is it seems like the students that I see in the hallways at our campus in Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta, Asheville, and I've seen all of these students, they're always studying, they're always huddled in groups, doesn't matter the hour, and they're always prepping for exams. How hard is PA school?

Dr. Don Yager (21:06)

Well, it is challenging. mean, it is graduate education. It requires students to delve deeper into a specific field of study. And it demands a higher level of critical thinking, research, independent work. So for many students, there is an adjustment phase, which usually levels out by about the third quarter. It doesn't necessarily mean the program gets any easier. It's just that the students are able to manage their time.

and their study habits more consistently and are in sync with the demands of the program. There are a lot of written and laboratory assessments and these are all competency based and this allows the student to progress from one phase to the next. Now, know, students, they can't just learn and dump each course because these courses essentially are building on each other. So,

But I will just tell you that prior to graduation, students typically will undergo what we call our clinical summative review. They will also take an end of curriculum exam. And this is essentially an exit exam prior to sitting to their boards. So I believe for many students, they don't always realize the challenge. However, with the right motivation and passion, it certainly can be done.

I mean, again, we've graduated over a thousand students from the program. So if you have the passion, the motivation, there is absolutely no reason why you wouldn't be able to do it.

Kathleen Stockham (23:05)

and that's obviously why you do these entrance interviews so that you can gauge whether or not that person is gonna stay motivated and stay in it at year two and then as they go off for clinicals. That's amazing. And I think that that's definitely one of the hallmarks of the program.

is that it does take a really special individual. So as I mentioned at the top of the show, our PA program here at South College has been ranked by college factual as number 23 in the country and number four in the Southeast. And considering the other schools that also provide this same program, that's quite an honor.

the number one PA program in the state of Tennessee. So that's amazing and I think it's a huge testament to the work of you and your team and of course your students. So how do you feel about that?

Dr. Don Yager (23:57)

So I'll have to say, I know when we were initially talking, you had told me that, you know, I had said to you, we were ranked number 25 and you said, I have good news for you, we're ranked 23. So it really made my day to know that we moved up a couple of notches, but I'm just so proud after so many years of dedicated work to be recognized as a leading program. mean, and you know, this is a combined effort.

I mean, this includes the institutional support, our faculties on wavering commitment and passion for teaching, our staff, our preceptors, our hospital partners, and our students. I mean, all have contributed to our success. And, you know, we've done so much throughout the years. Most recently, you know, we just developed our Doctorate of Medical Science program. And this is another opportunity for our PAs who have an interest in education or leadership.

and know pursuing a doctorate degree for many I mean will open doors I mean it did for me so I knew one day I wanted to teach I happened to you know have my doctorate degree and when this program opened the door was open so I'm so proud I'm so proud of our faculty and our students and like I said the institutional support our preceptors I mean we wouldn't be here without all of all of these people helping

Kathleen Stockham (25:23)

Yeah, completely agree. And I know it's definitely something that as an institution, we are incredibly proud of and the four campuses that we have that currently have PA programs. So I think it's safe to say that PA school is for the serious student. And I really, really appreciate the undertaking of the explanation. So it has been fascinating to hear a little bit more about our PA program. And I feel like I need to send a massive good luck or a gift card or a Starbucks card or something to anyone applying for PA school because you're gonna get out of it what you put into it. My goodness. So thank you, Dr. Yeager. It has been an honor to have you as my guest today and to shed a little light on this incredibly important program. And again, so incredibly important to our healthcare ecosystem. Congratulations on the ranking and continued success.

on the PA program and all of the rankings that we have.

Dr. Don Yager (26:26)

Thank you. I appreciate you.

Kathleen Stockham (26:28)

Yeah, so just for fun coming up after the break, we're going to be talking to one of your students currently in the PA program about her experience and get an insider's view on how incredibly tough these students are. I cannot wait to talk to her. So stick around. We'll be right back.

[South College Radio Ad Spot]

Kathleen Stockham (28:28)

Welcome back. You just heard from the Associate Dean and Program Director of the PA Program in Knoxville. Now, let's hear from one of the students. This master's level program is a three year journey to becoming what is the new face of health care and where the future of medicine is headed. Our PA program is available at our Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta, and Asheville campuses with more coming soon.

You heard from the director about the selective process for the thousands of applicants we receive. So let's talk to one of these incredible students. I am joined by first year PA student, Samantha. Hi, Samantha.

Samantha Strauss (29:12)

Hi Kathleen, thanks for having me.

Kathleen Stockham (29:15)

Absolutely. Okay. So the good news is right now you're close to being halfway done, right?

Samantha Strauss (29:21)

Yes, we just finished our didactic portion this past week and got our white coats. So we're about to transition to clinicals, which is very exciting.

Kathleen Stockham (29:30)

That's amazing. So you officially have your white coat. What was that ceremony like?

Samantha Strauss (29:35)

It was super special. It was very rewarding to get to reflect on the past 15 months of hard work that went into accomplishing this and getting to see everyone's friends and family come together to celebrate us was really special.

Kathleen Stockham (29:48)

that's amazing. Congratulations. is so, what an accomplishment. So as a student, what do you think is the biggest misconception about PA school?

Samantha Strauss (29:59)

I think a big misconception is that you won't have time for a life outside of school, which school is for sure rigorous, but I've learned that it's very important to have a life outside of school. I think it's important to schedule in time to spend time with friends, with family, and even just yourself to just chill throughout the busy weeks because some weeks you're taking three tests a week and it seems very hard to look past that to remember that you can work out and do fun things and...

I think in order to be successful, it's very important to balance that.

Kathleen Stockham (30:29)

So why PA school for you? What, how'd you get there?

Samantha Strauss (30:33)

Well, I went into undergrad thinking that I was going to do pre-med and honestly didn't really know a ton about the role of a PA. But a mentor at school for me ended up telling me about what PA was and she was in the pre-PA track as well. And I had a lot of anxiety my first semester of college, just in general about being pre-med and hearing about the lateral mobility that PAs can have and switching to different specialties and the better work-life balance. It seemed like

a job that still allowed me to practice medicine, also prioritize things like family. And if I decide to change what I want to do during my career, that's an option still.

Kathleen Stockham (31:12)

Yeah, that's amazing. OK, so why South College?

Samantha Strauss (31:16)

Well, when I applied, I'm from Texas, so I applied kind of balanced in-state and out-of-state. And when looking out-of-state, I was looking at areas that I would enjoy living in, and Knoxville caught my eye. And I hadn't really heard of South College a ton before that, but I did some research on the program, and I also was a graduating senior, so I liked that the program started in October. So I would get a little bit of a break. And then come interview day when I came to Knoxville,

I love the area and even more than that, I love the staff at the school. Everyone was so welcoming and encouraging and just from a four hour interview day, I felt so welcomed and seen and I didn't feel stiff and unwelcoming. It felt like they wanted to get to know us for who we are rather than intimidate us or scare us away on interview day.

Kathleen Stockham (32:03)

Yeah, so it's funny, Dr. Yeager actually talked about that interview process and how incredibly important it is to the overall application because a student may look great on paper, but maybe when you talk to them, maybe they're not 100 % ready for the rigor. So it sounds like you nailed both of it. What was that interview like for you?

Samantha Strauss (32:23)

It was scary. It was a group interview, which I hadn't done before in previous interviews. So you had a couple other people sitting next to you answering the same questions. But at the end of the day, I kind of like that format just to get to learn and see how impressive the other applicants are too, which it could get easy to get in your head in that situation. But I think just being confident in your accomplishments is very important when interviewing no matter where.

But yeah, it was a good experience. think what stuck out to me is they always ask a fun random question during the interview. And my random question was if I was an animal, what would I be and why? And that always stuck out to me about this interview.

Kathleen Stockham (33:05)

I'm trying to think how I would answer that. We'll come back to that later. [laugh]

Samantha Strauss (33:10)

I know, that's the one that caught you the most off guard, because you weren't expecting it.

Kathleen Stockham (33:15)

Yeah, well, but that's great. It forces you to speak ad hoc So I see you guys studying all the time. I mentioned that in the other segment at, know, of course Knoxville, Nashville, Atlanta and Asheville where we have PA programs. But I also see students running around with this rubber swatch of scan practicing suture. So what other crazy things do you guys have?

Samantha Strauss (33:40)

We have lots of crazy things. We have to carry around a lot of random things just to supplement our learning because it's hard to examine the human body with just your eyes. So we have our stethoscopes, we have ophthalmoscopes to look in the eyes, we have otoscopes to look in the ears. And then quarter one, we were all carrying around something that carried a certain scent. So I was carrying around a little pouch of coffee grounds in order to test the first cranial nerve when we were learning all about the physical exam.

Kathleen Stockham (34:11)

goodness, that's nuts, but I love it. So the other thing I've noticed in seeing the students everywhere is it seems like a real tribe and that students bond and get really, really close as you guys were studying and going through this journey together. Has that been your experience?

Samantha Strauss (34:14)

Yeah.

Yes, it's been very special. think very few people understand the full weight of the experience of being a PA student. So it's great to look around and have 84 other people that understand what you're going through and are going through a similar thing. And they're great encouragers when it's harder days and they're great people to celebrate whenever we're all on highs of school and getting to enjoy life outside of it. I found that it's been very special because talking to friends and family

There are also great supports, but those are the people in the trenches with you every day and spending countless hours studying and they just really get it, which is really special.

Kathleen Stockham (35:07)

That is, but you guys also do a lot of community service too. So tell me a little bit about that.

Samantha Strauss (35:13)

Yes, one thing that stuck out to me actually about this program and interviewing was how forward community service was within the interview day. two of the main things that we get to do consistently is we get to volunteer under the bridge, which serves the homeless population under a bridge in downtown Knoxville. And we provide medical care for anyone that comes. It's partnered with another organization and they'll provide food and clothing drives and other needs for them. But we provide the medical needs. So

We may see just cuts that need to be wrapped. We also provide basic vitamins and medicine like ibuprofen or allergy medicine that they may need throughout the changing seasons. And then another big opportunity we do is called Kim Health Center and it serves the working uninsured. one of our professors, Professor Ellison works there every Friday. So you can work alongside her every Friday and work in clinic and get to see patients.

Both experiences are super rewarding, especially in didactic where you're spending countless hours just studying on a computer, getting to put into practice, even if it's as simple as cleaning out a wound, feels really special and exciting for what's to come.

Kathleen Stockham (36:21)

That's amazing. And so they're really teaching you early on about the community service piece and kind of giving back to the community and also patient interaction, regardless of circumstances. That's incredible. So where are you now in terms of what's been the hardest thing for you so far? If you had to pick one thing.

Samantha Strauss (36:44)

I think just adjusting to the pace of PA school. They tell you it's drinking out of a fire hydrant and that could not be more true. You learn a lot of information very fast and being on the other side of didactic now, you'd think I'd have the hang of it by quarter five, but even quarter five, there are some weeks where I was like, this is too much, I'm overwhelmed. So I think just adjusting your studying to focus on the really important information and working on time management to make sure you're taking use of your time and making the best use of it.

But overall, yes, all of it's hard, I'm not gonna lie, but I think it's just adjusting to the pace that's required for the

Kathleen Stockham (37:23)

that makes complete sense. right, so since we have a lot of listeners who are possibly considering a PA school or thinking about it, what's one piece of advice you have for someone considering PA school?

Samantha Strauss (37:37)

I think I have two small pieces of advice. So we'll combine into one. But I think first I would say to apply. I think it's easier to consider it and think about wanting to go to PA school, but that door won't open unless you stand in front of it. So taking the risk in applying, even if you don't feel 100 % confident in all of your hours and your grades that the right opportunities will come despite whatever's on your application. And then I think another important thing when applying is to remember to stay in your own lane. It's easy to compare.

compared to the other people applying around you of who's getting interviews or acceptances or who has a certain grade or certain hours. And I think just being confident in what you've done and know that you've worked hard and deserve an opportunity in PA school and standing firm on that is the best thing you can do for yourself when applying.

Kathleen Stockham (38:23)

Yeah, I think actually that that advice can apply, think, to anyone who is making that transition to not compare yourself to others. I think that is that should be deeply underscored because, again, as an individual and particularly in a role like this, it's really not about you. It's really about what you're doing for the patient and making them better and making them well. think that is that's phenomenal. So now that you have your white coat, now that you're 15 months in, OK.

What happens next?

Samantha Strauss (38:53)

Well, starting in January, all of us will start clinical rotations and my first rotations in the ER. So I'll be in the emergency room starting in January. I'm also moving to Chattanooga for this rotation. So I'll be going to a new city and getting to experience that. And it's for sure intimidating to step into practice and knowing I'm going to be seeing patients in just a few short weeks, but also exciting because this is what we've been working so hard for all year. And just to get to see all the pieces finally come together and

Also getting to give back to the community and start making an impact. I think it's going to be very special.

Kathleen Stockham (39:28)

Yeah, well, I will save you the discussion about traffic in Chattanooga, which is never good. [laughs] But you're from Texas, so you understand how that goes. Well, this has been amazing. Thank you again for joining me and for giving us a little insight. As a student, good luck to you, and we certainly wish you the best as you go into the next phase. And while I hope to never see you professionally.

I am hoping and definitely feeling confident about, you know, having bright minds like you and really, and I've gotten a chance to know you obviously over the last year. So bright minds and smart kids like you that are ready to run wherever you're called. And I think it's amazing. And thank you again.

Samantha Strauss (40:14)

Yes, well thanks for having me Kathleen.

Kathleen Stockham (40:17)

Well, this has been an amazing deep dive into one of our most popular program with 10  campuses in seven states plus online and CBE. There is a pathway for you at South College. Hope you enjoyed this latest episode of Live from South College. Thanks for joining me. If you love it, give us some stars and you can always send us feedback by emailing us at southcollegepodcastsouth.edu.

Have an awesome day, happy new year, and let your dreams find direction. See you next time.