Answering the call
Former sheriff's deputy Connor McVey trades his badge for scrubs
hen Connor McVey and his partner arrived at the trailer, a gruesome scene awaited. The sheriff’s deputies were responding to a call about a domestic violence incident in which a husband and wife nearly died in a murder-suicide stabbing.
After a quick survey of the situation, they jumped into action to subdue the husband and wrestle the knife away. Then they got to work providing first aid on the couple until the paramedics arrived.
Both victims survived, and for McVey, that dispatch call changed the course of his career. After spending three years as a deputy sheriff in his hometown of LaBelle, Florida, McVey — who holds a master’s degree in criminal justice — turned in his badge and set his sights on becoming a physician assistant.
After spending three years as a deputy sheriff, McVey set his sights on pursuing a career as a physician assistant.
Photo courtesy of Connor McVey / Photo by Jesse S. Jones
“I was always the guy who volunteered to handle the Baker Act or Marchman Act calls, who de-escalated the situation and was the last to go hands-on,” he says. “I felt I was making a connection with people with mental illnesses, but I wasn’t able to help — instead, I was dropping them off at jail or a facility. I decided to switch to medicine, so I could try to help them before they got involved with law enforcement.”
As a new graduate of the UF School of PA Studies, McVey plans to dedicate himself to treating those with mental illnesses through a career in psychiatry. He says his law enforcement background will come in handy as he enters the health care arena.
“The most important skill I learned from my law enforcement training is the ability to stay calm and collected in stressful situations,” he says. “As a PA, you might see someone as just another patient. As a sheriff, you might see the person as just another suspect, victim or traffic stop. But in both fields, it’s important to keep in mind that this person will likely remember how you act, what you say and the outcome of your actions for the rest of their life.”
This story originally ran in the Summer 2018 issue of the Doctor Gator newsletter.
