Oh, the places you’ll go
Meet three alumni of the UF School of PA Studies whose careers bring new experiences and responsibilities
Oct. 7, 2020 – From treating patients in an inner city emergency department to creating systemic change as an administrator of a large health care network to building long-term relationships with patients at a family medicine clinic, a physician assistant’s career is marked by its variety of work environments and positions, coupled with the flexibility to pivot when an opportunity arises.
Though the profession has only existed since 1967, physician assistants are a swiftly growing population of dedicated health care providers who work alongside physicians to deliver compassionate patient care across all specialties and environments. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, their numbers are 140,000 strong, and they contribute to more than 400 million patient interactions each year. With more than 250 PA training programs across the nation, scores of students are learning the clinical and didactic skills necessary to join the ranks of what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has called one of the fastest growing jobs in America.
In honor of National PA Week, held Oct. 6-12, meet three alumni of the UF School of PA Studies whose careers have brought them all over the world in the pursuit of new skills, challenges and rewards.
Rachel Printy, MPAS ’10
Rachel Printy, MPAS ‘10
The day started like any other but ended up ushering in an era that would change the face of the nation for a lifetime. Rachel Printy, a physician assistant at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, remembers the fateful day in March when a patient tested positive for COVID-19, a first for the hospital. In the weeks that followed, an outbreak took the city by storm.
Though she was working as chief PA of dermatology, Printy volunteered to offer her services in the emergency department where she’d previously practiced for a handful of years. From performing COVID-19 testing to ordering relevant labs and using FaceTime to update her patients’ family members on their loved ones’ status, the efforts of Printy and her team of fellow PAs lightened the load for her coworkers in the emergency department. For Printy, the flurry of those early summer months — coupled with the impact she had on scores of patients — remains top of mind today.
“It was all hands on deck. There were so many other PAs from different departments who could pitch in because we’re all so broadly trained. A lot of lives were saved because of that, but I also remember one of our do-not resuscitate patients,” Printy says. “I was squeezing his hand and making sure someone was with him in his final moments.”
Alexandra Kayat, MPAS ’11
Alexandra Kayat, MPAS ‘11
When Alexandra Kayat took a leap of faith a couple of years ago to pursue both love and her career, it landed her more than 8,000 miles from Gainesville in Wellington, New Zealand. While her relationship blossomed into marriage and impending parenthood, she found that being a PA in New Zealand posed more than a few challenges. Unlike American health care networks, Kiwis don’t recognize PAs as a regulated profession, Kayat explains, meaning there are no processes to obtain licenses or certifications; PAs may not write prescriptions nor is there a regulatory body to support the profession. Yet, Kayat persevered and landed a position at a large medical center in Wellington, where she works in an acute clinic, similar to an American urgent care clinic.
It’s Kayat’s mission to advocate for her profession, and as former president of the New Zealand PA Society, she worked to create PA training standards for New Zealanders and partnered with the Ministry of Health to advance an application granting the creation of a regulatory body for PAs and the right to write prescriptions. She also partnered with PAs and physicians from around the world to educate her local public and medical community about the role and benefits of hiring PAs. Today, the mother-to-be serves as an active adviser to the society.
“Because there had only been a handful of PAs who had practiced in New Zealand and I was the first in Wellington, I had to teach my colleagues about the role from our training to our knowledge base, even how the relationship with a supervising physician works,” Kayat says. “PAs are part of the solution for equitable access to health care in the US, as well as in many other countries, as we’re seeing. It’s very exciting how the profession is spreading internationally.”
Courtney Titus, MPAS ’11
Courtney Titus, MPAS ‘11
For Courtney Titus, becoming a PA was a life-changing experience that taught her the value of teamwork and dedication. As her career progressed and she entered into an administrative role as a PA, she quickly noticed a lack of available resources to aid PA students and practicing PAs as they navigated training and their careers. To fill this information gap, Titus launched the online resource EmpoweredPAs.com, which contains webinars, blog articles and interviews about the PA profession, covering topics like PAs in leadership roles, tips for working night shifts, non-clinical opportunities for PAs and day-in-the-life profiles of practicing PAs in a variety of specialties and environments.
Titus hopes EmpoweredPAs will inspire and encourage PAs at any stage of their training or careers to learn more about the opportunities available to them in the profession. She also hopes her readers will join her in becoming empowered advocates for their fellow PAs, pushing for more leadership roles and responsibilities.
“One of the biggest challenges facing PAs today is a misunderstanding of the profession,” says Titus, who works at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. “The title physician assistant is confusing to our health care colleagues and legislators — it’s thought we have the same education as a medical or physical therapy assistant. However, we do not just assist physicians; we are part of a collaborative health care team that takes care of patients on multiple levels. We diagnose. We treat. We practice medicine.
“An empowered PA is engaged, involved and advocates for their patients and their profession at the local, state and national level,” she says. “They mentor other PAs, train students and participate in research studies and quality improvement efforts. I believe that PAs who feel empowered are able to better contribute to improving patients’ lives and make a positive impact in health care.”
