ALUMNI IN THE NEWS

What is your current position? How long have you been in this position? Can you give us a brief overview of what it is you do in your work?

I have been an Interventional Cardiology Physician Assistant for about 1 year. I primarily take care of people who are having (or have had) a heart attack and who have heart disease.

What skills do you need to do the work you just described?

As a Physician Assistant (PA), it is important to be able to put the puzzles pieces together to figure out what is wrong with a patient and how to treat them. These are skills you learn with training and experience. However, I feel the most important skill is compassion. Patients will come to you scared and sick. It is your job to explain to them what is and what will be happening in a way they understand and doing so with compassion makes a world of a difference. Never forget that every patient is someone's mother/father, brother/sister, or child.

Please describe any experiences at Westlake High School that influenced your career decision?

I really enjoyed all of my science classes! They showed me that I wanted to have a career that would be hands on. I specifically remember doing dissections in Biology and thinking about how I wanted to learn more about the human body.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?

I love to bake. Baking is a science where you get delicious results!

What advice do you have for students interested in going into your field?

You have to stay strong. Sometimes the work feels like it might overwhelm you. However, at the end of the day, when you get to send a patient back home to their family, the feeling that gives you makes it all worth it.