For more than two decades, Nicole Winchester, PA-C, MPAS, a Board Certified PA working in oncology, has been making a significant impact in patient care at the Medical College of Wisconsin. As a clinical professor at Marquette University, she’s also influencing the future of the PA profession through education.
But 20 years ago, when she first went to college, she had no idea the PA profession was even an option. She instead aimed for a career as a physical therapist. After losing interest in PT in her third year, she explored becoming a physician.
“One of my friends asked me, ‘Why aren’t you looking at becoming a physician assistant?’,” she recalled. “I did some research on it and realized – this is perfect.”
After shadowing a PA, Winchester has never turned back. She only regrets not having discovered the PA profession earlier.
“I wish I had known in high school,” she said. “Then I would have been able to have further interactions other than that one interaction in college.”
BACK2SCHOOL PROGRAM
More recently, Winchester was asked to participate in a health career class at her daughter’s high school.
Researching online to build her presentation, she came across the NCCPA Back2School Program and a ready-made PowerPoint presentation. There were also other downloadable resources, such as coloring sheets, a board game, and infographics for elementary, middle-high school and college students.
The NCCPA Back2School program aims to explain the role of a PA to young people, introduce students to the PA profession as a career option, and increase diversity in the PA profession.
Winchester added a couple slides of her own to the Back2School presentation and spoke to class about her journey to becoming a PA and what a typical day is like.
“I started off by asking, ‘Who knows what a PA is?’ To see one high schooler raise their hand, out of 25 students, I felt like, I’m going to make an impact here,” she said.
Winchester saw how inspired and curious students were to learn about the profession and stayed even longer to learn more. She said students had questions that revolved around which courses to take to become a PA.
“By the end, a lot of them were really interested in being a PA, asking me ‘What’s the next step?’” Winchester said. “We actually had to cut it short because they had to switch classes, and none of them ended up leaving, which I was shocked. I was like, well, I guess this was a good talk.”
Winchester said she feels it’s important to introduce students to the full spectrum of health care careers. When mainstream media and most people think of health care providers, she said, they often envision doctors and nurses, neglecting the wide range of other opportunities available.
She encourages PAs to step forward, be proactive and reach out to schools to volunteer to present about the profession. The rewards of sharing her passion, she said, far outweigh any initial apprehension about public speaking.
“If somebody asks you, just do it because, surprisingly, the reward is as meaningful as the profession itself.”
To download a PowerPoint presentation, and for all other Back2School resources, click here.
In addition, the nccPA Health Foundation offers grants for PAs presenting to diverse or underrepresented in medicine students.
To learn more about the $2,500 PAs STEP Up Grant, visit the nccPA Foundation website.