Growing up, I knew Bryan as my Dad’s best friend. He was smart, kind, and always willing to help anyone in need. Besides being my Dad’s best friend, Bryan is also a PA. Growing up, he was the first person I really knew whom I associated the PA profession with. A lot of the time, he would make a house call when one of my siblings and I got sick with an ear infections, sore throats, or various other sicknesses.
Fast forward to high school and early college days. I was (vaguely) trying to decide the direction I wanted my life to take, so I decided to shadow Bryan. Bryan works in Urgent Care, and my experience shadowing him really sparked my interest in becoming a PA. The way he connected with his patients and really listened to what they had to say was beyond impressive, a skill that many other health professionals I shadowed did not have. Many people (including myself before I was educated) did not fully understand the role a PA had in a healthcare team. Bryan saw patients independently, did procedures, reviewed x-rays and other scans, prescribed medication, and did about a million other things that I had no idea PAs did. Believe me, when I walked out of that shadowing experience, Bryan sold me on the PA profession.
Bryan continued to be there for me through the PA application process and into PA school. He wrote me letters of recommendation, was there to check in and see how school was going, and has given me advice of numerous other ins and outs of the profession. He really is someone I look up to not only as a PA, but also as a person. If I can connect with patients, be as wise, and be as passionate about my career as Bryan…well I know I will make one heck of a PA!
About the author:
Jourdyn Mootz is a current PA student at UW-Madison, where she is embracing her true passion for the field. Jourdyn's favorite thing about being a PA student is the ability to learn and grow from all the valuable resources around her. In Jourdyn's free time she enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, friends, and wonderful fiance, running, taking pictures, and drinking coffee in local coffee shops!
