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>> I was your typical high school student
that really didn't know what they wanted to do.
Senior year rolled around and it was like, man,
I better figure something out.
College is approaching quickly.
I knew that I wanted to work in the healthcare field.
You know, I just really liked working with people.
>> Hello, Mark!
How's it going?
>> I'm Matt, I'm a PA student that's working here
at the urgicenter.
Is it okay if I talk with you for a little bit?
>> Yes.
>> Okay, sounds good.
>> I've always been someone that likes building relationships
and connecting with people, and working as a PA I have
that privilege and the honor of working
with people on a daily basis.
I get to build relationships,
establish rapport, things like that.
With what I had done through my research
about physician assistants, it certainly seemed
like it would be a good choice.
It's a rapidly growing field, it's a field
where you can make a decent salary, a decent living,
and it just really -- it just feels right for me.
Also, you know, with being a PA, you're always challenged.
Science and medicine, it's a very challenging field.
There's a ton of information out there,
and I feel that that's important
to challenge yourself on a daily basis.
A lot of people don't actually know what a PA is.
It's actually a healthcare provider that has a lot
of responsibility and is able to do a lot in medical field,
and they practice medicine under the guidance
of a supervising physician.
>> I was talking to a 9-year-old named Zachia
She came in, she's complaining of some left eye,
sort of itching, pink eye.
It's been going on for two--
>> The program itself requires two years of prerequisite work.
Then you have to get a certain amount
of medical exposure hours.
So those would be the first two years, is just getting all
that prerequisite stuff done, and getting your interview,
getting accepted into the program.
Once you're in the program you have the junior year,
which consists of just a lot of in-class work as well
as lab work and working the cadaver lab.
It's three semesters, high credit loads and long hours
and a lot of studying, but it's certainly worth it.
You learn a lot during that junior year,
which certainly helps you
in your senior year during your clinical rotations.
It's important to sort
of integrate what you see clinically as well
as with the book work, because what you do
in the book isn't necessarily what you're going to be doing
in the clinic, and it's important to sort
of make those connections.
>> It's in the back of your knee?
Like--
>> It feels like a Charley horse.
>> The senior year is nine clinical rotations.
You have family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine,
OB/GYN, and psychiatry, surgery, emergency medicine.
primary care, and you also get to choose an elective.
You can choose a specialty that you like
and go spend a month there,
see if that's what you actually like, if you're not interested
in one of the other areas.
I'm very grateful for the education
that Penn College has provided for me.
They have given me a very strong foundation in medicine,
and it's something that I'm going to have
for the rest of my life.
I'm going to be taking care of patients and the core
of what I do is coming from Penn College,
and I'm forever thankful for that.