Working in healthcare and being part of a care team isn’t a job, it’s a calling. From the time I was very little, I was always interested in different medical maladies and what could be done to fix them. If Grandpa’s hand hurt, I massaged it to try to make it feel better. When cousin Josh accidentally got a 5 inch gash in his foot from my brother’s metal cleats while he played barefoot baseball outside, 5 year-old Sarah stood by watching the blood shoot from his foot, not scared, but just wanting to help. I was called to help people from a young age but just didn’t know in what capacity that would be.
My path to becoming a PA wasn’t exactly a straight line. I grew up dancing and dealt with knee pain that landed me in physical therapy. I enjoyed my time there and thought maybe that would be my way to help people. So, after graduating with my Bachelor’s in Exercise Science thinking Physical Therapy would be my next step, I interned in a PT clinic but something just didn’t feel right. It was interesting, but I wanted something more exciting. So, I went back to school to become an EMT. I volunteered at a local Fire Department responding to 911 calls on the ambulance gaining experience but I felt limited in what I could do. So, I went back to school again and became a Paramedic. I loved what I was learning and my ride-along shifts on the ambulance in Baltimore City were definitely exciting, but something was still missing. I knew I could do more. Luckily for me, in Paramedic school I had an instructor named Amanda who was not only a paramedic but also a PA. In talking with her, I learned all about the PA profession, where PAs could work, the scope of practice, and what work-life balance looked like. I finally had my lightbulb moment. That’s what I wanted to do! Being a PA would be the perfect fit! I wasn’t even done Paramedic school and I already knew that my next move was to become a PA. So, I finished the Paramedic program, worked for the Fire Department for a few years gaining my patient contact experience and applied to PA school. In a full circle moment, while doing my Emergency Medicine rotation in my clinical year of PA school, Amanda, was one of my preceptors!
I’ve found enjoyment and fulfillment being a PA. Now, working in the ER I get to help other people’s grandpas with the arthritis in their hands, suture other people’s cousins lacerated feet and continue the care of those brought in by the EMTs and Paramedics. An unexpected perk of being a PA has been my ability to move from one specialty to another without having to obtain additional schooling or certifications. I’ve worked my entire PA career in Emergency Medicine but have also spent some time in Urgent Care, Vascular Surgery and Cardiology. Those other specialties have helped make me a more well-rounded provider and kept me engaged as a lifelong learner.
In 2024 I earned a Doctorate of Medical Science with a concentration in Medical Education with the intention to go back to school one more time, but this time as an PA educator. I had precepted PA students and truly enjoyed teaching. I wanted to pass along my passion for learning, healing and love of medicine to the next generation. What an honor it is to help shape those who will be taking care of me and my family!