Spring 2003

1998 Augsburg Biology graduate Brittani Gross

Brittani Gross wrote to us recently to tell us what she has been doing since leaving Augsburg, and she also sent us the following summary to share with you:

My name is Brittani Gross and I am a native Californian. I left the sunny Los Angeles area to pursue a biology degree and complete the pre-P.A. curriculum at Augsburg in 1995. My grandparents Donna and Bill Purintun, who live in St. Louis Park, MN, acted as Augsburg recruiters. I completed my Bachelors degree in Biology in 1998, then went on to Physician Assistant Studies at Augsburg. I have always had a great interest in Biology and it definitely helped prepare me for P.A studies. In particular, I benefited from the small class size and one-on-one interaction made possible by the faculty. Also, through the Biology department, I was fortunate enough to take a one month course in the Florida Keys to study Marine Biology. The comprehensive curriculum of the Biology Department satisfied my P.A. requirements and also my own interests in the major. I graduated from the P.A. program at Augsburg in 2000 and returned to my home in California. Since then I have enjoyed the challenges of a busy Hospital working as a Surgical Physician Assistant. My week involves first assisting in surgery with a team of 3 surgeons. I work with a pediatric surgeon who is my preceptor and I also work with 2 general surgeons. I spend my mornings making rounds on pediatric surgical patients. I also do pre-operative evaluations of surgical candidates, adults and children. Finally I work in a minor surgery clinic where I remove suspicious looking moles and skin lesions. This is very satisfying work that involves technical skills, people care skills and a base knowledge in medical and biological sciences. I have been doing this for almost 2 years and still have a lot to learn! I owe much thanks to the Biology, Chemistry and P.A. Departments at Augsburg for preparing me for my life's work. Also, I am engaged to a very talented artist Matthew Filek, and we just bought our first house!

Brittani in surgery

Brittani says that she would be happy to talk to current or prospective students about her work as a P.A. Feel free to e-mail Brittani if you have questions.