Here at Augsburg University’s PA Program, our students depend on the assistance of all the generosity and tutelage of the healthcare professionals around the area. Over the years we have had countless preceptors dedicate their time, their knowledge, and skills to shape the course of our students learning. We are grateful for every single preceptor showing our students how to be outstanding providers that will go above and beyond to treat each patient with a holistic approach.
Each year we ask the graduating cohort to give us their feedback and nominate someone who had a particularly strong impact on their rotations. Many students reached out with stories about the preceptors who took the time to give one-on-one instruction, the ones who explained their logic and process of making clinical decisions, and the ones that encouraged students to step in and assist with procedures and appointments as an integrated team member. This year was no different and we were blown away by all the positive reviews of our clinical educators. The cohort came together and voted on one specific team
The Augsburg PA Program was proud to celebrate our Preceptors of the Year during graduation this past Friday! Dr. Austin Zeng, & Karalee LaBreche, CNP. Working together as a part of Allina Health’s Behavioral Health Team at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Zeng & LaBreche have been supporting our students for the past 5 years in numerous rotations. They have helped guide our students in learning necessary clinical skills to provide patients with a more holistic and compassionate approach to healthcare. Our students have nominated and selected the both of them for this award for their dedication to foster a respectful, welcoming learning environment and for guiding each student as if they were a part of their own team. We are grateful for their hard work and commitment to shaping our students into exceptional healthcare providers.
What has your journey into medicine been like?
Tell us a little about your practice/specialty. What made you choose the path you did?
In January, our very own Vanessa Bester was featured in the PA Path Podcast to discuses the idea of empowering communities and elevating healthcare; addressing the social determinants of health. She was later awarded the President’s Civic Engagement Leadership Award from Iowa and Minnesota Campus Compact in April and we are so proud to have her hard work for the larger community recognized.
members, completed part of their Master’s project with a trip to Costa Rica, where attendees applied what they learned to their own leadership roles and projects. One of our new grads and one of our faculty members were also featured in a recently released book Digital Health: Telemedicine and Beyond edited by Dipu Patel.
they all went their different directions. Some focusing on the PANCE, some traveling across the states for new jobs, and some stuck around to become fellows, helping the very faculty as peers instead of students. During the rest of the fall and the end of the year our didactic phase students worked hard on fundraising for local community organizations, doing some outreach with things like Project Access, and as always – studying hard. We are proud to see them make it through their finals and get a long-deserved break at the end of the semester.
What has your journey into medicine been like?
