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Augsburg University has another preceptor to highlight as a part of our spotlight series where we highlight the wonderful mentors our students have gotten the opportunity to work with as they prepare for their future careers as healthcare professionals.

This month we are highlighting Amy Gerlach, PA-C who works with M Health Fairview.

Tell us a little about your practice/specialty. What made you choose the path you did?

Family medicine-I started in pediatrics but due to life circumstance changed to family medicine. I have stayed in family medicine because I enjoy the relationships with patients.

What has your journey into medicine been like?

I graduated from A.T. Still University. I practiced in Arizona for about 3.5 years before moving home to MN.

Any tips for students transitioning from medical training to their careers?

Take some time to explore new hobbies. It is easy to stay busy in a career but boundaries are important.

How long have you been a preceptor? Why did you decide to precept?

I have been a preceptor for about 12 years. I had several great preceptors and wanted to give back.

If you were not a medical provider, what career could you see yourself doing?

I would be a social worker.

What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?

Reading, traveling and spending time with my family.

Thank you to Amy and our other preceptors who have given their time to show our students the ins-and-outs of healthcare.

If you are interested in the spotlight email us at clinicalphase@augsburg.edu.

Augsburg’s PA Program has another outstanding mentor to showcase as a part of our Preceptor Highlight series! This month we are focusing on Joseph Mahoney, MD, one of the recipients of our “Preceptor of the Year” award. He works at North Memorial here in the Twin Cities with pediatrics. When asked, he said he was “Blessed to take care of children.”

What has your journey into medicine been like?

Amazing. Over the last 25 years, I am so proud to see open conversations happening within families and each family member contributing. Love to watch the balance of giving children firm boundaries but also teaching them independence.

Any tips for students transitioning from medical training to their careers?

Always remember why you went into medicine. It can be easily forgotten.

How long have you been a preceptor? Why did you decide to precept?

25 years.

If you were not a medical provider, what career could you see yourself doing?

Teacher.

What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?

Running, doing puzzles, spending time outdoors, and reading.

We appreciate getting the chance to highlight our preceptors and are so grateful to acknowledge all of the hard work and effort that goes into teaching our students to be the best providers they can.

Augsburg’s PA Program wants to acknowledge all of the hard work and effort that goes into ensuring our students get the right education and preparation as they go into healthcare. We are selecting one preceptor at a time to highlight a little bit about them and showcase the talent and dedication of those who have helped shape our student’s future careers.

Our first preceptor is Megan Otis, DO, MPH, HDMC.

Tell us a little about your practice/specialty. What made you choose the path you did?

I am a family practice physician that focuses on wellness, food and movement as your medicine. I continue to practice Osteopathic Manipulative therapy on a day-to-day basis for musculoskeletal care, as structure equals function. I am also the medical director for a hospice agency in the area. I grew up with chiropractic care as the main source of healthcare as a child and feel in love with the deep connection with structure and function and nutrition as building grounds for wellness.

What has your journey into medicine been like?

I started out in biochemistry and genetics and knew I was not lab material. So I turned my focus to people. I grew up with a chiropractor as my primary medical provider and so knew a lot about structure and nutrition. I knew I wanted to do something like that and was introduced to Osteopathy by fellow students that tried to convince me not to do chiro degree and medical school, and thankfully they did.

Any tips for students transitioning from medical training to their careers?

Keep your dreams in your heart and trust the process of life. It will take you to your dreams. Never stop being curious.

How long have you been a preceptor? Why did you decide to precept?

11 years. Doctor means teacher and I love to expand the knowledge base and challenge the thinker with additional views so that they have a great view of the world than just what is on the test. I hope to constantly challenge students to think outside the box.

If you were not a medical provider, what career could you see yourself doing?

Stay at home mom with a side career in crossfit or personal training

What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?

Crossfit, weight training, mountain biking, skiing water and snow, travel, child rearing, pets, reading about nutrition and functional medicine.

Dr. Megan Otis precepts Augsburg PA students in Family Medicine rotations at Stellis Health Monticello Clinic.

In 2021, as a part of Augsburg’s ongoing commitment to fostering equitable and diverse spaces for our students to become open-minded professionals, the PA Program started up our fellowship. The goal each year is to have diversity-minded PA graduates train with current faculty to develop skills as future preceptors and teachers. We encourage the fellows to start their own journey as educators and use their recently acquired skills to mentor the current cohorts and provide new insights to faculty.

We are proud to introduce our 2024-2025 fellows for the Augsburg University PA Program! Jenny Nyflot and Madie Vranyes are two recent graduates of our program, having completed their clinical rotations earlier this Fall. Jenny recently finished her last elective in Pediatrics and is excited to work with our students.

Madie is drawn to working with students from her experiences throughout her academic career and has ways to help break down challenging material into understandable parts. We’re hoping she can bring some new insight into advising, tutoring, and more. She intends to become a preceptor down the road and continue contributing to PA education and notes:

“this fellowship provides an opportunity to learn more about effective, equitable teaching practices in our field.”

After this fellowship, she plans on working at Regions as part of the emergency medicine fellowship she was also granted.

We are excited to have them join us for the Fall and look forward to having them help shape the future of education for our PAs.

Another year and another exciting conference for our students here at Augsburg! This year the AAPA conference was held in the grand state of Texas this past month. Student Society members Rachelle Pass and Hana Nguyen attended, gathering valuable insights and knowledge to share with their classmates.

The week-long conference provided  many learning and networking opportunities for professionals and PA students alike. From PA Night Out, where attendees got a taste of Texas BBQ, to conferences and main-stage presentations about Space Medicine, Rachelle and Hana gathered takeaways for their cohort. The information on space medicine highlighted many  issues that wouldn’t be considered when practicing within the confines of gravity – including the corneal abrasion risk of Pop Tarts! They also discussed how considering different supplies and storage practices for different locations and environments can play a role in any medical situation.

Space wasn’t the only harsh condition attendees had to consider, our students learned the realities of increasingly dangerous weather conditions that can lead to power outages, personnel shortages, injuries, and more, and how to tackle those as a provider in areas at risk of weather events (including the host city of AAPA which had a severe weather event the night before the conference).

Final takeaways included how to network in unlikely places, how to advocate for the profession, and how to search for a job as a student. Learning how to sort options into “Must Haves” “Deal Breakers” “Nice to Haves” and “Exciting & Skill Building” categories for new applicants can take a lot of pressure off the choices for your first PA career. Additionally, learning how to navigate legislation to advocate for yourself and your peers as fellow healthcare providers is an invaluable skill for new and experienced PAs. An advocacy success was the recent approval of both the PA Licensure Compact, and the PA Practice Act, which aim to expand license portability across states and enhance the reach of PAs as providers for mental health, respectively.

We’re happy to have our student representatives able to show up for themselves and their classmates with these insights!

The Augsburg PA Department is proud to continue our fellowship program for the third year as we help develop a more inclusive working and teaching environment for recent PA graduates from the larger metro graduate programs. We are proud to welcome back one of our most recent graduates for the fall, and a new face from St. Kate’s to join us in the spring. Our fellowship will allow our new faculty to continue developing professional skills while they work towards earning certification and stepping into the professional world. The fellows work alongside faculty to collaborate and learn about the principles of teaching, especially using more inclusive teaching materials that help represent a more diverse patient population. They also work with our students by lecturing, assisting in the skills lab, and facilitating discussion of case studies. Ultimately our fellows will serve as mentors to our students and a bridge between students and faculty. We hope to see them grow, become mentors, preceptors, and future faculty.

Our fall fellow, Alejandra Soto, graduated this past fall in 2023 from the Augsburg University PA program after obtaining a BA from Case Western Reserve University. She has had experience in the past with mentoring and tutoring, as well as with research. She is driven to provide care for marginalized and underserved communities. When reflecting on the diversity of the students, and the patients around her, she noted:

“I further see the importance of having these necessary conversations as there is still a mis-representation of marginalized groups in healthcare and biases towards patients. Everyone goes through different experiences in life, therefore it is important to be able to celebrate and share our differences to foster an open and welcoming environment to diversity that will ultimately help us become culturally competent, well-rounded individuals and provide better care to our patients.”

Coming to Augsburg in the Spring of 2024 is Sumaya Noor. Sumaya Noor is a first generation Somali-American, born and raised in Saint Paul, MN. She is currently a PA student at St. Catherine University, graduating in December 2023. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota in 2020, where she studied Human Physiology and Leadership. In addition to medicine, Sumaya is passionate about education, community service, public health, and DE&I. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, listen to podcasts, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She is very excited to start at Augsburg University as a fellow in January!

We are happy to welcome them both this year as we get into the swing of our cohort’s academic phase!