Alysse McMillen grew up in Reno and considers the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno her home in many ways. As a proud former athlete, she experienced her fair share of injuries and provider care throughout high school and college. The exceptional care she received from Physician Assistants inspired her to join the ranks as a provider as well. She credits her success in the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) in large part to the faculty and staff who supported her on the educational journey.
“This program is so special, such a hidden gem of the West Coast, and it is only continuing to grow,” she shares. “The faculty and staff are exceptional and it is so obvious that they want each of us to be successful and wonderful PAs.”
After graduation this year, McMillen plans to stay in the Northern ÁùºÏ±¦µä/Reno area. She is eager to give back to the community and patients in the area, and hopes to one day return to work with the PA program and with future students as a preceptor or guest teacher.
Why did you decide to become a Physician Assistant?
“I have always wanted to do something medical, from the time I was a little kid. I always bounced back and forth between veterinary medicine and human medicine. It wasn't until I was in my second year of college that I landed on being a Physician Assistant. I grew up doing sports as a high-level athlete all the way through college, which came with a multitude of injuries and many interactions with different kinds of providers. The PAs that were part of my care were exceptional and took the time to listen to me, and work with me to create a care plan to get me back to my goals and to do what was best for me. I took the time to shadow several medical professionals in different fields and found that my life goals and how I wanted to be part of the patient care team were most aligned with the PA field. PAs play such a vital role to the health care team, and I am looking forward to being a dynamic and charismatic PA in the Northern ÁùºÏ±¦µä community.”
What specialty or area of PA are you most passionate about pursuing?
“Since being on my clinical rotations, I have found that I enjoy being able to be helpful in as many aspects as possible for patients. This draws me to primary care settings like family medicine, urgent care and emergency medicine. I have found that I am interested in many different areas of medicine and patient care, so I am not quite set on one field yet. I am open to anything at this point! I enjoy these rotations in the aspect that I can mostly see all ages of patients, from infants to adults. I also very much like that I can be somewhat of a wealth of knowledge and education in so many varying areas of medicine in these fields, and that I am not necessarily focusing on just one thing. I like being able to help you from head to toe.”
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your UNR Med education and how did you overcome it?
“Balancing the large amounts of information that we are learning. It is a lot of information at such an accelerated pace, and learning how to manage all of it was difficult to figure out at first. Once I got into a good study routine and figured out how I learned best, it got easier to manage my busy schedule. It was challenging, but it made me better at managing my time and overall has helped me manage large patient loads and work that needs to be done. It is always somewhat of a challenge being on a different schedule and with new people month to month. I have learned to be flexible with my time over the last two years and to just take it day by day. But even with that challenge, I keep in my mind that this is just temporary, and to enjoy being able to do something new, and learn so many new things each month.”
Can you share a memorable experience during your training that has significantly impacted your journey as a future PA?
“During my time on clinical rotations, what has stuck with me were some of the more emotionally difficult cases that I was able to sit down and spend extra time with. I remember as a patient myself, when a provider took the time to listen to what I had to say, I felt like I was being heard. I made sure to take some extra time with these patients and their families and wanted to make sure they felt like someone was listening, answering their questions, and explaining what was happening with their care. Taking this extra time with the difficult cases has helped me and, hopefully, the patients feel more comfortable overall. These difficult patient stories have made me appreciate and not take for granted my health and well-being.”
What advice do you have for future students?
“While it might be overwhelming or feel like a lot at the moment, time truly goes by so fast. As mentioned before, the load of information and work is large, and it was overwhelming at the moment, and seemed that time was going slow. But now, I am about to graduate, and it feels like time has zoomed by. Overall, my advice would be to take in and enjoy the moment, even if it feels like a lot because it truly goes by so fast. Soon you will be close to graduating and almost be out practicing on your own.
“Some other advice for future students is that you really need to be committed and love what you are doing to truly enjoy it. There are difficult and overwhelming days, but spending time with patients who are looking for help with their health can be so rewarding on so many levels. Getting a ‘thank you’ from patients because of what you have done for them goes a long way, and it feels so good to get to help people feel better.”
