When Chris Mougey was accepted to the Carver College of Medicine Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services, he uprooted his life in Florida and moved to Iowa City to attend the program, which he says suited his needs with housing, hands-on learning, and more.
Nearly three years later, Mougey says he has no regrets about the decision. As he prepares to graduate as a physician assistant, Mougey reflects on his choice to become a PA, his experience at the UI, and his next steps.
What put you on the path to becoming a PA?
In high school, Forbes had this article that ranked jobs in terms of job satisfaction, and I didn't know what [a physician assistant] was, so I did a little bit more research. I figured that it would be something interesting to at least learn more about because I didn't even know if I wanted to do medicine at the time. So, when I graduated high school, I got my EMT license, and I worked as an EMT throughout college and then for a few years after I graduated college, and I really liked it. I got to work with a bunch of PAs, and they all really liked their jobs, and they were really nice to me. I ended up just not changing my mind from that point on.
What are your plans following graduation?
I got accepted to the Emergency Medicine advanced practice provider residency here at UI Health Care, and that’s an 18-month program. There are two slots, and you work alongside the physician residents, so getting into it was a huge win for me. PAs get two-and-a-half years of school, and then you’re just kind of thrown out there, and you’re expected to do a lot of your learning on the job with your very first job. It’s extremely hard to guarantee that the very first job out of school is going to be a productive learning environment that will set you up for success. The main reason I picked this residency was because I got to meet the director, who is one of the PAs that works with the program here, and he was a really nice guy and a good teacher. I wanted to have that environment where people actually take an interest in your education on the first job.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your time as a PA student?
I think I still got a really good education. The Carver College of Medicine did a really good job focusing on the education of the students and making sure that we all got the clinic experience we still needed to get.
Given the PA program is ranked at the top nationally, what are the strengths of the program?
From the beginning, when I got here for my interview, the faculty were all just super wonderful and nice. I felt like I was at home, even though I was 1,000 miles away from home. Everybody really wanted to know who you were, they had good eye contact, they remembered your name. They cared about who you were. We only have 25 students for all our faculty, whereas most PA programs have about 45 students. And so, since getting here, I’ve just noticed that a lot of that’s been just as I thought it was going to be—a generally supportive environment. They’re really interested in helping us succeed, and I’m just glad that I came here.