Hayley Arceneaux, PA-C, practices at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, nearly two decades after undergoing treatment there for bone cancer. Now she has officially become the first PA to visit space. Arceneaux served as the medical officer on the world’s first all-civilian space mission, and shares what led to this extraordinary opportunity.

Lieutenant Junior Grade German S. Herrera, MPAS, PA-C, USPHS, had a love of science and a desire to help people. The United States Public Health Service – with its scholarship opportunities, benefits, and guaranteed job placement – was a perfect fit for him.

The rheumatology specialty faces personnel shortages that may worsen as the population ages while rheumatologists retire. That’s why AAPA is offering new Rheumatic Learning curriculum which delivers a patient-case based simulated experience.

Joel Ciolek, MSPA, PA-C, is one of 80 PAs practicing in ophthalmology. He enjoys looking into someone’s eyes for a living and preserving and restoring vision. He describes a typical day doing comprehensive, medical retina, and vitreoretinal surgery.

PA Rachael Jarman acknowledges she is not the first PA to go through unemployment and offers a few tips that help her keep a stable mental state. If we take steps towards staying healthy, she says, circumstances feel less dire.

When Diana Anderson, PA-C, graduated from her PA program, she landed an exciting job in urgent care. But her first months of practice were filled with unexpected events. She candidly shares the ups and downs of her first year as a PA.

As the COVID-19 surge began in the U.S., Alyssa Zantello, PA-C, who practices orthopaedics in Michigan, found she couldn’t sit at home and do nothing. Forty eight hours after a conversation with her mentor, she was on a plane to New York City.

Pediatric Surgery Community Fellow at Texas Children’s Hospital, Devon Gersh, PA-C, describes a day in her life during the rigorous 12-month program at Texas Children’s community hospital in The Woodlands. Fellows get the opportunity to rotate through multiple subspecialties of surgery.

Young-Bin Song, MCHS, PA-C, describes his practice at a multi-disciplinary neuro-oncology/radiation oncology brain tumor clinic at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Communicating with the patient population, he relates, requires preparation, practice, and patience.

Almas Abbas, PA-C, grew up playing sports – and getting injured. Her on-field experiences inspired an early interest in how the body works and how best to treat herself, and eventually led to a career as a PA in orthopaedics.

Erin Stutz, PA-C, started her career in hospital medicine and currently works in critical care in upstate New York. With her experience in both specialties, Stutz shares her top four tips for any PA who is caring for a critically ill patient.