A Day in the Life of a Pulmonary PA: Patient Care, Leadership, and Community Health 

Join me and other healthcare providers at the Annual GOLD International COPD conference this November! 

By Brian Bizik, MS, PA-C, DFAAPA 

August 3, 2026

Clinical medicine was always my goal, but caring for a sick mother, who had severe Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (ATTD), pushed that possibility to the background for several years. ATTD runs through my extended family, has shaped nearly every aspect of my life, and inspired my path into the physician associate profession. 

I began my clinical career in rural emergency departments throughout Idaho and in surrounding states. It was a remarkable time to be a PA, and I loved the challenge of serving as the only emergency medical provider in small communities.  

After several years in the hectic but rewarding world of emergency medicine, I was offered an opportunity to work in an asthma and allergy clinic that also functioned as a pulmonary specialty clinic. At the time, we were the only group providing pulmonary medicine for more than 150 miles in southern Idaho. I fell in love with pulmonary medicine and was fortunate to care for patients with AATD, including people whose stories reminded me of my mother, who passed away before I enrolled in PA school. 

I now practice in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving the people of southern Idaho, including a large Hispanic population and migrant farm workers. In this role, I have a busy pulmonary practice, taking internal referrals from nearly 100 providers. I also oversee three urgent care clinics, which allow me to work as a clinical supervisor and help me keep my emergency medicine skills sharp. I teach for the Idaho State University PA and NP programs and am honored to speak several times each year at conferences, including the upcoming GOLD International COPD Conference in Philadelphia. 

[Learn more about the Annual GOLD International COPD conference] 

Morning
I have become an early riser, with an alarm that chimes at 4:40 a.m. every workday. That lets me arrive at work by 6:00 a.m., giving me time to catch up on charts and, as a solo pulmonary practitioner, work through prior authorizations for biologics and complete oxygen orders before clinic begins at 8:00 a.m. 

My first patient today is an 8-year-old follow-up patient with severe atopic asthma and atopic dermatitis. He has been a champion with his injectable biologic medication and is here with his mother to talk about going on vacation for the first time since he was a baby. The fear of an asthma attack has kept the family close to home, but now they want to go camping in the beautiful mountains of Idaho. 

We fine-tune his asthma action plan, practice with his inhaler, and I tell him how proud I am of him as his mom dabs her eyes. I make balloon animals for some patients, so I feel compelled to provide him with a balloon sword — to protect him from bears in the mountains, of course. 

The rest of my morning is filled with patients with COPD, including two new patients and two hospital follow-ups. 

Afternoon
Lunch is the same every day: my kale concoction salad with spinach. I usually eat while catching up on work or joining Zoom meetings with medical science liaisons from pharmaceutical companies. Keeping up with new medications is a big part of what I do, and I have found these quarterly conversations valuable for staying current on new therapies, indications, safety data, and access barriers. 

The afternoon patient load isn’t too hectic, until our urgent care clinic becomes backed up. Between my pulmonary visits, I help take a bead out of a child’s ear, treat a UTI, and remove a very painful great toenail on an incredibly hard-working Hispanic field worker. I offer him a note excusing him from work the next day, but he declines, not wanting to miss a day if he can avoid it. This population has taught me so much and humbles me daily. 

Evening
My last patient is at 6:00 p.m., and I head out for my 25-minute drive home. My spirits lift because I know that when I arrive, I get to go for my evening run. Taking part in Spartan races is my way of trying to stay young and healthy, so I train year-round. 

I listen to podcasts while I run. My evening runs are “my time,” and I absolutely love them. My wife is a psychiatric nurse practitioner who works at the same FQHC, but in a different location. She usually arrives home shortly after me, and dinner together as a family is “our time.” I absolutely love that time as well. And because I know that 4:40 a.m. alarm is in my near future, it is usually an early bedtime. 

Involvement in the PA Community
I have been involved with AAPA for 27 years, beginning during my first year of PA school on the AAPA Student Academy Board of Directors. Since then, I have served twice as president of the Idaho Academy of Physician Assistants (IAPA) and have held various board positions during most of my years in practice. I have also been deeply involved with our constituent organization for PAs in asthma, allergy, and immunology, including more than 10 years of board service. 

Those roles have taught me a great deal, but more importantly, they have connected me with PAs across the country. That has become one of the most meaningful parts of my professional life. 

I believe PAs have a responsibility to support one another and to stay engaged with the organizations that represent us. Involvement at the local, state, and national levels strengthens our collective voice, advances our role in health care, and helps ensure that the PA profession continues to grow, thrive, and serve patients well. 

This November, I have the amazing opportunity to present and moderate at the world’s largest educational symposium on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the GOLD International COPD Conference in Philadelphia. And for the first time ever, they’re hosting a pre-conference with content specifically for PAs and NPs. This is a huge leap for PAs in the pulmonary space! 

Both days will be presented in a hybrid format with in-person sessions virtually broadcasted, and open to anyone! Please join me at this conference to help ensure these opportunities continue to exist for PAs. 

Brian Bizik is a physician associate with over 20 years of clinical experience and currently serves as the Asthma and COPD Care Coordinator for the Terry Reilly Health Centers in Boise and Nampa, Idaho. He is a Past President of the Association of Physician Assistants in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and past member of the Idaho State Asthma Collaborative.   Bizik lives in Boise, Idaho with his family and enjoys running and taking part in Spartan events around the Northwest. He can be reached at [email protected]. 

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