It was a regular Tuesday morning.
Kyle Rees was sitting in his car when he saw a call coming through on his phone. “{Insert area code}”. It was the area code that, as someone hoping to be accepted into the Mount’s Physician Assistant (PA) program, he had been told to look out for following his interview for the program. He answered the phone to hear the admissions committee answer, and just like that, Kyle had been accepted into the PA program.
“The excitement immediately followed as I started calling everyone and telling them the news,” Kyle gladly recalls. “It was the best day!” Excited to continue his higher education at the Mount, Kyle felt great relief in knowing that he was now one step closer to starting the career he had always hoped for. All of his hard work as an undergraduate has paid off and he was off to bigger and better things in PA.
Kyle’s desire to become a Physician Assistant had been solidified during his shadowing experiences at Christ Hospital. “Getting to observe PA’s doing procedures, surgeries, and patient visits firsthand really puts into perspective what the career truly entails,” he states. He worked on a higher acuity cardiovascular step-down unit, meaning he got to work with patients in all different conditions. “I learned so much information that I will see throughout my entire future career and was exposed to what it’s like working in a hospital setting,” Kyle reflects.
While Kyle learned many different things at Christ Hospital, he was most struck while shadowing a cardiothoracic (CT) surgery, a surgery that involves surgical treatment of organs in the chest, namely the heart. “I think my ‘wow this is exactly where I’m meant to be’ moment came while I was shadowing CT surgery at Christ Hospital,” Kyle explains. He had the opportunity to watch a double bypass CABG procedure: a complex procedure that requires the heart to be stopped completely, allowing the surgeons to operate. “It is the most amazing thing to witness, just masterful,” Kyle declares in amazement. “I was in awe the entire time and knew after that day that I was meant to be in this field.”
Kyle’s awe would carry, as he has decided that his future as a PA will be one that focuses on performing CT surgery. Having always loved learning about the heart and cardiovascular system in his anatomy and physiology classes, and having witnessed a CT surgery performed in-person, his heart had been set alight. Kyle lays out that the cardiovascular system is “a very intricate system, with a lot of different factors involved in keeping it functioning properly.” He wants to learn as much as he can about this field of medicine, and experience what it’s like working as a critical care PA.
Support from the Pride
As Kyle finds his footing in PA, it must be exposed that he lives a double life: Kyle is Joe Lion. Well not necessarily “exposed” since he was unmasked not long ago at a men’s basketball game, but acknowledged.
Being able to take on the role of the Joe Lion mascot has helped Kyle in his path to professional career in unexpected ways. “Being Joe Lion definitely helped me grow professionally,” he states. “It is a very big time commitment and a professional scene for sure. We work with some big/well known organizations for events, so professionalism is key, and we always want to represent the Mount the best that we can.” Behind the dancing, high fives and fun times, lots of planning and communication is involved in being the mascot, helping Kyle gain skills useful for PA.
And of course, being providing professional development opportunities, the role of Joe Lion is just a fun role to play. “It is the coolest feeling to be able to be super crazy and extra under a mask to engage a crowd, especially when they have no idea who you are,” Kyle attests. He has been able to connect to the Mount Community in a truly rare and unique way, and the Mount continues to give back to him.
“The Mount prepared me very well for the transition into PA school,” he extends. He thanks his professors for helping prepare him for the transition into PA. He’s thankful for Dr. Elizabeth Murray, Ph.D., who was Kyle’s advanced anatomy lab professor and is currently his gross anatomy professor in PA. “She just took my knowledge of anatomy to the next level and has a way about her teaching that just makes everything make sense,” he remarks. “Hugely grateful to her.” Kyle also thanks Dr. Jamie Titus, Ph.D., for her support in making it to the PA program. “She was my Pre-PA advisor and my biochemistry professor and was very helpful during my application process in assuring I had everything required for admission,” he states. “The professors at the Mount truly want you to succeed, they aren’t trying to trick you; they give you all the tools you need to be successful.”
Showing Up and Showing Out
Kyle’s game plan for making it through PA is simple. He plans to just show his future preceptors how eager he is to learn about the field and what being a PA entails. He’ll let his actions speak for themselves, being sure to stay open to criticism and take each day and every challenge as an opportunity to learn and get better.
As Kyle makes a roaring entrance into PA, he recalls all the Mount has done for him. “I met my best friends here, got a great education, and got to experience a lot of fun and professional events,” he reminisces. “The Mount is truly a great university.”
Interested in the Mount’s PA Program?
The Mount’s PA track equips students to deliver quality healthcare to a range of patients in an ever-changing clinical landscape. Boasting one of Cincinnati’s top PA programs, the Mount places a heavy emphasis on critical thinking and being a lifelong learner. If you’d like to learn more about PA at the Mount, click this link!