Emily U.’s Story

Emily is a physician assistant on the pediatric general surgery team at Orlando’s Arnold Palmer Medical Center. She has been there since graduating PA school in 2018. But prior to beginning PA school, Emily was a gap-year intern at Grace Medical Home. Here she primarily worked in the medicine storage unit, but she also assisted providers and had countless personal encounters with patients.

“Grace provided my foundation before beginning PA school.”

There are many reasons why Emily feels Grace Medical better prepared her for a career in medicine. To start, there were the providers she worked with. The physicians, APRNs, and PAs showed her how to treat patients as more than a collection of signs, symptoms, and diagnoses. They taught her how to embrace the empathy she has for patients. The providers were models of how to keep from hardening her heart towards patients in a career that rewards those who distance themselves emotionally.

Beyond the providers, she describes her relationships with the nurses at Grace as being essential to her growth as well. They offered mentorship, encouragement, friendship, and education. Those Grace nurses instilled a deep respect for the nursing field in her—a respect that shapes her practice today.

Emily notes the importance of exposure to patients who struggle economically. Even though she worked in the dispensary, she was very aware of the mental and social health components. She had the opportunities to work with the diabetes educator and a psychiatric NP, learning about barriers to nutritional and mental well-being associated with financial difficulties.

“I treasure my year spent at Grace.”

When asked about favorite memories of her time at Grace, Emily dreamily reflects on the big picture of her experience. “The faces of Grace patients stick with me, and I still think of their stories from time to time… but my favorite memories were the day-to-day things.” Emily still holds onto the lessons and experiences that came with daily mentorship, having fun with interns and nurses when they all dressed up like characters from “The Office,” building relationships with patients through deep conversations and prayer, morning devotions with the staff and volunteers, and simply working in a place where everyone was devoted to a common mission—serving those in need.

“I felt that every staff member at Grace took an interest in me as an intern. They were invested in helping me along into my future career path. I try to incorporate that approach in my work life as others shadow or rotate on our service. I try my best to treat each patient with dignity, respect, and to extend Grace. I fall short day after day, but I really strive to be like those providers, nurses, and volunteers who mentored me at Grace.”