
What’s it like being a Physician Assistant? What are the challenges and rewarding aspects of being on the job?
Those questions and many others were just some of what was asked of PA graduates who came back to the MGH Institute for an alumni event in 1 CW. The “MGH IHP MPAS Alumni Seminar” was attended by the Class of 2024 and new Associate Director Deanna Denault, PhD.
The event’s purpose was to support students in their transition to life after the IHP and for alumni to share their insights on navigating one’s career. The alumni panelists were: Sean Doherty, MPAS ’19, John Sullivan, MPAS ’19, Michael Metzmaker, MPAS ’17, Maddie Destino, MPAS ’20, Matt Goss, MPAS ’18, Annie Conway, MPAS ’23, and Jordan Goldberg, MPAS ’18. Mimoza Shehu, PAS faculty and 2017 alum was the moderator.
The event was organized by the PA Planning Committee, which included Katie Mulcahy, Director of Alumni Relations, Michael Mendes, MPAS/s ’24, Matt Reinemann, MPAS/s ’24, and Shehu, who collectively wanted to choose a panel that represented a diverse set of interests and areas of practice.
“By providing a diverse panel, the students were able to learn about a variety of work environments and roles, which will help them to see where they might best fit in the future” said Mulcahy.
The panel answered several questions that students submitted ahead of time, each giving their personal experience within their expertise.
“Alumni understand the student experience because they lived it, which makes it easy for them to zero in on what is most important to the students as well as what might be causing them worry,” said Mulcahy about the benefits of these types of events. “Students don’t have to worry about being graded on what they say, and alumni can freely share what they know. Events where alumni are present help students begin to build their professional network and their social capital, which will serve them well throughout their career.”
The event concluded with a sit-down Q&A style chat where each alum sat with students and answered specific questions about their positions and areas.