Acting in Faith and Light in Health Care

Valparaiso University and the College of Nursing and Health Professions strive to not only produce capable health care professionals who can make a difference with their skills and knowledge, but exemplary people who can make a personal difference through their ability to connect with others with service and faith. Timothy John “TJ” Carpenter ’19, ’21 MSPA is an excellent example of what the University strives to cultivate in all its students.

Like 78% of his peers from the 2021 graduating class of physician assistant students, TJ was able to find work in his field shortly after graduation. Today he is an emergency medicine physician assistant (EM PA-C) with Spectrum Health in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he will be on the front lines in the fight to maintain personal and public health.

“I loved the idea that I can be a light for people in some of their darkest times in their lives,” TJ says. “In the emergency department I will be the first person people see when they come in sick to the hospital. I will screen them on their health history and what their current problem is. I can do a variety of things from there, such as diagnosing a condition, prescribing medications, performing several different procedures, and coordinating care with other medical teams in the hospital.”

The College of Nursing and Health Professions MSPA program serves as an extension of the three-year bachelor of science in health science (BSHS) program. While an undergraduate, students are given a solid foundation of interdisciplinary knowledge within the health care field in order to pursue a more specialized education in their fourth and fifth year.

While TJ looked at several schools before beginning his undergraduate career, he says it was the ability to specialize his education and a generous presidential scholarship that pushed him to pursue his goals at Valparaiso University.
While his academic experience allowed him to pursue his professional goals, TJ credits the interpersonal skills he learned at Valpo as instrumental in making himself stand out from the competition in his industry.

“The Valpo physician assistant program gave me the knowledge and ability to diagnose patients, but it also gave me the ability to interact and relate with them,” TJ says. “I think that this was something the program emphasized and what I believe gave me an upper hand compared to other applicants. Valpo prepared me for life after graduation by teaching me how to interact with those from all different walks of life.”

Robert Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, remembers TJ’s interpersonal skills and willingness to help others as traits that served to better all the students around him.

“TJ was not only a talented, driven and hardworking student in my general chemistry course, but he also was a very friendly, outgoing individual who enjoyed serving others,” Professor Clark says. “During his second and third years in his program TJ served as a peer educator in my active learning course and mentored first year students by facilitating peer-to-peer learning each class day. My students and I greatly valued and appreciated the support TJ provided students to be successful both in the course and getting off to a strong start in their programs.”

One of TJ’s graduate professors in the MSPA program, Randy Brush, MS, PA-C, director of didactic education and clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies, is excited about the impact he will have on the medical industry.

“TJ always had an open willingness to learn and a passion for medicine,” Professor Brush says. “You could tell he really enjoyed what he was doing or learning and was very enthusiastic about it. I am proud to have him out practicing and representing our program, college and university.”

Faith was another important aspect of TJ’s Valpo experience, and one that he chose to express through his service to others. He was part of the Christian youth program Campus Life, where he spread the teachings of his faith to those who otherwise would not have had the chance to hear it.

“We developed relationships with local high school students and began to introduce them to who Jesus was,” TJ says. “Most of these kids did not have any relationship with Jesus so it was amazing to be able to plant seeds about who He was and how He changes lives.”

For future health professionals looking to get into a physician assistant program, TJ says the best thing to do is to get involved and start learning to form relationships.

“I would encourage them to get a job doing something in the medical field,” TJ says. “It can be scribing, or CNA, or phlebotomy. Start working on communicating with other people and how to interact with patients. It will not only help you in your education and career in medicine, but will help you communicate with normal everyday people.”