Gaining the Confidence to Make a Difference

Rachel Dodson ’19, ’21 MSPA, was one of the first Valparaiso University graduates of the master of science in physician assistant studies (MSPA) program to take part in the 2021 white coat graduation ceremony. Like 47% of her cohort graduating that year, Rachel found employment in Northwest Indiana.
According to Rachel, both the University and the College of Nursing and Health Professions are widely recognized in the health care industry for the quality of their graduates.

“For anyone considering a career as a physician assistant or in health care, Valpo is definitely well respected in the field,” Rachel says.

As a testament to that recognition, Rachel was hired as a cardiovascular and thoracic surgery physician assistant at Franciscan Health in Crown Point, Indiana, within six months of her graduation.

“I’m a part of a team with eight advanced practice providers and two surgeons that cares for both acute and chronic patients requiring surgical intervention,” Rachel says. “I see patients both in the hospital and in the clinic alongside my duties as a surgical first assistant.”

Rachel and her team operate on a wide variety of patients, including those in need of coronary artery bypass, valve replacements, robotic, and open lung surgeries. It is a field of health care that Rachel would not have pursued if not for the opportunities her program provided that boosted her confidence and made her step out of her comfort zone.
“I wasn’t confident in cardiology during my first year of the physician assistant program and chose to do a rotation in cardiothoracic surgery because I knew it would help me be more confident in the future,” Rachel says. “I ended up loving my rotation and changed my mind from wanting to do orthopedics to CT surgery. I can’t imagine where I’d be had I let my fears get in the way.”

Rachel says that the hands-on experience and professional connections she was able to gain doing clinical rotations in the second year of her program also helped her stand out from the competition. By the time she graduated, she says she had been offered several jobs, including one at the facility where she completed her clinical rotations that she would eventually accept.

“As many of our professors say, our clinical rotations are a five-week interview,” Rachel says. “Being well prepared for my rotations in school absolutely helped me prove that I was capable.”

Rachel has known since high school that she wanted to pursue a career as a physician assistant, and chose Valparaiso University thanks to its focused, fast-paced academic track and a size that allowed her to form meaningful relationships with professors, such as Rami Musleh, MSPA, PA-C, a clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies.

“She was an amazing student that not only worked hard to improve her clinical skills, but also the skills of her fellow students,” Professor Musleh says. “That is why there was no surprise when the cardiovascular surgery group she did a rotation with during her clinical year fell in love with her and wanted to hire her right away. She will definitely be an asset to all her patients, surgical colleagues, and clinical staff.”

More than academic growth and career connections, Valparaiso University also helped Rachel grow as a person by instilling invaluable skills for a person of any profession.

“I think Valpo gave me confidence in my skills and knowledge and taught me how to use my resources,” Rachel says. “Those are truly the most important part of any job.”

A recipient of the presidential scholarship, Rachel was heavily involved in extracurricular activities. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi, WAVES, VUPASS, and College Mentors for Kids.

“My favorite part of being a Valpo student was the community,” Rachel says.

Rachel says that making connections continues to be one of her favorite parts of her career.

“I’m proud seeing the difference that a surgery can make in someone’s quality of life,” Rachel says. “For example, watching someone needing open heart surgery go from being in the ICU on support to getting them home in three days is an incredible feeling. I’m able to develop relationships with my patients and their families in a short amount of time, and many of our patients come back in the future because of that.