Community Involvement

MEDEX Students at the AAPA Conference

Written by: Marcos Chavez, PA-S Seattle Class 42, AOR Representative

From May 22nd to May 26th MEDEX had a large showing at the IMPACT San Diego conference. Representatives from Seattle, Spokane and Yakima where present as well as numerous faculty.

Front Row: Left to Right: Aaron Adam, Megan DeSelms, Marcos Chavez, Christine Kempe, Kevin Fitzgerald. Back Row left to right: Shawn Ficken, Mark Damberg, Shawn Moore, George Litz, Ken Sheil and Josh Hedberg. Participating students not pictured: Carrie Conley, Janette Yingling, Lisa Tufts, and Andrea Smith.

The MEDEX AAPA House of Delegates (HOD) and SAAAPA Assembly of Representative (AOR) representatives had their hands full with a busy schedule, participating in the elections and voting on resolutions. The MEDEX AOR reps, Shawn Moore (Spokane), Marcos Chavez (Seattle) and Kevin Fitzgerald (Yakima) were able to successfully pass the following resolution (2009-32), co-sponsored by UC Davis students:

“The Student Academy resolves to encourage PA students to promote the equality of patient centered care through recognition of domestic partnership (with the inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender), religion, diversity and personal social preferences without bias. It further resolves to promote awareness of such diversities through support of curriculums that promote sensitivity to the above stated groups.”

MEDEX was able to participate in the Challenge Bowl. Definitely living up to its name, the questions where challenging. Although the representatives from MEDEX, Aaron Adam, Janette Yingling and Shawn Ficken (all from Yakima) put up a valiant effort, DeSales University prevailed. It was a great experience and the auditorium was filled with PA students who showed a passion for knowledge of medicine.

Front Row Left to Right: MEDEX Medical Director, Linda Vorvick, students Kevin Fitzgerald and Challenge Bowl Participants, Shawn Ficken, Janette Yingling, Aaron Adam. Center left: student Megan DeSelms, Center right student Christine Kempe. Back Row: Left to Right: Seattle Senior Faculty, Grace Landel, students Andrea Smith, Sawn Moore , Mark Damberg.

And finally, MEDEX Seattle class 42, Yakima class 15 and Spokane class 12 would like to thank WAPA for supporting the students and providing us with resources to attend the conference. It was a great experience.

One Man's Journey

Miguel Blas-Matus, Yakima Class 15, became a US Citizen on February 29th, 2009. The entire Yakima class took the day off to join him in celebrating this accomplishment. Miguel's story was featured in the Yakima Herald on March 23rd, 2009 highlighting his journey from Southern Mexico to Yakima, WA. Congratulations Miguel!

Miguel Blas-Matus at his swearing in ceremony February 29th, 2009. To read the full story in the Yakima Herald click here.

Members of Yakima Class 15 Help Build a House in the Community

Nadean Pulfer (left) and Janette Yengling (right) particpated in Habitat for Humanity Womens volunteering session on Saturday, May 2nd. After a full week of class and before a weekend full of studying these Yakima class members pounded nails and painted walls for a deserving family in Yakima.

Martin Luther King Day Peach March

by Julie Douglas, Yakima class 15 Community Service Coordinator

Yakima class 15 students Miguel Blas-Matus (right), Julie Douglas (not pictured), Manichanh Ratts (left) and his kids (center) participated in the Martin Luther King Day Peace March in January. These students had another opportunity to introduce MEDEX Northwest to the community and educate Yakima residence about the role of a Physician Assistant in health care.

Yakima Students Help Educate the Community

On October 11th, 2008 Yakima class 15 students participated in a blood pressure clinic sponsored by a local retail pharmacy. This gave these students an opportunity to educate the community about the MEDEX Northwest PA Training Program and the PA profession. Many people stopping by the clinic had a lot of questions about the profession and our students represented MEDEX with pride.

from left to right: Miguel Blas-Matus, Neil Erickson, Julie Douglas, Paul Egleston, Megan Engler and, Manichanh Ratts

Yakima Class 15 Shares the Holiday Spirit

Yakima Class 15 adopted a family of seven for the holiday season of 2008. We provided gifts, a traditional holiday meal, extra everyday food, Christmas tree and daily household items to the family to make their holiday a little bit warmer. The community donated cash gift cards and phone cards.

Right to Left: Shawn Ficken, Janette Yingling, Julie Douglas, Megan Engler and Neil Erickson

Seattle Students Participate in the 7th Annual Latina Health Fair

May 16, 2009 the 7th Annual Latina Health Fair took place at North Seattle Community College from 10am-3pm. MEDEX students worked together with several other disciplines from the University of Washington School of Medicine to make this event a huge success.

The Washington Health Foundation which produces the fair, and SPARX were looking for health science students willing to spend two or more hours on Saturday (May 16) helping to provide basic health screening to the Latinas and their families who attend this event. MEDEX students registered and explain the screening process to families, got height, weight, and BMI measurements, took blood pressures, administered cholesterol checks, performed vision screening, offered lung function testing (spirometry) and, provided osteoporosis education We hope the tradition continues on for MEDEX students to be involved in this wonderful community event

Back row right to left: Randall Kelly, Belinda Chavez, Jenny Michelett and Elizabeth Reynolds. Front Row : Margarita Shanks(right) and Carla Cordova-Eduave (left)

Other participants not pictured: Mark Damberg, Neysa Koury, Chrystal Sealy and, MEDEX Senior faculty Grace Landel

2009 MLK Day of Service at Cavanaugh Pond in Renton, WA

On Martin Luther King Day, 15 people from Seattle Class 42 came out to help the Friends of the Cedar River Watershed with habitat restoration around Cavanaugh Pond near Renton, Washington. We worked hard on a sunny day to clear blackberry bushes and other overgrowth of non-native plants. The shoreline will be replanted with trees and shrubs that support the natural habitat of the Cedar River watershed. The Cedar River not only provides drinking water to a million residents around Seattle, but also supports the largest run of sockeye salmon in the lower 48 states. Friends of the Cedar River Watershed is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring protection and conservation of the watershed through restoration, education, and stewardship.

Supply Drive for 45th Street Clinic

In February the students of Seattle Class 42 held an supply drive for the youth programs at the 45th Street Clinic. The 45th Street Clinic provides a high level of medical care and other vital resources to homeless youth in the Seattle area. Services include medical and dental care, acupuncture, mental health counseling, drug and alcohol services, HIV counseling and case management, dental care, yoga classes, naturopathy, social service referrals and outreach. Another critical youth program supported by the 45th Street Clinic is First Place School. First Place addresses the special needs of families in transition due to homelessness or crises that impact family stability. The mission of the school is to educate and nurture children whose families struggle with the risk or reality of homelessness. In addition to quality education for children kindergarten to 6th grade, First Place offers housing, culturally relevant education and support services that enable families to achieve permanent stability. The students of class 42 collected snacks, art supplies, clothes, gloves, coats, shoes and dental supplies to support the efforts of the 45th Street Clinic to improve the quality of life for children and families in the Seattle.

Theodora House Holiday Gifts

During Christmas break, Seattle Class 42 collected money and donations to provide small holiday gifts for residents at the Theodora house. A group of us went door to door on December 23rd delivering the gifts, and then held a small social afterwards for the residents. We were able to provide gifts for 16 residents. The Theodora House is supported by the Volunteers of America and provides homes for low-income seniors and disabled residents in Seattle.

Randall Kelly (left), Mark Damberg (center) and Neysa Koury (right)

American Heart Association 2008 Heart Walk

Seattle MEDEX Class 42 celebrated the start of National PA Week by participating in the 2008 Puget Sound Heart Walk. Nine members of the class, along with senior MEDEX faculty, Grace Landel and family members showed their support for the American Heart Association by raising money and walking the 3 mile course on Saturday, October 4th. The UW MEDEX team was able to raise $1,008 towards fighting heart disease. The event as a whole raised over $1.4 million. Money raised by the American Heart Association goes towards community education, CPR training, and research funding. Over the last ten years, the AHA has provided over $22 million in research grants to institutions in the state, including the University of Washington.

Spokane Class 12 Students Participate in the First of Many Inter-Professional Simulation Scenarios

Human patient simulators at Washington State University's Riverpoint Campus are being used by a number of health care programs benefiting from a 'hands on' learning approach. Simulations started with the nursing program then were joined by pharmacy program. Eastern Washington University’s dental hygiene program joined in two months ago and, just last month, physician assistant students from the MEDEX Northwest program went through their first experience using SimMan as part of an interprofessional simulation exercise. Read the entire article posted on the WSU Bulletin.

Spokane Class 12 Volunteers at the 33rd Annual Bloomsday Run in Spokane

On Sunday, May 3rd, Spokane Class 12 students volunteered at the 33rd annual Lilac Bloomsday Run. Runners made their way through this 12 kilometer run beginning at Riverside Avenue with the finish line near Riverfront Park. The students helped in medical/first aid booths throughout the course, taking care of the needs of over 40,000 runners giving Spokane students an opportunity to interact with the Spokane community.

Student volunteers from left to right: James Annis, Sarah Wilson, Melinda Kessner, Michele Winebrenner, and Roy Nix

Roy Nix doing an orthopedic exam on a runner

Spokane class 12 took the opportunity to honor one of their own

On April 19, 2009 the Spokane class took the opportunity to honor one of their own at the Race for the Cure. Students and family members joined forces to run and walk for a former classmate who was diagnosed with breast cancer early in the didactic year. The event was an excellent opportunity to recognize the bravery their fellow Spokane student has shown in her battle and her continued pursuit of her goal of becoming a PA!

Spokane Class member Cari Rodgers and her daughter

Spokane Class 11 Visits the Operating Room at Deaconess Hospital

Early one Saturday morning class 11 met MEDEX graduate and educator Robert Fairfax, PA-C for an adventure in the operating room. Junior students are exposed to the sterility and procedures involved in surgery for their Technical Skills Course. The coordinator of the course, Don Coerver, PhD, PA-C is the mock patient to whom the students are anxious to practice some of their suturing techniques on. Learning is not always at a desk but a mix of fun and exciting activities.

MEDEX Spokane PA Students Participate in Disaster Response Exercise

By Sharon Moses, ARNP, Spokane Faculty and Angela Pischel, Spokane Operations Specialist

Federal, state and local disaster response agencies, as well as several local organizations tested their ability to respond to a region-wide emergency. This is the first time that the annual event has occurred in eastern Washington. The Regional Homeland Security and Spokane Regional Health District sponsored this exercise.

Spokane’s Class 11 of 26 Physician Assistant students helped lead the way in this city-wide event. The exercise began Tuesday, October 30, with local health jurisdictions investigating cases of a mock illness, and progressed through Thursday, November 1, with mass care centers set up throughout the region which tested the ability to dispense medication to the public within a very short time frame.

The PA students were assigned a variety of duties including administration of flu shots, education and triage, monitoring patient flow and assisting patients with special needs.

“Because of you (MEDEX) we were very successful in standing up 2 Points of Dispensing, receiving the Strategic National Stockpile assets and serving the people of Spokane with the dispensing of over 260 flu vaccines.” Patti Richards, Emergency Preparedness and Response Specialist Spokane Regional Health District

“The students were wonderful and gave this exercise their all. Faculty Don Coerver, PhD, PA-C and
Steven Meltzer, PA-C were excellent mentors as well as participants.” Sharon Moses, ARNP MEDEX point of contact

Western Regional Meeting, Student Pathway

The 2008 Western Regional Meeting was held in conjunction with the 19th Annual Washington Academy of Physician Assistants Winter Conference in Seattle. At this meeting they held a side-by-side student pathway open to PA students. Students representing the western region were in attendance: Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon
and Washington.

Bethany Dekoning, PA-S (Arizona) who represents SAAAPA as the Special Projects Coordinator, spoke on: Student Leadership. She gave an in-depth description of what students can expect at the annual May conference in
San Antonio. She made the duties of the AOR and HOD reps come alive and eased the anxiety level for several of
those who will be participating.

Grace Landel, PA-C and Linda Vorvick, MD, both faculty at MEDEX Northwest, gave invaluable advice on Negotiating That First Job (Grace) followed by Practice Management: Be Faster, Practice Better & Know your Worth (Linda). These two sessions alone were worth braving the winter elements to attend. Students participated in lively, thought provoking discussions related to contracts and how to spell out their needs and most importantly their worth. Dr. Vorvick provided
a spreadsheet for calculating your worth by the day, by the hour. Hopefully these two sessions will be given again and again.

Grace also gave an excellent presentation on: Preparing for the PANCE. She held an interactive and stimulating discussion on studying and preparing for the National Exam. Participating students who want to avoid test anxiety jotted all the pearls down for future use.

Kim Dotson, PA-C and graduate of MEDEX Spokane educated students on: NHSC – One Option for Debt Reduction After Graduation. Kim works at a minimally secure corrections facility in Washington and is a NHSC recipient. She is
also a valuable resource for providers wanting information about how to get a clinic designated a loan repayment site. Kim also had valuable information for students wanting information on scholarships.

Bob Glazewski, PA-C, graduate of MEDEX Seattle and legendary preceptor, spoke to students on: Surviving Clerkships. This chat was informal yet dynamic for its impact on the participants. He spoke on the importance of the student’s role in the clinical setting, professionalism and the fact that it is ok to say, “I don’t know.” 

Thank you to all the speakers and all the students who represented their programs.