Montana's Critical Need For Physician Associates Gets a Boost

As a state with nearly 50 critical access hospitals in rural communities, physician associates often work as the primary care providers.

ANSWERING THE CALL

Kyle Spurr with UM News Service tells us that the University of Montana in Missoula has welcomed its inaugural class of physician associates. UM is not only answering an urgent call for medical care around the state, it is offering an attractive option for healthcare workers to provide primary care and earn six figures after completing the two-year program.

MEET MONTANNA ZAJAC (YES, TWO "Ns")

Even with the somewhat quirky spelling (spelled with an extra “n” to "help her stand out and be a little different"), named after the state she always dreamed of living in, Montanna Zajac was thrilled to be admitted to the University of Montana’s new physician associate program.

Zajac, from Wausau, Wisconsin, studied psychology as an undergraduate but discovered a passion for medicine while working various jobs as an EMT, firefighter and medic for an outdoor wilderness therapy team.

All the while, Zajac was interested in becoming a physician associate, an attractive option for healthcare workers to provide primary care.

Montanna was quoted in the press release as saying, “It’s always been my dream to be a PA and to contribute more to healthcare. It’s exciting being a trailblazer of a new program. The professors are so passionate and really want us to succeed, which makes me even more excited to know I will do well here.”

A SELECT GROUP

The group of 24 students in the inaugural class was selected out of over 600 applications interested in joining the state’s first public PA program. The students will have the opportunity to fill Montana's crucial need for physician associates. Because of workforce shortages, those hospitals are at risk of not offering full care to their communities.

The state of Montana needs nearly 20 new PA job openings to be filled each year to keep up with baseline healthcare needs and industry growth, according to data from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry.

Much more interesting information about UM's physician associate program can be found here.