Alumni Spotlight- Learning Patience and Compassion as a Pre-PA Student

Name: Lanie Rudie

ACR Home: Pintail

Undergrad: University of Minnesota

Schooling/Career: I attended PA school at Concordia University of Wisconsin in Mequon, Wisconsin and graduated in July 2019. I actually attended PA school with another ACR alumni, which was a great connection to have. I did most of my clinical rotations within the greater Milwaukee area. One of my rotations was in the transplant surgery ICU at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. I loved the fast pace and intensity of the ICU and quickly decided I wanted to work in that environment. The transplant ICU offered me an interview at the end of my rotation, and I gladly accepted the job. I have been working as a PA in the transplant ICU at Froedtert Hospital since September of 2019 and am absolutely loving it.

How did ACR help reach my goals? Obviously ACR provided me with the patient contact hours to be accepted into PA school, but working at ACR was much more to me than checking off an application requirement. Working for ACR made me a better person. I became more accepting of all walks of life and more humble throughout my time at ACR, and I will forever be grateful for my residents and my coworkers. My residents taught me patience and compassion and showed me every day to find joy in the little things. All of the things I learned at ACR helped me succeed in PA school and have helped me in my first job as a PA.

Any specific skills you learned at ACR, that has transferred into your current schooling or career? One invaluable skill I learned while working at ACR was learning how to communicate with someone who cannot physically speak. I learned creative ways to communicate both nonverbally and through other visual cues that I use almost daily at my job in the ICU with patients that are intubated and cannot speak. It is a skill that I will always be thankful for.