Special Opportunity for Physician Assistant Students Lands at CSM

An educational opportunity for students in the Physician Assistant Studies program landed on Aug. 1 at College of Saint Mary.

Assistant Professor Matthew Roesner, PA-C, MSPAS, arranged for a LifeNet helicopter from Air Methods to land on campus near the Lied Fitness Center, following classes in which the students learned about airway management intubation from a flight medic.

The students are finishing their didactic year before starting clinical rotations in three weeks.

“I wanted to find something that tied textbook knowledge with clinical knowledge,” said Roesner, who was a paramedic in Kansas City, Kan., before becoming a PA and educator. “I was trying to bridge the gap with the helicopter and what potentially would be entailed in a flight for a patient to a big hospital, especially from rural America.”

Roesner noted that many of the students could begin their careers at hospitals in rural areas.

Student Madison Ybarra of Redlands, Calif., said it was an eye-opening experience to get an up-close look at the helicopter and the small space the paramedics have to provide critical care.

“It gives me a great sense of what I could possibly be doing in the future or working with paramedics who do this, especially if I decide to move to a rural area,” she said. “I am interested in rural emergency medicine, so this could be something I look forward to doing.”