Amanda Carey
Amanda
Carey at the White Coat Blessing with her husband,
Dustin Oxford, and Dustin's aunt and uncle
When
the following article was published, Amanda Carey was a PA
student. She graduated from the PA Program at Arizona
School of Health Sciences A.T. Stills University in August,
2007. Currently she is providing primary care back home in
a tribal clinic in Muskogee, Oklahoma. An update follows
the article.
A Role Model for American Indian Youth
Amanda Carey, Cherokee, Miss Cherokee 2001-2002, is a
second-year student on the Native American Physician
Assistant Track in the Arizona School of Health Sciences PA
Program. Her husband, Dustin Oxford, Cherokee, is a first
year student in the same program and her sister, Candace
Burkart, Cherokee, hopes to enter the program in 2007.
Carey currently is back home doing a rotation in internal
medicine at Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah,
Oklahoma. This is the same facility where she received care
as a child. Her supervising physician, Dr. Anna Miller, is
her mother’s physician. In the early morning Carey visits
patients in the hospital with Dr. Miller. For the rest of
the day, Carey takes care of patients in the clinic.
As Carey demonstrates her growing competence, her preceptor
gives her more responsibilities. Initially Miller observed
Carey as Carey took the patients’ histories, examined them
and performed other parts of the initial assessment. Now
that Miller is comfortable with Carey’s basic skills,
Carrey assesses each patient by herself. Then, outside the
patient’s room, in a mini supervisory session, Carey tells
her preceptor what she is learning about the patient as
well as what steps she thinks need to be taken next. Miller
helps Carey carefully reflect on what she has already done
and decide what other steps might be needed. Then Miller
joins Carey for the balance of each patient visit.
Sometimes when Carey isn’t working in the clinic, she gives
motivational talks to students. She urges them to better
themselves in order to better their tribe.
Carey will soon do a rotation in women's health in
Tahlequah. When she returns home to her husband in Mesa,
she will continue doing rotations.
Finding
a Niche
“I was raised
with 5 sibling on a small rural farm in northeastern,
Oklahoma,” says Carey. My paternal grandmother, who lived
next door to us, provided a home remedy kind of natural
medicine to a lot of our extended family, so naturally I
was interested in that.”
While attending Northeastern State University (NSU) in
Tahlequah, Carey spent two years working as a student
extern in the W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital pharmacy.
During this time she applied for pharmacy school but was
unsuccessful. Reflecting on what to do next, Carey realized
that she wanted more direct contact with patients than
clinical pharmacists typically have. She researched the PA
profession and liked what she learned. She was immediately
successful in getting into the Arizona School of Health
Sciences PA program and realized that she had found her
niche.
Carey was newly married when she entered PA school. “I
struggled in the beginning. I didn’t get to do the things
that I thought I was supposed to do like cook and clean and
tend to my husband. He did those things for me. Our roles
were reversed. I had a hard time with that until my first
midterm. Then I said, “You can do all of that.”
Now she enjoys hearing what her husband, Dustin Oxford, is
learning. He was accepted into medical school but chose the
PA path instead. Oxford, who is looking forward to doing
procedures, also enjoys listening to Amanda talk about the
“cool things” she gets to do in the clinic.
Carey isn’t sure what specialty she will choose to practice
in. She enjoys being with children but greatly enjoys
listening to the Elders in her current rotation. When both
of them are PAs, Amanda and Dustin would like to practice
in the same facility within the Cherokee Nation.
Advice
Carey’s advice
regarding becoming a PA, “Talk with someone in the field
and research the field on your own.” Once in school, she
suggests, “ When you become overwhelmed, take a deep breath
and step back. Keep everything in perspective. Go out to
dinner with your spouse or friend. Try not to bring the
stress from school into your home or the stress from home
into school.”
This
article was originally published in the Winter 2007
issue of
Winds of Change.
Update
2008
I graduated
last August and was honored to receive the Chairman's Award
for exemplifying the mission of the PA program in mind,
body and spirit of working for underserved
population. I spent some time in a private family
practice in Mesa, Arizona before moving back to Oklahoma to
work for my tribe (Cherokee Nation) I am presently
working in Muskogee, Oklahoma in a tribal clinic practicing
primary care. I see kids to seniors I enjoy being
home!
My husband, Dustin, is set to graduate in August. He
has already accepted a job with the Cherokee Nation to
start in October. My sister, Candice, is finishing up
her 4th of 5 quarters. She is getting close to her
clinicals and anticipating her summer break.