Audrey Bercier
Audrey
Bercier, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, is a PA at the
Quentin Burdick Memorial Healthcare Facility. She
loves taking care of her own people. When the article
below was published, she was a PA student.
Preparing to Give More
Audrey Bercier,
Turtle Mountain Chippewa, is a PA student based at the
Quentin Burdick Memorial Healthcare Facility on her
reservation. She was a nurse at this Indian Health Service
(IHS) facility before entering the University of North
Dakota (UND) PA Program. Bercier’s preceptor is Dr. Richard
Larson, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, who was recognized in
2006 as IHS Physician of the Year.
Bercier says, “As a PA student I’m doing some of the same
things that I did as a nurse, but now I’m doing a lot more.
Now I’m examining patients and prescribing medication, but
I’m still educating patients. I’m big on education. I
firmly believe that education empowers patients.”
Bercier is happy in her new role. “I feel overwhelming
pride from the community and the staff at the hospital.
When I do something, like suture up a cut, my old nursing
colleagues give me a pat on the back. They are very
supportive. The physicians know I’m a hard worker.”
Bercier describes her classmates as highly motivated. “I
think they feel the same kind of calling that I do,” she
says. “When we graduate, we want to go back to our homes in
small towns or rural areas and help our people. Like me,
they have a passion for their people.”
Journey
“I was always
interested in science, particularly biology and medicine,”
says Bercier. "I felt that nursing would be a good career
because it would give me a lot of interaction with
patients.” Bercier is respectful of nursing and enjoyed her
work as a nurse, but she wanted to give even more to her
people. “I choose the UND PA Program, partly because they
were focusing on nurses who wanted to become PAs. The
program has a lot of “hands on.” The curriculum is built on
your nursing knowledge.”
Bercier has received a great deal of support from her
family. “When I’m on campus for the didactic courses, my
husband, Chris, is a single parent. He does that without
complaint. I practice some of my skills on my four-year-old
son, Tucker. He’s a perfect example of a normal physical
exam.
“My parents are really proud and happy that I decided to
further my education. Education has always been important
in our family. We always had to do our homework before
doing other things. We had to do our best.”
Bercier’s grandparents, Patricia and Raymond Belgarde, are
part of the group of Elders that contributed to the content
of the PA curriculum on the care of the elderly. They are
also serving as “standardized patients” in the evaluation
of PA students. “My grandparents are obviously very
supportive. I think part of their motivation in helping the
program is that I’m in the program.”
Advice
Bercier can
quickly list the things a potential PA may want to do.
"Volunteer at a hospital. Check out the different
professions and roles. When you’re in high school, take a
lot of science and math. Prepare yourself for college so
it’s not a big shock. Always keep your goals in mind. Try
not to get distracted. Be prepared to be a student for the
rest of your life."
This
article was originally published in the Winter 2007 issue
of
Winds of Change.
Update
2008
1/25/08,
Bercier wrote: "I graduated in May of 2007. At that tine I
was also inducted into the PA National Honor Society - Phi
Alpha. I have been employed at the Quentin N. Burdick
Memorial Indian Health Facility in Belcourt, North Dakota
since July of 2007. I primarily have a very busy outpatient
practice but plan to start going into some outpatient
surgical procedures in the future. I totally enjoy my job
and love taking care of my own people on my own reservation
- Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. I also love working
along side the same great people I worked with as a nurse."