A Physician’s Assistant Shares His Story: An Interview with Memoir Author Sean Conroy
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Sean Conroy/@SeanConroyPAc
”I will never be able to forget the first time one of my patients died. I will always be able to picture an elderly man clutching a cowboy hat, tears in his eyes, whispering into Estelle’s ear.”~ Sean Conroy, PA-c
Health care professionals bear a heavy responsibility in caring for the lives of their patients. As a registered nurse for forty-four years and a family nurse practitioner for the last fifteen of those years, I know the joys and sorrows of helping patients get better or assisting them in their final hours. Nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants are key parts of modern health care teams. Many people are confused about the difference. Although we have different preparation and licensing requirements–a nurse practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse who functions under a nursing license using the “nursing model”; a physician’s assistant is trained under the “medical model” and functions under the license of a physician, Although nurse practitioners can open their own independent practices, both entities serve a similar patient population and function within a similar scope of practice. I have worked with many excellent physician’s assistants and am thrilled to feature Memoir Author Sean Conroy in this guest post. Sean and I met through our mutual publisher, Open Books Press. Sean will tell us about himself and his new memoir.
Through The Eyes a Young Physician Assistant is a fascinating glimpse into the real-world training of a physician’s assistant.
My reviews of Through The Eyes of a Young Physician’s Assistant can be found on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThings and Riffle.
Welcome, Sean!
Memoir Author Sean Conroy, PAc
Through the Eyes of a Young Physician’s Assistant: An Interview with Sean Conroy, PA-c
KP: Tell us a little about yourself and your memoir, Sean.
SC:
I started my career in the lab, but had a burning desire to enter the clinical side of medicine as a physician assistant. After completing the first two years of book work, I spent a year learning from doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and others on the front lines of medicine in hospitals and clinics across the state of Nebraska. I entered the first family practice rotation as a well-spoken but inexperienced PA student, and in under a year was at the bedside of severely ill and injured patients in one of Nebraska’s busiest level-one trauma centers.
This memoir follows me around the state, from one rotation to another, as I grows in knowledge and maturity. It tells the tales (some humorous, some harrowing, and occasionally heartbreaking) of patient encounters in wide variety of settings with individuals from all walks of life. From the delivery of a newborn, to the terminally ill at the end of their lives, and many in between, Through the Eyes of a Young Physician Assistant will leave you laughing and crying and with a deeper appreciation of PAs.
KP: What made you decide to write this memoir:
SC:
This book was born out of my care of one particular patient during my Internal Medicine rotation in Grand Island, Nebraska: a gentleman facing his mortality. I had taken many small steps from lowly physician assistant student toward full-grown physician assistant. This patient was my first large step. In training in medicine there are many moments that affect you. These are the moments when, if you turn and look back on your education, you realize that you will never be the same again. Something inside me changed after my time with this gentleman. He was not my first patient to die, but he was the first “young” person that I lost. Sure, he had a granddaughter, but he was young to be a grandfather, and he was too young to die. It was after caring for him that a spark inside me grew into a burning desire to share his story and the stories of others, not only because his story moved me so much, but because I felt his story would move others if I found a way to share it. There are a number of books that tell tales behind the scenes in medicine; virtually all of them written by physicians.
Photo credit : dreamstimefree.com
I wanted to fill the void in true-story-medicine of the physician assistant perspective. I very much wanted “Physician Assistant” on the front to attract people interested in the field, perhaps interested in becoming a PA. As I was writing the foreword the title just hit me as I typed the last few words of introduction. Like a flash “that’s it!” I also thought since it is the last words of the introduction it is a fun way to segue into the meat of the book.
KP: Why would someone want to read your memoir?
SC:
I wrote it so that laypeople can follow along, for them it is not only a glimpse behind the scenes of medicine, but interesting in regards to the stories which would be touching no matter which side of the white coat you were on. The book has touching, emotional glimpses into peoples’ lives, including my own, though it also has some humor. It takes a sense of humor (possibly a dark one) to survive in the world of medicine. On the other hand the book is not so simple that health care students and professionals themselves will not enjoy the stories as well, as they can certainly relate.
***
Thank you, Sean for sharing your story. I felt like I was right there with you as you cared for patients and dealt with difficult co-workers. I was so impressed with your story that I bought the book for my niece who is considering becoming a PA. Your book will guide many who are considering this career option.
***
Book Synopsis:
From the delivery of a newborn, to the terminally ill at the end of their lives, and many in between, Through the Eyes of a Young Physician Assistant will leave you laughing and crying and with a deeper appreciation of PAs
THE EDITOR: Vanessa Del Fabbro/Jennifer Geist
THE PUBLISHER: Open Books Press
Purchasing info:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1941799272/?tag=penandpublish-20
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/61509
Author Bio: Sean Conroy was born and raised in McCook, Nebraska. He matriculated first from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska with a bachelor’s in biology (human biology option), then the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska with a bachelor’s in clinical laboratory science. He concluded his studies with a master’s in physician assistant studies from Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. He has practiced medicine in Kansas in primary care, including family practice and emergency medicine, since 2010 and a physician assistant at Manhattan Urgent Care in Manhattan, Kansas.
Author Contact information:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/seanconroyPAC
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@SeanConroyPAc
How about you? Have you had any experience being cared for by a PA?
Sean will give away a copy of his memoir to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.
We’d love to hear from you.Please leave your comments below~
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Congratulations to Janet Givens for being the winner of Francie Healey’s book, Eat to Beat Alzheimer’s!
This Week:
Monday, 7/25/16:
July 2016 Monthly Newsletter: “The Gift of Words”
Next Week:
Monday, 8/1/16:
“Memoir Writing Takeaways from The IWWG Summer Conference”
