Arianna Shay is joining Union College’s PA Program as the clinical director. “I’ll be helping manage student rotations, communicating with the preceptors and helping students with their assignments during their clinical year,” she explained.
For physician assistant students, the clinical rotations Shay will oversee are an important formative time during which they often choose their specialization and the trajectory of their career. “I love seeing students find their passion and helping them along that path to becoming a PA,” she said. “It can be surprising where they are going to wind up.”
Shay is coming back to Union College after graduating from the PA program in 2019. “I’ve always been interested in education. When this opportunity came up, I was kind of looking for something different. It was good timing and worked out.”
Previously, Shay worked at Bryan Medical Center where she specialized in inpatient adolescent psychiatry. “I like the patients; they always have interesting stories and things to say,” she said. “I’ve liked everybody that I’ve worked with. It’s been a good place to be.”
“Being a PA, especially in psychiatry, has emphasized the importance of being intentional about taking care of both my mental and physical health,” Shay said. She practices what she preaches, incorporating the principles of good living into her own life. “Going to the gym and having some time to read most days are ways that help me manage stress and keep my health in balance.”
Shay is looking forward to Union as the next step in her career. “I like the environment, and I studied under almost everyone here,” she said. “It will be nice working with familiar faces. I grew up in a small town, and it’s like a small town feel on campus.”
by Gabriel Sanders, sophomore English major