  {"id":3819,"date":"2021-12-13T14:36:55","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T14:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/?p=3819"},"modified":"2023-02-14T20:45:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-14T20:45:56","slug":"augsburg-alumni-series-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/2021\/12\/13\/augsburg-alumni-series-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Augsburg Alumni Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We continue this week with our profile of Alumni from the Augsburg PA class of 2020.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3699\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3699\" style=\"width: 194px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-21-at-7.09.45-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-21-at-7.09.45-PM-194x300.png\" alt=\"Bo LaFountaine PA in a medical office\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-21-at-7.09.45-PM-194x300.png 194w, https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-21-at-7.09.45-PM-768x1190.png 768w, https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-21-at-7.09.45-PM-661x1024.png 661w, https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2021\/12\/Screen-Shot-2021-11-21-at-7.09.45-PM.png 816w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3699\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bo LaFountaine, PA-C<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>BO LAFOUNTAINE, PA-C<\/h2>\n<p>This week we have interviewed Bo LaFountaine, PA-C.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bo is a 2020 graduate of the Augsburg PA program. She works in the Twin Cities area where she is currently in transition from <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pain and Addiction Medicine to Emergency Medicine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We asked her a few questions about her continued involvement with Augsburg, working as a PA, and her time at Augsburg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What attracted you to Augsburg, and keeps you connected with the University?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Augsburg was one of the most competitive PA programs with very high pass rates on its boards, and I knew the education provided through Augsburg&#8217;s PA program would equip me well for life as a practicing PA. I had an incredible experience; my cohort was very close and I made some of my closest life-long friends through this program. Many Augsburg Alumni taught\u00a0and mentored me and continuing to give back to the student community allows me to pay it forward\u00a0for the future PAs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What type of setting do you work in?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I currently work in the Twin Cities, and am amidst a transition from Pain and Addiction Medicine to Emergency Medicine at two large Hospitals in the Cities&#8211;it is my dream job!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Why did you decide\u00a0to choose your\u00a0area of medicine?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a young age I knew I wanted to be in medicine, helping as many people as I possibly can. Emergency medicine allows us to prevent further illness and injury and even the unique ability\u00a0to save lives. I thrive in a fast paced and chaotic environment; however, I value a team-oriented approach to\u00a0patient\u00a0centered care. I have been fortunate enough to find a team that shares my values and is invested in my growth and development.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What was a major challenge in your first year?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">COVID! An unprecedented time for everyone, particularly those in healthcare. Everyone was adjusting and the steep learning curve transitioning from a student to a practicing PA was incredibly humbling. But, that&#8217;s why we pursue medicine, to remain humble and continue learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What tips do you have for students on applying and interviewing for their first job?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Money does not equal happiness. As a new grad, finding a team that you are comfortable approaching with questions and concerns is of the utmost importance. This allows for you to continue learning, avoid harmful mistakes, and shape your practice.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remain\u00a0confident in yourself and your training, but also remain humble.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What activities do you enjoy in\u00a0your spare time?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling (Pre-COVID my goal was to hit 30 countries by 30 years old), eating wonderful food, and knitting&#8211;during PA school I knitted ~200 hats!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Do you have a favorite Augsburg PA memory you wish to share?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The people. The class of 2020 was a great cohort. We LOVED having potlucks, gathering and taking a respite from the chaos&#8211;together. We were a group that supported each other and cheered at each other successes. The academic phase of PA school was intense, and what I remember most are the friends that I made and all of the countless hours we spent together studying.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Is there anything else you wish to share?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For those applying to PA school, do not be discouraged! it only takes ONE school to say yes. Be authentically you, and the right school will choose you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We continue this week with our profile of Alumni from the Augsburg PA class of 2020. BO LAFOUNTAINE, PA-C This &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":487,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,99,14,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-news","category-class-of-2020","category-pa-news","category-pa-profession"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/487"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3819"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4735,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3819\/revisions\/4735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}