Katelyn Thompson

Quinnipiac Physician Assistant Program, Class of 2016

I was born and raised in Brentwood, New Hampshire, and I completed my Bachelors of Health Sciences at Quinnipiac University.

I have had extensive experience working in a variety of roles in a healthcare setting. I have been a pharmacy technician at Elliott Hospital in Manchester, New Hampshire, a physical therapy aide at Access Sports Medicine in Exeter, New Hampshire, and a medical assistant at Families First Health Clinic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Physician Assistants were originally created due to a shortage in primary care physicians. Today, the shortage of primary care physicians has sparked my interest in becoming a primary care PA. I am also interested in primary care because I enjoy the community of care that primary care offers. I want to be that well-known person in the community who consults long-term health-related decisions that patients make.

In my brief time in grad school, I have learned quickly that the education I gain in the classroom needs to be coupled with actual interactions with patients in their communities. After learning about the Urban Service Track opportunities and the philosophy of the program, I felt that I would benefit immensely from the experience of working in urban communities and at the same time would expand my skills as a healthcare provider.