Students One-on-One
Meredith Nielsen
Why did you choose to become a PA?
I chose to become a PA because I love to work with people, especially underserved or impoverished populations. I was actually in pharmacy school at the University of Georgia for a semester before I realized that I really didn’t want to be a pharmacist! When I decided to leave that program and return to undergrad at UGA, I decided that I really wanted to do something that would allow me a great amount of patient care and contact while still having the flexibility to move among different fields of medicine. I shadowed PAs around town, and loved everything that they did. I applied to school, and here I am!
In what field(s) of medicine are you interested in working?
I am interested in everything!! At this point, I’m not sure exactly what field I would like to go into. It’ll probably be primary care because that’s where we as PAs are needed the most. But I’m definitely interested in ER medicine because I get bored easily, and the ER seems like a high intensity, high stakes environment in which I could thrive. I’m also interested in OB/GYN, Dermatology, and Pediatrics.
What’s so great about Charleston?
Charleston is great because it’s a meshwork of everything that I love! There’s the beach (Folly, Sullivan’s, Isle of Palms), the city (downtown), and the country (out on Johns Island, where I live). Downtown is so much fun to walk around when the weather is nice and just wander. I’ve lived here for four months and grown up going on vacation here my whole life, and last week was running around the Battery and found a street that I never knew about before. There’s always something new to see, something fun to discover, and I think that’s what makes Charleston so different. Plus, when it floods downtown, you can boogie board through the streets.
Shh, don’t tell them, but my favorite professor is…
My favorite professor is a tie. I absolutely LOVE Dr. Jackson Thomas, our Anatomy professor from our first semester. He really cared for us individually (even learned ALL of our names!), and wanted to do anything he could to help us learn the information efficiently. I feel the same way about Dr. Bushardt, the program director, and our pharmacology teacher. He understands that most of us don’t have a lot of clinical experience, so he tailors his lectures to us to be very easy to understand.
When you get away from school, what do you do for fun and/or burn off stress?
For fun I exercise a lot, especially running around downtown and playing intramural sports. I also love to cook and bake, read, go to the beach, hang out with my friends from church and class.
Any advice to give prospective students?
Don’t put off applying, do it as early as possible. Put your best foot forward, don’t be afraid to brag about yourself as you’re applying for school. They want the best, so give it to them! Don’t be nervous during the interview, it really is super laid back, and there will be some students here to guide you through the day. And when you get here, relax, do your best, but have fun!
