Chris Johnson '17

Name: Chris Johnson

Graduation Year: 2017

Major: Biology (chemistry concentration)

Your Story: During my time at Gustavus, I completed the pre-med track as I initially wanted to
pursue a career as a medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy. I had multiple
opportunities to pursue independent research and particularly enjoyed
participating in the IMPACT program through Mayo Clinic. I took Genetics and
Cancer Biology concurrently in my senior year and there was a ton of overlap
between the two classes, which I loved since the information I was learning had a
direct application to the medical field. I also thoroughly enjoyed Anatomy and
Physiology and found I had a strong propensity for that subject, which I attribute to
my interest about the human body.

After college, I began working as a medical scribe at Emergency Care Consultants (ECC) and have been working there for thepast three years. I started as a scribe in the emergency department, then laterpursued an ancillary position as a physiatry scribe at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation
Institute through ECC. When I was not at work, I volunteered frequently at the
American Red Cross as a donor ambassador. I applied for med school after
graduation and was denied, but this was a blessing in disguise because it facilitated
my exploration of a career as a physician assistant and ultimately led to my
application for PA school. I was accepted at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ
this year and will be moving to Arizona in May to begin my courses.

Top Five Activities/Experiences:
1. IMPACT Research: In 2017, a group of three Gustie undergrads including myself
researched the increased incidence of pancreatic cancer in obese, type II diabetics
and developed a novel hypothesis to explain this phenomenon. We had all been in
the same Cancer Biology class the prior semester and our knowledge of the subject
was a significant help in our pursuit for further knowledge. We presented our
research and a poster during the program symposium at Mayo Clinic in Rochester
and also got to hear presentations from other groups. This process tested our
abilities to think critically and defend our hypothesis with fact-based evidence.

2. Scribing: Working as a medical scribe has contributed significantly to my medical
knowledge. The emergency department provides a broad range of medical
experience since patients come in with various issues, while working in physiatry (physical medicine and rehabilitation) has honed my knowledge of neurology since a majority of the patients we see at Courage Kenny have suffered from strokes or other neurological disorders. One of the more challenging facets of this role has been learning to come to grips with death and dying. My time spent as a medical scribe will provide me with invaluable experience as I begin my education to become a PA this summer.

3. Rock climbing: After college, I got into rock climbing, which is both physically and
mentally challenging. Physical fitness is important to me because my longevity is
ultimately contingent upon the habits I am forming as a young adult. Climbing is an
inherently dangerous sport but danger can be minimized with proper preparation
and education: Building anchors challenges one to consider physical forces to
maximize the strength of the anchor; tying knots allows the climber to quickly
secure themselves on the wall or safely tie into a rope at the bottom; outdoor
climbing requires creativity for positioning one’s body to reduce fatigue; the list
goes on. The climbing community is also extremely welcoming and tightknit.
Climbing is a great activity for building friendships and a majority of the people in
my current friend group climb with me regularly.

4. Choir: I sang all four of my years at Gustavus and had the chance to travel to
Florida with the G-choir my senior year. After graduation, I sang in a local chamber
choir in Stillwater for two years with my mom and sister. Singing allows me to be
totally present and lets me express myself in a way that no other form of music can.
Over the years, I have created strong friendships with other choral members and
still keep in touch with many of those people today.

5. Music composition: I have been playing piano since first grade and guitar since
sixth grade. I took lessons for both instruments and this greatly improved my
technique. As a sophomore at GAC, I began composing music for piano and I
continued to compose throughout the rest of college. Following graduation, I also
began to dabble in composition for guitar. Thus far, I have created 18 original works
and constantly have ideas for new songs floating around in my head. While the
process of composing can be halting at times, other times the music flows out of my
fingers. The satisfaction and gratification of completing an original piece is one of
the greatest feelings because I can share a piece of my being with the rest of the
world. I performed occasionally at chapel services at GAC and was even asked to
play for the annual GAC alumni event in Minneapolis as a junior.

Advice:

1. Though it can be daunting considering which schools you want to attend, I
strongly advise looking into what schools consider to be “hands on medical
experience” as early as possible. Not all PA schools consider scribing “hands on”
since scribes never actually touch patients, and this was limiting in my own
application process. The more clinical hours you have, the more competitive you are as a applicant (I had 3,000 hours logged at my time of application to PA school and will
have around 5,000 by May; very competitive applicants should have at least 2000 hours).
Many schools also require PA shadowing hours, so make sure to get 60-100 hours
under your belt prior to application if you won’t be working directly with PAs
already.

2. Volunteer or get involved in your local community. PA schools and med schools
look for an applicant’s commitment to serving others and their ability to interact
with complete strangers. The Red Cross is a great place to volunteer in my own
experience and food shelfs can almost always use extra hands.

3. Make sure to look at required classes for PA schools. I was on the pre-med track at
GAC and that covered most of the bases, but I still had to take microbiology and
medical terminology after graduation to meet all prerequisites. Almost all PA
schools I looked at require a number of biology courses, chemistry, statistics,
medical terminology, and microbiology. Some have other required prerequisites,
but these are subject to change, so do your research before applying.

Future Plans:
As of now, the plan is to move to Glendale, Arizona in May, 2020 and begin PA school at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ . I’ll be finishing up
my career as a medical scribe at the end of April and I am hoping to take one or two
climbing trips up to Palisade Head in Silver Bay, MN or Blue Mounds State Park in
Luverne, MN before I leave. My intended specialty is emergency medicine with a
possible focus in wilderness emergency since I love the outdoors. Arizona is
renowned for its extensive rock climbing and I’d like to do some of that when I have
free time and I also plan to do a bit of fly fishing in the Gila River located ~30
minutes south of Glendale.

Updated 4/16/2020 HB