Kate Rentschler '13

 

Kate R. Photo

 

Name: Kate Rentschler

Graduating Class: 2013

Major: Biology

Your Story:

Hi! My name is Kate Rentschler and I recently graduated from Gustavus in June 2013 with a degree in biology. I grew up on a farm near the small town of Lakefield, MN with my parents and two younger sisters, and lived there until I ventured to St. Peter to begin my collegiate career. I am currently living and working in Owatonna, MN as a medical scribe in the emergency department of the Owatonna Hospital, and I will be moving to Denver, Colorado in May 2014 to begin PA school at the University of Colorado.

I chose Gustavus for the balance of academics and athletics that the school offered, but there were so many additional benefits that I gained from attending Gustavus that I hadn’t originally counted on. Coming into Gustavus, I knew that I was interested in science and I knew that I wanted to continue my softball career at a Division III level. I feel that I was allowed to have the “best of both worlds” as I had originally hoped, expanding my interest in science and participating in collegiate athletics, but Gustavus offered me so much more. The small “community” feel of the campus, the people I had the opportunity to meet and work with over the course of my 4 years, the liberal arts education that I received, and the unique opportunities offered to me at Gustavus really helped to enhance my overall experience.

My interest in the medical field was sparked during the summer prior to my sophomore year of college when I had the opportunity to shadow an orthopedic surgeon. After a week spent shadowing in the clinic and the operating room, I could easily envision myself pursuing a career in medicine and I have been doing so ever since. After this original experience, I took every opportunity to be involved in the healthcare field, and I began to research the different career options within medicine and began to familiarize myself with the requirements for each. I debated between attending medical school and PA school up until my senior year of college, but in the end I realized that PA school better suited my interests and future goals. I applied to 10 different PA schools during the spring of my senior year, and although the application process was a lot of work and a lot of added stress, my efforts paid off and I was accepted into my #1 program choice. Looking back, the most influential experience that I had at Gustavus that confirmed by desire to work in medicine was the pre-health career exploration that I participated in during J-term of my sophomore year. I also contribute a lot of my decision to the classes that I took and the professors that I met over the course of my 4 years.

Class Schedule (Click to view PDF)

Top Five Activities/Experiences:

  • Participating on the Gustavus softball team
  • Studying abroad in China and London
  • Pre-health J-term career exploration
  • Extracurricular activities such as study buddies, APM, Tri Beta, and Special Olympics
  • Meeting and working with so many great people at Gustavus! I developed many lifelong relationships that I wouldn’t have attained elsewhere.

Advice:

  • Get involved in things that interest you. Take advantage of any opportunity that sparks your interest while you have the chance. It’s important to become involved with activities that are healthcare related in order to generate a competitive PA school application, but it’s also important to participate with organizations that interest you, even if they are not healthcare related. For example, I gained a lot of healthcare experience by shadowing, volunteering, working as a CNA and working as a medical scribe which helped to enhance my application, but I was also very involved with softball at Gustavus as well as other various organizations such as 4-H. Ironically enough I talked primarily about my non-healthcare experiences during my PA school interviews and looking back I think that these experiences were the ones that set me apart from other applicants. Remember that all applicants have some kind of healthcare experience, but differ in their “other” experiences. Interviewers are looking for well-rounded candidates. As a side note, I would highly recommend studying abroad. I learned so much during my time abroad and it’s really an opportunity you won’t have once out of college!

  • Research potential careers and begin to plan accordingly. It takes time to accumulate the necessary prerequisites (both classes and experiences) and there is a great deal of “futuristic” planning involved. If a medical profession interests you, do something to confirm this interest (such as shadowing different providers). Once you have decided to pursue a medical career, research schools that interest you and begin to have an idea of what will be required. Talk to people and seek help if you need advice!

  • Network and formulate relationships. The phrase “it’s not what you know it’s who you know” could not be more accurate. Begin making contacts early and work to keep up these relationships over the course of years. The physician that I shadowed four years ago was the first to know I had gotten into PA school – I had made an effort to keep in contact with him over the years. Having good relationships will help in so many ways – recommendation letters, future jobs, advice, and learning what it takes to be successful in a medical profession are only a few examples. These relationships do not necessarily have to be medical professionals either. Write thank you cards and follow up with these individuals to let them know how much you appreciated their time/help/etc.

Future Plans:

I will be attending PA school at the University of Colorado in June 2014

 

 

Updated 4/14/2014 JMV