Work life balance is what originally attracted Nicholas Caputo, MS/PA ’20, to the field of Physician Assistant Studies. “PAs fit the work lifestyle that I wanted with the amount of patient interaction that I was hoping to have,” he said.
With a mom who works as a nurse, Caputo knew he wanted to “carve my own career path,” and began exploring the field of forensic medicine. While shadowing doctors, he met a physician assistant. “I saw their role in patient care and instantly fell in love,” he said.
He applied to the Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant Studies program at PCOM Georgia after learning about it through the medical staff at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “They told me how amazing the program was and the wealth of knowledge that the PCOM students had during their rotations. When I went to an open house held by the school, it seemed to fit well with me. I remember leaving and telling myself that I wanted to go to that school,” he said.
He draws inspiration from his mom and the healthcare workers at CHOA. “Their patient
interactions and employee collaboration demonstrate how passionate they are about
what they do and truly show they love every second of it.”
A native Georgian, Caputo grew up in the Acworth area, attending high school in Marietta, Georgia. He then pursued an undergraduate degree at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.
While in college, he participated in a number of mission trips, including a two-month trip to Nicaragua where he worked on health and sanitation projects. Caputo plans to return to North Carolina following graduation to work in emergency medicine or pediatrics. He also hopes to return to the mission field. “Hopefully I can take my knowledge and practice it outside my job in medical missions,” he said.
Caputo’s aspirations are straightforward. He said, “I hope to accomplish the same level of care and passion towards medicine that I’ve experienced while working with PAs during my clinical rotations.”
He offered the following advice to students just getting started. “Seriously trust the process,” he said. “Everything that is happening in the program is structured to help you in the long run. All the hard work I put into the program during didactic training is showing during my clinicals.”
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