AHEC Scholar Spotlight

AHEC Scholar Travys Willman worked in a variety of careers before enrolling in the Wayne State University Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree program last year. After graduating from Michigan Tech with an environmental science degree, Travys explored several careers, including retail management, until she found a job working as an X-ray technologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. At the hospital, Travys found she loved working with patients and was able to job shadow physician assistants and learn more about different health professions. “I asked a lot of questions of the medical staff,” recalled Travys. “One day a CRNA I worked with said I should pursue a PAS degree, which inspired me to apply to the PAS program at Wayne State.”

When she began the PAS program at WSU Applebaum last year, Travys was pleased to see she wasn’t the only nontraditional student in her cohort. There were a number of students who had previous careers with a diversity of experience. During her first week of classes, Travys learned about the AHEC Scholars program when Dr. Aline Saad, Michigan AHEC IPE faculty champion and associate clinical professor of pharmacy practice, spoke to a group of students about the program. Travys signed up to be an AHEC Scholar and has found it to be a good complement to her studies. “The AHEC Scholars curriculum fits in very well with what I am learning in class and has helped me be a better student. I especially liked the guest speaker who spoke about human trafficking because she gave a health professional’s perspective on the issue.” Travys also appreciates the flexibility of the program and is able to work on assignments during breaks and in the evenings after class.

Travys likes AHEC Scholars Program so much that she has reached out to other students to recruit them into the program. “The PAS program is challenging and it is not easy to convince students to take on more work but I think it is worth the effort and it is making a positive difference in my education,” added Travys.

Although the path Travys Willman took to become a physician assistant is a nontraditional one, she will be able to draw on both her career and classroom experiences to make her a successful health professional with a bright future ahead.

For more information about the WSU Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and the WSU PAS program, go to: https://applebaum.wayne.edu/ and https://cphs.wayne.edu/physician-assistant/

For more information about the AHEC Scholars Program, go to: https://miahec.wayne.edu/healthcareers