Victoria Louwagie loved her job as a PA and saw the DMSc as a strategic next step in her career.
“I am very passionate about clinical practice. Long-term, I could see myself going into more of an administrative role. Having a terminal degree as a PA may bring you to a table that you might not have been invited to otherwise,” she said.
Louwagie is an assistant professor with the Mayo Clinic and trains PAs, nurse practitioners, and medical students.
“I loved connecting with other faculty and those that are passionate about medical education,” she states. “We are trying as an organization to entice PAs to pursue academic ranks. There’s emerging research that indicates that practitioners want to do this; we are trying to identify the barriers and gaps that are keeping PAs from the pursuit of academic rank or being promoted within academic ranks.”
She also started a new business Expanding Healthcare Solutions, a healthcare consulting firm with a nurse practitioner. Together they partner towards optimizing and implementing NPs and PAs into clinical practice.
“I can see this trend growing. What we plan to do is partner with organizations and advance the PA/NP professions within clinical practice to increase healthcare access and provide quality care,” she said.
Louwagie grew up in a household exposed to the medical field — her mother is a retired physician.
“I saw how working in medicine brought my mother fulfillment,” she said. “Right now, I love practicing. But I decided to pursue the DMSc because I realized that I needed a terminal degree to move into some additional leadership roles, not only in my organization. I felt the need to stay competitive within my field.”
Louwagie said she feels the coursework and content have been 100% applicable to daily practice.
“I actually completed the healthcare administration certificate first. I really resonated with the healthcare management course taught by Dr. Laura Witte. Based on my excellent experience, I decided to complete the DMSc degree! I found the program to be both challenging and manageable as a busy practitioner and mother to a toddler. Also, the discussion boards have been fantastic. It has been so refreshing to connect with PAs all over the world, we are everywhere and we’re doing everything!” she said.
Louwagie presented “Understanding Academic Rank Among Physician Assistants Practicing in Academic Medical Centers ” virtually at the American Academy of PA’s 2021 conference.
