Physician Assistant Students Receive Federal Scholarship

Alyssa Barnes and Victoria Thai thankful for assistance in advancing their medical studies

Sacred Heart University physician assistant (PA) students Alyssa Barnes and Victoria Thai have received National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholarships, which will pay their entire tuition and provide a monthly stipend for living expenses.

The scholarship is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources & Services Administration. Recipients must commit to spending at least two years of full-time service in an area that is experiencing a shortage of health professionals.

“We are so excited that two of our PA students have received a National Health Service Corps scholarship,” said Maura Iversen, dean of the College of Health Professions. “Each year, there are more than 1,800 applications for the scholarships from hundreds of schools nationwide, and only 10% of the applicants receive the scholarship. This is truly a testament to Alyssa’s and Victoria’s talents and commitment to those in need.”

Barnes learned about the scholarship opportunity through a Facebook PA forum while researching scholarships. She applied and hoped for the best, and she was thrilled when she learned this summer that she would be one of the recipients. “I was happy, and I was relieved,” she said.

Starting in high school, Barnes, 24, of Pittsfield, MA, knew she wanted to work in the medical field. She wanted to give a helping hand to those in need, because she knew what it was like to take care of loved ones. Barnes had cared for her mother—who grappled with drug addiction—while also supporting her three younger siblings.

“I want to help families going through the same situation I went through,” Barnes said. “I learned how to be a caregiver at a young age, and those life experiences really led me to this field.”

Barnes earned her certified nurse assistant license at her vocational high school when she was 16 and started working in the field right away. Then, during her undergraduate years at Elms College in Chicopee, MA, she studied biology and explored her career options. She joined a mission trip to Jamaica, where she worked in a student-run health clinic serving needy individuals from diverse communities. The experience reinforced her interest in giving back to her community.

Eventually, she discovered the PA profession. “You get to do a lot in this field,” Barnes said. “You diagnose, you treat. It’s really versatile.”

Barnes went on to earn her master’s degree in biomedical sciences at Elms College while working two jobs: as a scheduler for patients at Berkshire Medical Center’s Radiology Services, and a per diem employee at a group home. She had to quit her jobs and move to Connecticut, but she is settling into her new life.

At SHU, Barnes said, she has found the PA program to be exciting.

Mother’s illness inspires health career

Thai, 26, also has an emotional connection to her profession and career choice. The West Hartford native became interested in medicine at 16 when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thai wanted to learn everything she could about the disease and understand why her mother was receiving certain medicines.

“I wanted to know more and to understand what was going on with her treatment,” Thai said.

Thai earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of St. Joseph’s in West Hartford in 2017. She obtained a research fellowship with the American Cancer Society at Yale University and worked with gene therapies and new approaches to breast cancer treatment. Later, she worked as a medical scribe for ScribeAmerica.

Thai came to realize she preferred interacting with and treating patients, so she accepted a job with GoHealth Urgent Care as an advanced clinical associate, working alongside PAs transcribing medical charts, checking vital signs and more.

“I learned so much on the job,” Thai said of her two years at GoHealth. She said interacting with PAs helped solidify her career goals. “I got to see what physician assistants do on a daily basis,” she said.

When Thai applied to PA schools, she was truly impressed by SHU. “Sacred Heart offered everything I was looking for,” she said. Plus, with SHU’s state-of-the-art cadaver lab and Anatomage Table (a 3D anatomy visualization system), its program offered high-tech equipment and resources other schools didn’t have.

After she was accepted to SHU, Thai started seeking scholarships. She learned about the NHSC scholarship and applied. “It seemed like a win-win,” Thai said. However, she doubted she would receive the award because she knew it was quite competitive.

Thai learned she was a semi-finalist and then, on the day she attended a social gathering with Sacred Heart’s PA upperclassmen, she found out she would be a recipient. She remembers having to keep her composure and excitement at bay. “I was in shock,” Thai said.

Now, Barnes and Thai work side by side with like-minded individuals as they study complex diseases and medical conditions. They both said they enjoy learning about patient assessments and how to treat patients.

During assessments, students take turns being the “provider” and the “patient.” The assessments are filmed, offering students a second learning opportunity. “The ‘provider’ does a whole exam on the ‘patient,’ and then we watch the video to see how we did. You really learn a lot that way,” Thai said.

Barnes said the PA program is demanding, but rewarding. “It’s just so much more in depth than any of my other programs. It’s intense, but in a good way. I’ve learned so much in the last few months alone. One of the best parts about the program is that we’re all working together. We’re all in it together,” she said.

Visit the PA program webpage to learn more.

Pictured: Alyssa Barnes, left, and Victoria Thai