On April 1, 2024, Ankita Kapoor, MD, and Samuel Reuter, PA-C, spearheaded the Physician Assistant/Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program for the Division of Hospital Medicine. The goal of this program is to offer specialized training for PAs and NPs, preparing them to deliver outstanding patient care, and facilitating a seamless transition from the academic environment into clinical practice.
Hannah Gill, PA-C, did a hospital medicine rotation as part of her PA education, and agreed to be the inaugural fellow of the new program. When asked about her decision to choose a fellowship after graduation, Hannah shared, “Mainly, I felt that additional experience prior to starting work as a PA would greatly increase my confidence and provide a helpful transition from PA school to employment. I wanted additional rotations that I was not able to do during PA school due to the relatively short duration of our education.”
“Hannah did excellent with a busy observation patient volume. She had outstanding communication with patients and staff. She was able to easily work with consultants and interdisciplinary teams who spoke highly of her…Overall great job and I would be happy to work with Hannah anytime.”
In March of 2025, Hannah became the first graduate of the program, moving on to become a Physician Assistant for the division in April. Hannah had a wonderful experience during her fellowship, and the faculty she worked with shared many positive remarks about their time working with and mentoring her. She felt that the fellowship greatly influenced her professional development and future career path, saying, “The increased time dedicated to education and lectures improved my underlying understanding of various diseases.” Hannah was grateful for the ability to spend time on specialty consult services as well. She explained, “The time spent on specialty consult services provided exposure to decision-making processes that hospitalists are not always privy to, and the most up-to-date guidelines utilized in these decision-making processes.”
The program was both rewarding and impactful for Hannah. In addition to the educational benefits, Hannah said, “I also really enjoyed spending time with the fellows on various services and making connections! Seeing the workflow on the other side of things is helpful when knowing how to best communicate with their services as a hospital medicine APC.” When asked about advice she would provide to future fellows, Hannah shared, “You get out of the fellowship what you put into it. Prioritizing the daily education over trying to see more consults on a busy day is generally a good idea, just communicate to whatever team you’re working with, and they’ll be understanding. Your main objective is to learn.” She also explained, “The thing that differentiates a fellowship from going straight into employment is the duration of training dedicated to education, and the depth of physiologic knowledge you attain. There is a major learning curve regardless, but a fellowship grants you a greater depth of knowledge when starting out.”
“The thing that differentiates a fellowship from going straight into employment is the duration of training dedicated to education, and the depth of physiologic knowledge you attain. There is a major learning curve regardless, but a fellowship grants you a greater depth of knowledge when starting out.”
Congratulations to Hannah on her amazing accomplishment! We look forward to bringing on additional fellows in upcoming years as the division continues to expand and develop this program.