May 7, 2024

Amanda Webb-Davidson '03 is the chief physician assistant for the Wilmington Veterans Administration Hospital and outpatient clinics and is a member of the VA's disaster emergency medical personnel system. She was an integral part of the set up and staff for the Baltimore Convention Center COVID field hospital for two and a half years during the heart of the pandemic. Webb-Davidson also assisted leaders in Washington, DC, with the Ebola crisis and helped to develop VA centers and policies to manage Ebola patients and protocols to transport the patients.

When did you graduate from Drexel?
2003

What drew you to the PA profession and Drexel’s program, specifically?
I had an affinity for health care, was a medic in Army national Guard, trained in Ft Sam Houston, Texas, then went on to be a critical care RN for many years. I wanted to advance my skills and career and wanted a more in depth training in all medicine specialties, so the PA program was a perfect match. I chose MCP Hahnemann, now Drexel, due to its long history of excellence in medical education that had initially been the first med school to educate female doctors. My perception of the MCP Hahnemann reputation lead me to think this PA program must have the cultural influence from the medical school to embrace gender equality with an excellent medical education.

Was there a faculty member that inspired you during school?
Pat Auth and Gretchen Fox

After graduation, where did you practice?
Initially, I started in infectious disease and primary care, which gave me the strong foundation to go on to hospitalist medicine and emergency medicine. I still practice both specialties.

In your first year out of school, what was the most important lesson you learned?
You don’t know everything. It is better to be humble, listen closely to the patients and look up diagnosis and discuss honestly with patients if the diagnosis is not immediately evident.

What environment do you practice in now?
Emergency medicine and inpatient hospitalist medicine.

How can PA professionals improve health equity?
We have a shortage of doctors, so PAs are more cost effective and care for most problems/illnesses for which they present to the ER.

Describe a day in your clinical practice.
I work in an ER. Patients start coming in around 9 a.m. with a variety of complaints, most of the patients will fall into the three categories: non urgent conditions who will likely go home, patients who are sick and likely will be admitted and patients who need urgent intervention to avoid possible mortality. After seeing a patient and starting a workup, you go on to another patient. Some days, there is a fast and unlimited flow of patients into the ER, for which you will take a variety as some will need a more comprehensive workup than others. Our triage nurse first evaluates patients and then will get a provider urgently if the patient is unstable. A team of nurses, a tech and a provider will immediately evaluate the patient to stabilize them. Think ABC: airway breathing circulation. After diagnostics and various treatments, the patient will either be admitted, transferred to a tertiary care facility or discharged home. This is when there is an opportunity to really make a difference in health care. A good history and discussion with the patient can bring to light problems that can impede their ability to effectively manage their health problems. Examples include elderly who have difficulty living alone, no car to get groceries, do not understand what each medication treats, recent loss, lack family support, developing dementia, financial struggles, food insecurity and distrust of medicine. With these insights, social work or other assistance can be ordered to assist patient with their health independence.

For a student about to graduate, what strategies would you share about how to stay present and avoid burnout?
Expect the first two years to be difficult, set the expectation that you will be working very hard. Do not allow yourself to be given so much work you can not safely treat the patients, avoid excessive job demands. Concentrate on a healthy diet, exercise and sleep. Plan something fun with friends or family regularly. Learn to delegate tasks.