Thomas Pahl, PA-C | PA of the Year

MAPA is pleased to present Thomas Pahl, PA-C, as MAPA 2021 PA of the Year. Tom is an Emergency Medicine PA in the Glacial Ridge Health System. He is a skilled clinician, with expertise in point-of-care ultrasound, resuscitation, and various emergency procedures. Tom is a published author in ultrasound texts, teaches ultrasound courses, and is the vice-chair of the MN State Trauma Advisory Council. He is an active educator in local PA programs and he precepts many students on their clinical rotations, taking more than the usual number this last year during COVID19 to make sure students could fulfill their necessary hours to graduate. He treats everyone with dignity and respect and is a worthy recipient of this award. Congratulations, Tom!

Caring:
Out of PA school, Tom worked in a small community internal medicine practice. Despite working in Emergency Medicine now for over a decade, many of the same patients he cared for will seek him out for advice. He has had a lasting impact on those he cares for. Working in Emergency Medicine, in a department with solo coverage, he sees all comers, regardless of ability to pay and regardless of social status. He has hands down shown the same compassion and care for everyone. Even those who may be at their worst due to substance abuse, withdrawal or underlying psychiatric disorders causing the patient to be hostile or threatening. He is patient and kind and always does the right thing in regard to patient care. It is not uncommon for Mr. Pahl to follow up with patients post discharge to check on their condition. This is unique in Emergency Medicine.

Medical Service:
Working in a small rural hospital, I entrusted the care of my family to Mr. Pahl. One instance was my special needs daughter had a foreign body in her foot that had gotten secondarily infected. Mr. Pahl saw her, reassured my wife and daughter and then was able to sedate and perform a painless incision and drainage of her foot. He is always at the cutting edge of treatment and is an avid reader of the medical literature and is always encouraging those around him to adopt the latest practices. He has always been a leader clinically. He is a rare breed in that he not only has medical expertise as well as a compassionate bedside manner. He always places the patient first.

Community:
He is active in precepting the next generation of PA's as well as teaching them. He was not only chosen by the MN Commissioner of Health to represent PA's on the State Trauma Advisory Council, but in his first term, he was also chosen to be the Vice Chair of the Council. This is unprecedented and quite an honor. In addition, he is faculty for the regional HCMC ultrasound course offered biannually. He has also published a chapter in a renown ultrasound text as well as coauthor of a journal article. This all the while being a father and husband with a growing family. He has been instrumental in introducing point of care ultrasound to both Bethel and Augsburg College PA programs. Anyone that knows Tom would know of his passion for ultrasound as well as excellence in patient care. He is a man of faith and integrity.

Message from Tom:
"I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants for honoring me with this award.

23 years ago, when I was accepted into PA school, I did not think that I would ever read a full chapter of a textbook, let alone be an author of one. Richard Branson, the entrepreneur, and self-made billionaire once said, "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!"
This saying “Yes” mentality has allowed me to be an international educator, contributing author in the premier emergency ultrasound textbook, contributing author for a paper on focused transesophageal echocardiography, and many other amazing opportunities.

Being a PA has been extremely rewarding, given me many opportunities, and has also been a lot of hard work and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. My teenage son once asked me why I work so hard, and I reassured him that hard work never killed anyone, he quipped “ya I suppose you’re right, but I don’t want to take the chance”. I could never have predicted how blessed I have been to be a Physician Assistant and how much I have learned over the past 20 years. As a matter of fact, I learned so much from my first position in Internal Medicine I probably would have done it for free, when I look back at what I was paid, compared to today’s beginning salaries, it looks like I did do it for free.

As PAs we are well trained, knowledgeable, respected members of the medical profession. Through a rigorous selection process, demanding medical based education, and the support of our collaborating physicians we have obtained a level of success that is truly unparalleled. Although I respect and value other medical professions, they are not PAs. It is important to recall that just 55 years ago the PA profession was created, and it has been a long difficult road to have obtained such a high of a level of professional achievement. We stand on the shoulders of those who have worked so tirelessly to found, develop, and promote this profession. As the early generation of PAs retire, it is important to give our appreciation to the proud men and women who have gone before us.
No matter what title you prefer for our profession, do not for a moment think that we should be diluted into the amorphous group known as advanced practice providers. I am not implying that other professions are lesser, but I am clearly stating that we are not the same. My hope is that as our profession continues to evolve, that we can all agree that we need to emphasize what a Physician Assistant truly is, what we contribute to medicine, and how we can continue to be exemplary and unparalleled in our care of patients. It is more vital than ever for us to work collaboratively with all medical professionals, but more importantly we need to say “yes” to joining together to continuously assess our attributes, strengths, and weaknesses and keep the vision of our founding members moving forward and promote that identity to the General Public.

As we move forward let us give appreciation for the many sacrifices made to allow us to be the best profession and may we continue to define, promote, and build upon this amazing foundation. I hope that not one of us desires to be average, but that we each continually say “Yes” as we look for ways to learn, grow, and improve the care that we provide to our patients and the value we contribute to the medical community.

Medical knowledge is not proprietary, or the sole belonging of physicians, we all are called to have a similar knowledge and skill set regardless of degree. It is not like golf, PAs don’t get a handicap, patients expect us to perform at the same level as physicians. I encourage each of us to say “yes” to opportunities and keep pushing our own limits and the limits of our profession in the hopes that the synergy can keep us on the cutting edge of medicine together."