For Andrew Cleveland, PA, medicine is in his bones. His grandfather was a cardiothoracic surgeon in the Denver-metro area, and as an active, injury-prone and curious kid himself, he joined the Junior Ski Patrol team at Winter Park Ski Resort.
“It was incredible exposure to practicing medicine,” he said. “While on patrol, I was able to help with several major injuries including femur fractures, heart attacks, multiple other fractures and dislocations.”
What started as intriguing for him became inevitable; orthopedic medicine quickly became the ‘what’ for his professional life. For the ‘how,’ he credits his parents.
“My parents always emphasized the inclusion of kindness and empathy,” he said. “Being an orthopedic PA allows me to practice the precision and decision-making of surgery, along with the kindness and empathy that can truly set a caregiver apart to their patients and coworkers.”
His coworkers have responded, electing Cleveland to serve as the first chair of the newly formed Platte Valley Hospital APP Council.
As chair, Cleveland now sits on the MEC and is charged with advocating on behalf of his APP colleagues and providing their perspective as decisions are made that affect the hospital’s work environment and the care APPs provide.
“Our collaborating physicians at PV have always treated us with genuine respect, and I want to continue to foster those relationships,” he said. “I also want this council to work closely with hospital leadership and nurture a culture of community through teamwork, to enable all of us to provide our patients with the highest level of care and compassion possible.”
Monthly council meetings soon will start, during which Cleveland and council members can hear directly from APPs about issues they feel need attention or need to be raised with hospital leadership.
Cleveland attended college at Northwestern University in Evanson, Ill., and earned a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and a Master of Public Health from Touro University in Vallejo, Calif. Cleveland has been a practicing orthopedic PA in the metro area for 20 years, four of them at Platte Valley. His term as APP chair will be two years.
“It will be an honor to help bring a voice to the APPs in a more official capacity,” he said, “to strive to push forward the concept of working not only with high levels of skill and knowledge, but with empathy, kindness, caring and clear communication, to offer the best to this community.”
Sounds like an unbreakable ‘why.’ Medical staff members with questions about the council or suggestions for Cleveland can click here.