Written by: Blaise Geyer, PA-C
For those of you reading our blog posts that have either not yet visited us in clinic or have never gotten to meet me, our time can sometimes be limited in the office but if you’re like me, I love to know about the people I surround myself with and what makes them tick! For that reason, I thought I’d give you a little insight into who I am behind the scenes and why I chose this amazing profession!
Early Life
I was born in Big Sky Country in the largest city in Montana– Billings (mind you that talking a population of just a little over 100,000). My family and I lived in Billings until my dad’s job moved us to the even smaller town of Monroe, Wisconsin before my kindergarten year. Growing up I was involved in some of your average sports like volleyball and track, and some more unusual ones including horseback riding and gymnastics. I also loved to sing and was involved in choir, madrigals, and some of the musicals my high school put on.
If you would have asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up then I probably would have answered, a veterinarian. My mother who was a nurse, and her mother, who had also been a nurse, frequently discussed stories from their days in medicine with me. I just remembered thinking, nope I don’t think I could ever do those things or stick people with needles. Funny how things work, huh?
College and Pre-PA
In undergrad at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, I pursued my degree in Biology and Spanish with the vision of becoming a bilingual veterinarian, college professor or zoologist, but as fate would have it, I fell in love with the medical field. This happened after job shadowing different professionals; the individual and career that stood out to me was a Physician Assistant I shadowed in Neurosurgery. I loved that he was autonomous and so involved with his patients and within his specialty, but still had the ability he had to change between specialties if he wanted without having to go back to school.
After I graduated college, I worked as a medical assistant in the Emergency Department for two years before starting my Physician Assistant program. My time there did wonders for any fear of needles or bodily fluids I may have had (or at least made me learn how to deal with them). The pace, intensity and life experiences that I gained from my time there cemented the fact that I was pursuing the right path for me.
PA School
At the end of my didactic year in PA school, I still did not know what area of medicine called to me. During my clinical rotations, I completed an elective in Dermatology. There I worked with a PA who performed mostly annual skin checks and addressed dermatological concerns, however, a couple days a week she also offered Aesthetic services. One day working with her in Aesthetics and I was hooked! These patients were so different than those I encountered in my other rotations– they actually wanted to be there and they were so delighted when they left! In addition, there was an art to the injections that satisfied the musical, artsy side of me that I hadn’t been able to use in awhile.
Career
In order to keep my newly found skills and knowledge fresh, I started out my journey as a new Physician Assistant in Primary Care, but was able to do Botox and dermal filler injections periodically knowing that would be the direction I would pursue. Through that job, I was introduced to others that worked solely in Aesthetic Medicine and thus my transition to full-time Aesthetics occurred! I feel truly blessed to say that I absolutely love my job. I get to see the hope on people’s faces when they come into the clinic to better themselves, many so busy in their lives and caring for others that they don’t usually make themselves a priority. I am overjoyed when I see the happiness on their faces and the confidence they exude strutting out of the office. To me that is worth everything!
So come to L-Aesthetics and say hi, get a consultation, and/or come get treated! I can’t wait to me
et you and make you feel like your best self!