Celebrating Physician Assistants Week

Physician Assistants Week is Oct. 6-12!
Meet MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant program graduate Candace Hickel, PA-C, who currently practices at Providence Alaska Medical Center.

1. What made you want to be a PA?
I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in medicine. My dad was a pathologist and medical missionary and he was my biggest hero and inspiration. He died of COVID-19 early in the pandemic and I hope my work honors his memory.

2. Where did you go to PA school?
I went to the University of Utah PA Program.

3. What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is knowing with certainty that I spent that day of my life doing something meaningful and helpful to others.

4. Do you specialize as a PA?
I have spent 10 years of my career in Neurosurgery and 3 years in Cardiothoracic surgery.

5. What do you do for fun?
I love to have fun with my wonderful husband and our boys.

About MEDEX Northwest
MEDEX Northwest, established in 1969, is proud of its long-standing mission to educate health care providers who will practice primary care in medically underserved and rural areas of the UW School of Medicine service region. Most of our 2,600-plus graduates work in the WWAMI region; please see the WWAMI Program website for more information on this regional program. MEDEX has also added a new campus in Kona, Hawaii supporting island students and communities there.  

MEDEX offers a competency-based program that accepts applicants with previous health care experience, such as nurses (at any level), EMTs, Alaska community health aides, medical assistants, athletic trainers, former military corpsmen, etc. Five campuses serve students from a wide geographic range, and clinical education takes place throughout the WWAMI region, Hawaii and beyond. One of the five campuses being right here in Anchorage on the UAA campus. The very diverse MEDEX students fulfill the program’s mission to improve access to primary health care as well as develop new professional roles for PAs.  

MEDEX Northwest operates as a section under the Department of Family Medicine in UW Medicine. Our faculty and staff bring considerable experience to the MEDEX program. The core faculty includes PAs with between two and 35-plus years of experience, physicians and researchers. The cross-campus staff includes individuals with extensive involvement in and familiarity with the field of PA education and student assistance.

October Archive