Alumni Profile: Mariah Gipson-Leroux
What first inspired you to pursue a career as a physician assistant?
I was one of those people that always knew I wanted to be in medicine. I always thought the only way to do that was to be a doctor, so I grew up with that thought of I'm going to go to medical school. I went through the process and didn't get in, and it made me reevaluate things. It never sat quite right with me. I knew I wanted to be in medicine, but something didn't align. I started researching different options and came across an article about someone glad they chose the PA profession instead of medical school. That sent me down a path of researching more about it. I reached out to the PAs in my area and asked if I could shadow them, and I fell in love with it. Every PA I met seemed happier and loved what they were doing.
Can you walk me through your path to PA school and what that process was like for you?
It was a longer journey for me than most. I decided that's what I wanted and tried to figure out what needed to be done. I also did dermatology for a little bit. It was a long process. I applied to PA school four times. I struggled in the beginning, but it got better. My core classes were on the lower side, so after not getting in and realizing that was probably the reason, I pivoted and did a post-bachelor's program, a master's in biomedical science, to show I could do graduate courses and succeed. Between that and many versions of my personal statement, I finally got an interview, and Duke was one of the first. The rest is history.
What stands out in your memory from your time at the Duke PA program?
My time at Duke was life-changing in many ways. COVID hit in the middle of our didactic year, and everything shut down overnight. We were scrambling to figure out how we were going to finish didactic and do rotations. A lot was happening in the world at once. I decided I wanted to be involved in leadership, so I was a Stead officer and represented the PA program on a School of Medicine committee. I also served as a student academy president for AAPA. It was a pivotal moment where I was getting involved, organizing events, putting protests together, and raising awareness. A very memorable time to be at Duke.
Were there any challenges you faced during PA school that helped shape your approach to medicine?
Definitely. As a Black woman, a woman of color, I already knew there were challenges we face seeking care. Hearing stories of things going on in the world during that time and being on panels for AAPA, sharing my voice and seeing the impact everyone was feeling, it was a lot. It was all heightened. Today I'm even more conscientious and mindful of my patients, to make them feel seen and heard and part of their care, especially patients from marginalized communities.
What was it like stepping into the profession after graduation?
It was challenging. It was a scary time because it was still COVID. After I graduated, I moved to New York for my first job, and they were in the midst of another outbreak, another surge. I was working in the hospital in obstetrics. Even though it wasn't general medicine, we were affected because we were testing everyone. We had to do all the PPE things and manage care based on that. It was challenging. When I was hired, a lot of PAs were leaving, so we were short staffed. I don't want to say I was thrown into it, but I was left to figure things out earlier than I was ready for. I had a great PA mentor who guided me and helped with the transition, but it was stressful.
What kind of work are you doing now, and what have been some of the roles you've held over the years?
I was an inpatient OB for my first job. I did that for three and a half years. Recently I transitioned into a new role. I moved back to North Carolina, so I'm in Charlotte working in fertility. It's very different than being in the hospital delivering babies. I'm on the other side helping people make the babies. A different environment. Similar medicine but very different at the same time. I'm learning so much. It's joyful to see when things work out and when people are successful.
Have you been involved in anything outside of clinical practice, such as teaching, leadership, or advocacy?
My role as student academy president for AAPA continued until a year after I graduated. Last summer until this summer I served as public relations chair for AAPOG, the American Association of PAs in Obstetrics and Gynecology. I thought about teaching or doing a guest lecture, something I'd be interested in, but I haven't had the opportunity yet.
What lessons or experiences from your journey would you want to share with students today?
Look at everything as a lesson and an opportunity to improve. I struggle with being hard on myself and feeling like I should know things or someone will think I'm dumb if I ask a question or if I make a mistake. I'm learning I may not know everything I feel like I should, but that shouldn't be discouraging. It should be motivation to grow and learn. I shouldn't be afraid to ask questions or of looking dumb because it's part of the process. Advocating for yourself is something I learned a lot in my previous job and this job, deciding I'm going to say what I need and not be afraid to say I'm not ready yet. It's been working out well. I'm clear about my strengths and weaknesses and honest about them, not ashamed, seeing them as areas to grow. It does get easier.
When you look back at your career so far, what are you most proud of?
I'm extremely proud of everything I did in school. It was stressful, but I felt like I had an opportunity to stand up and use my voice in a relevant, meaningful, impactful way for myself and my class. I'm proud I did that because it's something I hadn't done before. I'm proud of everything I learned during my last job, even though there were times I felt stressed, felt I didn't know what I was doing, and was overwhelmed because of the high volume and challenging environment. After a while we had complicated patients from time to time, and I'm proud I got to the point where I felt comfortable and knew what I was doing and how to handle an emergency. There was a part of me that questioned if I would ever get there, but I did. When it was time to move on, I felt my time there was done. Even though I didn't have something lined up and that wasn't my plan, it worked out. I'm proud of that too because now I'm in this new role which I like better than I imagined. I'm happy here and excited to be learning again. It's challenging in a new way. I'm proud that I advocated for myself knowing I had gotten everything I could from that job and needed something better for me mentally and physically.