Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Medicine, Jefferson University Physicians

What inspired you to become an APC?
I was inspired to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) by my pharmacology professor in my undergraduate nursing program. The critical care environment, the autonomy and flexibility, and career growth were all factors.

What do you appreciate most about your role?
The CRNAs on my team are an amazing group and the physicians we work with make me appreciate my role.

How has mentorship shaped the APC you are today and/or your career journey?
Mentorship is one of the most important roles we can provide for our APC (CRNA) students and colleagues. Mentorship helped me as a new graduate build confidence and foster my interest in leadership.

Why is mentorship essential for APCs?
Mentorship is essential in bridging the gap for new graduates between theory and transition to practice. It can help decrease anxiety, improves patient outcomes, and improve retention.

How has scholarship support for conferences, training, and professional development helped you grow in your field, and why are scholarships essential for APCs to continue providing exceptional care?
Attending conferences helps build professional development, networking, and knowledge of new and upcoming changes within our specialty. Scholarships are essential to help maintain and build the future workforce of APC and continue to promote professional growth.

Could you share the emotional impact of knowing someone invested in your professional journey?
The emotional impact of knowing I had supporters in my professional journey allowed me to build confidence, validated my hard work, and helped me stay motivated along the way.

Jefferson Washington Township Hospital

What inspired you to become an APC?
I have a unique experience in that my mother is a certified nurse midwife. It was always a part of my life with my mom, and she and I share very similar personality traits. And both of my parents being in medicine (my dad as an internist/primary care physician for over 40 years), I knew I wanted to be in medicine. And I’ve always felt a calling to women’s rights and women’s healthcare, so it seemed like a natural transition that being a certified nurse midwife was the career path for me … and I have been a certified nurse midwife for almost 10 years now.

What do you appreciate most about your role?
It changes every day. There is the reward of taking care of people, of having successful outcomes for both my patients, as well as if they’re pregnant, having successful pregnancy outcomes.

I get just as much out of being a provider as I think the patients do. I get a wide variety of interactions with patients, and life experiences I get to see, which makes me a more well-rounded person.

It’s two-fold: From the clinician point of view, it’s very rewarding and meaningful to take care of people. But personally, I get just as much out of learning from other people and patients themselves.

How has mentorship shaped the APC you are today and/or your career journey?
When you’re starting out as a clinician, it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed at first and second-guess yourself, unsteady with the vast amount of information and responsibility that is upon you.

I’ve had several mentors who were very experienced in their careers, and it was their steadiness that was so helpful for me. I never felt judged for asking questions. And at first, there can be a self-consciousness in asking questions because you want to prove yourself, but if you’re a good mentor, you make people realize that in medicine you’re always learning.

And early enough in my career, I was lucky enough to have those mentors, where questions weren’t the enemy, and collaboration was very necessary for someone to be a good clinician. So I’m trying to pass that along now as a mentor to new clinicians and my students.

Why is mentorship essential for APCs?
Mentorship is important for confidence building, and it’s also important to help the APC recognize that collaboration is necessary in our job. I don’t believe that practicing medicine is a solo sport. It’s a collaboration. So having that mentorship where someone feels comfortable whenever that time arises [when they need help with a clinical situation], they have people to call on.

Why are scholarships essential for APCs to continue providing exceptional care?
Continuing education is an essential and necessary part of our job. Medicine changes every day, and the expectation should be that we grow with the ever-changing research and evidence-based care.

Could you share the emotional impact of knowing someone invested in your professional journey?
[I’d be] forever grateful. It would only enrich me as a clinician to provide competent, up-to-date, evidence-based care. Not only would it benefit me as a clinician, but it also benefits my patients and those I care for.  

Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center

Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am trained as a pharmacist and am a certified nurse practitioner with specialties in family, acute care, and oncology. A PhD candidate in Population Health Science, I am interested in understanding how patient perspectives can inform community- and patient-centered approaches to improving healthcare delivery.

What inspired you to become an APC?
My journey to becoming an APC grew from caring for patients who struggled to access medications they needed, particularly when treatments were expensive or difficult to obtain. As a pharmacist, I saw these challenges firsthand and wanted to become more involved in the patient’s overall care. I wanted to understand the patient beyond the medication, contribute to treatment decisions, and collaborate with other healthcare professionals to provide the best possible care.

I became certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, and Advanced Oncology Nurse Practitioner. These experiences have allowed me to integrate my pharmacology background with clinical assessment, evidence-based decision-making, and interprofessional collaboration to provide comprehensive care.

What do you appreciate most about your role?
What I appreciate most about being an APC is the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with patients and families while making a difference during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. I value being able to listen, educate, advocate, and collaborate with healthcare professionals across disciplines to help patients navigate their care and receive comprehensive, coordinated support.

How has mentorship shaped the APC you are today and/or your career journey?
Mentorship has been instrumental throughout my career. At different stages of my journey, mentors have encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone, consider opportunities I may not have otherwise pursued, and recognize possibilities that I could not always see on my own. They taught me that it takes a village to grow and that when one door closes, it does not mean all doors are closed. Often, another person can help us see the next door and walk through it together. Mentorship has shown me the power of community and connection, and it has inspired me to do the same for others.

Could you share a memorable mentorship story?
I have been fortunate to have mentors who recognized different strengths and encouraged me to explore opportunities I may not have pursued on my own. One mentor opened the door for me to teach advanced pharmacology, recognizing the value my background in pharmacy and advanced clinical practice could bring to students. Another encouraged me to pursue research and scholarly writing, helping me see how my clinical experiences could contribute to a broader body of knowledge. These experiences have allowed me to grow as an educator and scholar while reinforcing for me the importance of recognizing one another’s strengths and creating opportunities for others to grow and contribute

Why is mentorship essential for APCs?
Mentorship is essential for APCs because it creates a culture of support, learning, and shared growth. It helps us navigate challenges, learn from the experiences of others, and continue developing throughout our careers. Most importantly, mentorship allows us to share knowledge, open doors, and create opportunities for the next generation of healthcare professionals.

How has scholarship support for conferences, training, and professional development helped you grow in your field, and why are scholarships essential for APCs to continue providing exceptional care?
Scholarship support has opened opportunities for me to attend conferences, participate in professional development, and learn from leaders and experts in my field. These experiences have broadened my perspective, strengthened my knowledge, and allowed me to bring new ideas and evidence back to my patients, colleagues, and students. Investing in professional growth ultimately extends beyond the individual, because what we learn can benefit the people and communities we serve.

Professional development opportunities can come with significant financial barriers, and scholarships help make conferences, training, and continuing education accessible to more APCs. Investing in APCs is an investment in patients and communities, because the knowledge, skills, and connections we gain through these opportunities ultimately strengthen the care we provide and the impact we can have.

Could you share the emotional impact of knowing someone invested in your professional journey?
Knowing that someone believes in you enough to invest in your professional journey is deeply meaningful. It makes you feel seen, supported, and valued, and it reminds you that you are part of something bigger than yourself. That investment creates a ripple effect that extends to the patients, families, colleagues, students, and communities we serve.

When someone invests in an APC, they are not simply investing in a career. They are investing in the many lives that APC will touch and the difference they will make along the way.

Emergency Medicine, Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest  

What inspired you to become an APC? 
I knew from a young age that I wanted to become an Advanced Practice Clinician (APC). While my father battled cancer, I accompanied my family to oncology appointments, where one APC took the time to connect with my sisters and me during an incredibly difficult period. Following the loss of my father, her compassion and support left a lasting impression on me and ultimately inspired the career path I chose. 

As I continued to grow up, I attended appointments within this network and vividly remember sharing my professional aspirations with providers here. It has been an incredible and humbling experience to come full circle, working alongside those who once cared for me and my family. I am honored to now call them my colleagues. 

What do you appreciate most about your role? 
I often tell students that emergency medicine providers are among the most collaborative and rewarding colleagues they will encounter. While my perspective may be influenced by my own experience, I deeply value the professional relationships I have developed, as well as the autonomy and trust I have earned within the department. These relationships have allowed me to mentor and support fellow APCs in practicing to the full extent of their training, develop innovative educational opportunities, and continue advocating for a profession that I am deeply passionate about. 

How has mentorship shaped the APC you are today and/or your career journey? 
Mentorship has played a significant role in shaping the APC I am today, particularly during a pivotal point in my career following the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, I experienced the very real effects of burnout and found myself questioning how to sustain the passion that had always driven me. Although I was still relatively early in my career, I realized I needed to reconnect with the purpose behind my work. 

Through opportunities to work with students, mentor new APCs, and become more involved in education, I found that renewed sense of purpose. There is something incredibly rewarding about supporting others as they strive toward goals you once had yourself. Watching learners grow in confidence and develop their clinical skills is both inspiring and humbling. It serves as a constant reminder of how far I have come and the many individuals who invested their time, knowledge, and encouragement in my own development. 

Mentorship has reinforced the importance of giving back to the profession. I recognize that I was once in the same position as many of the students and APCs I now mentor, looking to others for guidance and support. Being able to provide that encouragement for the next generation of clinicians has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career and has strengthened my commitment to lifelong learning, professional growth, and service to others. 

Can you share a memorable mentorship story?
I have had the privilege of working with students, new APCs, and colleagues at various stages of their careers. One of my most meaningful mentorship experiences involves a colleague whom I am now proud to work alongside in the Emergency Department. 

I first met her as a student during a clinical rotation. At the time, she was experiencing significant transportation challenges, yet she arrived each day prepared, engaged, and never once complained. At the end of one shift, she asked where she might be able to get an Uber ride home, and I offered to drive her myself. During that drive, we talked about the obstacles she was facing, her career goals, and her hopes for the future. 

Years later, when she joined our team in the Emergency Department, I reflected on how important it is to support others not just as colleagues, but as people. The impact of mentorship often extends far beyond clinical education. I was humbled when she shared that she hoped to one day become "the next Jessie Pavolko." I laughed and told her she should aspire to be herself, but her words stayed with me. 

On the most challenging days, I think back to that conversation. It serves as a reminder that the way we show up for others matters. Mentorship is not only about teaching clinical skills or sharing knowledge; it is about encouraging, supporting, and believing in people as they work toward their goals. Knowing that even small acts of kindness and guidance can have a lasting impact reinforces why mentorship remains one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. 

Why is mentorship essential for APCs? 
Mentorship is essential for APCs because navigating a career in medicine can be both challenging and demanding. Throughout our careers, we face uncertainty, complex clinical situations, impostor syndrome, and the constant responsibility of ensuring we provide the highest quality care to our patients. These pressures can be overwhelming, particularly for those who are early in their careers or transitioning into new roles. 

Effective mentorship provides guidance, support, and reassurance during these moments of growth and uncertainty. It creates a safe space to ask questions, seek advice, and learn from the experiences of others who have faced similar challenges. Beyond clinical development, mentorship fosters confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging within the profession. 

Some of the most valuable lessons I have learned have come through mentorship, and I believe it is one of the most impactful ways we can support one another as APCs. Mentors help us recognize our strengths, navigate obstacles, and continue growing both professionally and personally. In a field that demands so much of its clinicians, mentorship is not simply beneficial, it is invaluable.