Lydia Nicole Greffet, PA

I've been in medicine since my first job at 16 at the front desk, shuffling medical records when they were still on paper. As a medical assistant, I saw APPs and docs at every level and decided as an undergraduate to become a physician assistant. Every PA should have the ability to read people so you can meet patients where they are and know how to treat whatever clinical issue they have. You can solve a lot if you know their desired outcomes and if you can meet them where they are and walk with them along their health journey. A PA is a physician assistant, which is a little misleading. We don't assist physicians. We're clinicians. We treat patients as the whole person they are. We diagnose, treat, refill meds, do the appropriate follow-ups, and advise patients on their health. I'd advise all my patients to move your body. One of the best things that you can do for yourself is just to go for a walk every single day. It's simple and it's very effective.

I chose primary care because that's the primary avenue where we can help people. It's the first line in the whole medical system. When people go to the doctor, they want to be introduced in a way that makes them comfortable. It's daunting to see a specialist or have surgery. Our role is to ease patients into that process so they feel comfortable and know the doctors care about them and want them to get better. I help with that. The most important skill is having a good ear, listening to what your patient is trying to convey. That often gets overlooked. My experience of understanding them goes beyond a medicine or a surgical procedure, It helps us find the deeper cause and root of what they're going through. In primary care, we pride ourselves on being that first line for people to air out everything they're going through and letting us ease them into the process. That's really what we want: to help the patient. We're here to help.