{"id":13304,"date":"2026-01-30T09:56:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13304"},"modified":"2026-01-30T09:56:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T15:56:20","slug":"expanding-his-scope-uwl-student-returns-to-grad-school-expanding-his-role-in-patient-care","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/expanding-his-scope-uwl-student-returns-to-grad-school-expanding-his-role-in-patient-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Expanding his scope: UWL student returns to grad school, expanding his role in patient care"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
UW\u2013La Crosse Physician Assistant Studies student Sam Weigel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

UW\u2013La Crosse\u00a0Physician Assistant Studies<\/a>\u00a0student Sam Weigel spent this fall semester immersed in the study of the human body \u2014 exploring everything from the gastrointestinal system to the heart, lungs and kidneys. It\u2019s a demanding pace, but one he welcomes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the gaps in my medical knowledge are slowly being filled in,\u201d Weigel says. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a lot of fun. I love learning.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Before returning to school, Weigel worked as a physical therapist at\u00a0Mayo\u00a0Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. But, after years in that role, he felt drawn to expand his scope of practice and pursue a new challenge \u2014\u00a0returning to graduate school to\u00a0become\u00a0a physician assistant.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Weigel\u2019s return to graduate school reflects a broader pattern among professionals who\u00a0seek\u00a0to expand their scope of practice later in their careers. Nationally, more than a quarter of prospective graduate students already hold a graduate degree, according to a survey by\u00a0UPCEA\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Collegis\u00a0Education<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I was surprised to see the proportion was so high,\u201d says Meredith Thomsen, dean of\u00a0Graduate & Extended Learning<\/a>\u00a0at UWL. \u201cBut when you consider how graduate study can open new opportunities for personal growth and career advancement, it makes sense that some individuals choose to come back for more.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While most PA Studies students enter the program shortly after completing their undergraduate degree,\u00a0about 5% of students in the program\u00a0this year\u00a0are considered non-traditional, returning to graduate study at age 25 or older, according to UWL Institutional Research, Assessment & Planning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStudents pursue the PA profession for many reasons, most commonly for greater autonomy in professional practice and competitive pay,\u201d says PA Studies Program Director Maggie Laufenberg.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Weigel says the decision to pursue the PA path was influenced by both professional goals and family aspirations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs my wife and I think about growing our family, I want to be able to provide more,\u201d he says. \u201cBecoming a PA felt like the perfect opportunity \u2014 it allows me to expand my scope of practice and gives me flexibility to work in different medical specialties throughout my career.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Working alongside other healthcare providers as a physical therapist gave Weigel a firsthand look at the PA profession \u2014 and inspired him to take the leap.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now in the first year of the two-year program, Weigel says he appreciates the variety of lectures led by both UWL faculty and guest presenters, including active and\u00a0retired physicians who bring real-world experience into the classroom<\/a>.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0also looking forward to his clinical rotations, where partnerships with regional healthcare institutions will allow him to apply what\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0learned in a hands-on setting.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis program is excellent,\u201d he says. \u201cThe professors are wonderful and supportive. They challenge us in\u00a0different ways\u00a0and push us hard, but only because they know we can do it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Written by UW-La Crosse<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwlax.edu\/news\/posts\/expanding-his-scope\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UW\u2013La Crosse\u00a0Physician Assistant Studies\u00a0student Sam Weigel spent this fall semester immersed in the study of the human body \u2014 exploring everything from the gastrointestinal system to the heart, lungs and kidneys. It\u2019s a demanding pace, but one he welcomes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAll of the gaps in my medical knowledge are slowly being filled in,\u201d Weigel says. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13306,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[104],"story_category":[147],"class_list":["post-13304","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-la-crosse","story_category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13304"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13304"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}