Mental Health Physician Assistant

March **, ****

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is in regards to the P sychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner position , as advertised on ZipRecruiter.com. I am a midlevel provider as a board certified Physician Assistant. I am well-equipped to fulfill this position, as I not only have a background in general medicine with a Master of Physician Assistant degree, but I chose to continue my education after PA school by attending a yearlong postgraduate residency program in psychiatry, including addiction medicine. Upon completion of the residency, I will become board certified in psychiatry. The postgraduate residency program in psychiatry includes 500 didactic hours at Baylor College of Medicine. As a PA resident, I attend the same lectures as first, second, and third-year psychiatric physician residents. In addition to the world-class training in the classroom, the program requires 2,000 clinical hours at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Clinical hours are exclusively in psychiatry in the following clinical settings: outpatient, inpatient, emergency medicine, addiction medicine, community-based outpatient clinics, home-based intensive care management, and geriatrics. On top of the clinical rotation and didactics in addiction medicine, I completed the 24-hour waiver to prescribe medication-assisted treatment (MAT), such as Buprenorphine. Therefore, I am eligible to become a certified MAT provider pending submission and acceptance of the waiver through SAMHSA.

I graduated from Wichita State University in 2017, where I was selected for the Outstanding Clinical Achievement Award and inducted into Phi Alpha National Honor Society with a 4.0 GPA. While in PA school, I discovered my desire to pursue psychiatry after completing 160 hours of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric training in rural Kansas and 320 hours of outpatient psychiatric experience in Houston, TX.

As a board certified PA in general medicine, I have the ability to independently obtain a medical history, perform a physical exam, order and interpret lab tests, diagnose, perform surgical procedures, develop a treatment plan, prescribe medicine, educate patients, and work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team. The psychiatry residency has further expanded my knowledge and skills in mental health care and prepared me to confidently step into the P sychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner position in addiction medicine.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your reply and learning more about the position.

Sincerely,

Megan Plouzek

Megan M. Plouzek, PA-C

Kansas City, KS m ********@********.*******.*** 402-***-**** SUMMARY

Certified Physician Assistant licensed in Kansas with specialty training in psychiatry through the Veterans Affairs Postgraduate Residency Program.

EDUCATION

Baylor College of Medicine 2 018

Postgraduate Residency Program in Psychiatry

Wichita State University 2 017

Master of Physician Assistant, GPA 4.0

● 1,000 hours of didactics in general medicine

● 2,000 hours of clinical rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, general surgery, emergency medicine, and primary care psychiatry

● 400 hours of clinical rotations in outpatient psychiatry and 80 hours of inpatient psychiatry Nebraska Wesleyan University 2 009

Bachelor of Science, GPA 3.98

ACADEMIC AWARDS

Wichita State University

● Outstanding Clinical Achievement Award, May 2017

● Phi Alpha National Honor Society, May 2017

● Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects Symposium - 1st Place, April 2017

● Donald D. Sbarra Endowed Fellowship, May 2016

● Harold P Gates “Hal” Memorial Fellowship, May 2016

● Geney & Cramer Reed Scholarship, April 2015

Nebraska Wesleyan University

● NWU Highest Distinction Award (2009)

● NWU Health and Human Performance Major of the Year, 2009

● NAHPERD Health and Fitness Studies Major of Year, 2009

● Nebraska Wesleyan Trustees Scholarship, 2009

● Wesleyan’s Women Education Council Scholarship, 2008

● NWU Honors List, 2006 - 2009

POSTGRADUATE PSYCHIATRY RESIDENCY

Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX 2017 - Present Mental Health Physician Assistant Resident

General Mental Health Clinic:

● Completed a three-month rotation training in the outpatient setting including walk-in and scheduled patients. Responsible for comprehensive initial and follow-up psychiatric evaluations, develop treatment plans, provide follow-up care, and manage medications in collaboration with patient for optimized care. Inpatient Psychiatry:

● Trained for three months consecutively, plus every other weekend, in the inpatient setting. Completed admission assessments, formulated and enacted treatment plans, and collaborated with the medical team to facilitate timely and safe discharge of adult and geriatric patients with acute and chronic psychiatric conditions. Completed admission, progress, and discharge documentation. Emergency Department Psychiatry:

● Completed a one-month rotation in the emergency department setting. Evaluated patients with acute mental health concerns, assessed for next level of care, and completed triage, admission, and discharge documentation.

Mental Health Consult Liaison Service:

● Assessed the mental health needs of patients hospitalized on the medicine unit for one month. Performed assessments of mental health needs, conducted capacity evaluations, developed treatment plans, and made recommendations to a variety medicine services throughout the hospital. Substance Dependence Clinic:

● Expected to complete a one-month rotation with the opioid treatment program in 2018, which includes training in buprenorphine and methadone management, provide follow-up care for outpatient and hospitalized patients, and complete full assessments for new patients. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team:

● Expected to complete one-month rotation in 2018 helping homeless patients with serious and persistent mental illnesses throughout the Houston community. Provide medication management, supportive therapy, and update treatment plans.

Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC):

● Expected to complete a one-month rotation in the community based outpatient clinic in 2018. Duties include providing follow-up care and medication management to established patients, complete integrated assessments, develop treatment plans for new patients, and evaluate and treat patients with a variety of mental health concerns in a walk-in setting. Pain Management Clinic:

● Expected to complete a one-month rotation in 2018 to include integrated assessments for patients with chronic pain and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to formulate comprehensive treatment plans for pain management.

Additional Fulfilments of Residency Program:

● Over 500 didactic hours of training in adult mental health at Baylor College of Medicine

● CME: 150 AMA Category 1 CME credits in psychiatry

● Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in psychiatry pending completion of residency in September 2018 EMPLOYMENT

Pro Athlete, Inc., K ansas City, MO J une 2011 - May 2015 Content Producer II

● Supervised Creative department. Responsible for envisioning, writing, directing, shooting, and editing internal and promotional videos and photos. Produce content for product pages, track and analyze marketing video metrics, and proofread email blasts for quality assurance. National Center For Drug Free Sport, K ansas City, MO September 2010 - June 2011 Sport Drug-Testing Collector

● Responsible for collecting biological specimens at high school, collegiate, and professional sport drug-testing sites throughout the United States. Managed testing sites to maintain continuity and quality of services.

Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, PBS Affiliate, L incoln, NE F ebruary 2009 - September 2010 Production Assistant Intern/Temporary Employee

● Created nationally distributed documentary “My Dad’s Illness,” which is about growing up in a home with a parent diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Assisted with production of documentaries, NET Sports Unit, and 30-minute video journal called Nebraska Stories. Provided input on story development, shot footage, conducted interviews, edited footage, and managed interns and their production projects. Medalist Sports, m ultiple locations across the United States 2 007-2013 Event staff

● Assisted event staff with various duties at multiple Lance Armstrong Foundation Challenges, Amgen Tour of California and Tour of Missouri professional cycling races, and Patrick Dempsey Challenge fundraiser. CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSING

National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, 2017 - Present Licensed Registered Physician Assistant in Kansas, 2017 - Present Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (CPR & AED) Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)

Completed 24-hour waiver to prescribe medication-assisted treatment (MAT), in accordance with the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery ACT (CARA); therefore, eligible to become certified MAT provider pending submission and acceptance of the waiver through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration

(SAMHSA)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

American Academy of Physician Assistants, April 2015 - Present Kansas Academy of Physician Assistant, April 2015 - Present TECHNICAL TRAINING

Proficient with multiple Electronic Medical Record Systems SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

South Central Behavioral Services Mental Health Celebration Event - keynote speaker, May 2014 Mental Health Association of Nebraska “Success, Hopes, and Dreams” Conference, May 2013 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Volunteer Patient Assistant at Kansas City Care Clinic, October 2013-2015 Point-In-Time Homeless (PIT) Count Service Providers, January 2016 Autism Interdisciplinary Diagnostic Team October 2015 Lord’s Diner to Combat Hungerm August 2015

YMCA Challenger/Special Needs Bowling Buddy, August 2015 4th Annual Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, June 2015 REFERENCES

Available upon request

Contact this candidate