Meet Carl A. Frizell, PA-C

Meet Carl A. Frizell, PA-C, Medical Oncology Physician Assistant (PA). Originally from Holmes County, Mississippi, but currently residing in Georgia.

Why PA?
I first heard of the PA profession when I was an undergraduate student at Mississippi State University. However, I became much more interested in the profession while I was a graduate research assistant at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The profession was a much better fit for my career goals, so I slowly made the transition from biomedical researcher to healthcare provider. I have no regrets in my decision. The beauty of the PA profession is the ability to change specialties as you see fit. Currently, I am enjoying medical oncology, but I may venture into another specialty in the future. I love to learn so I definitely keep my options open.

How long did it take to find your 1st job after graduation? 
Fortunately, I was able to get interviewed and hired after completing an oncology rotation at my current place of employment.

How long have you been practicing? What specialty are you currently working in? How did you choose it?
I have been working in medical oncology in the Metro Atlanta area since 2016. I mainly help treat patients who have gastrointestinal cancers, which include pancreatic, colon, gastric, esophageal cancers and so on. I also help treat patients who battle breast, prostate, lung, and other cancers. I love my role as a medical oncology PA because cancer has played a significant role in my career change from a researcher. My mother had Stage IV pancreatic cancer and died after a 5-month battle. Her battle with cancer served as a catalyst for me becoming a PA. Each day, I am blessed to play an active role in the fight of the devastating disease named cancer. I am able to share my personal story and provide my patients with words of encouragement that my mom wanted to share with other cancer fighters. As time passes by, I develop relationships with my patients, and they become a part of my family. Thus, it definitely is heartbreaking when cancer takes its toll on patients’ lives, which can lead to several complications we try to manage. I have spent many times in tears when patients get bad news about progression of disease with no other treatment options or they pass away. Oncology can definitely be a challenging field because of this, but we do our best to provide supportive care so the patients can have the best quality of life during their battle with cancer.

Do you feel like school adequately prepared you?
I completed my training at the UAB Physician Assistant Program in 2015, and it was one of the best experiences I had with education. My classmates and school faculty members came from various background, experiences, and careers prior to becoming PAs or PA students, which was very relatable. Although the program was very rigorous, everyone worked very together to ensure that all students would successfully make it to the next part of training. That type of encouragement pushed so many students to do well in school, and allowed them to become very compassionate, selfless, effective PAs in their practices.

How do you deal with stress?
With stress, I typically take a step back and collect my thoughts. In addition, I also utilize activities to redirect frustrations, such as exercising or baking (because I love to bake). Stress is a common part of life, and you cannot let it consume you because it can become debilitating.

Advice for Pre-PA students and/or current PA students. 
For Pre-PA students: Make sure you ask yourself, “Why PA? Why not other careers in medicine?” because you will need to make sure that this career path is for you. If the PA path is for you, research and find your top PA programs you would like to attend and make sure you meet the requirements in order for you to have a seat in their upcoming classes. In addition, reach out to current students, faculty, staff of the programs to request additional information if you need more.

For PA students: Please make sure that you are able to talk to any other PAs or NPs who are currently working in your specialty to get a true field of your daily obligations. Next, it is very important to make sure you establish a good working relationship with your supervising physician. Ultimately, you two will be collaborators who both want the best for the patients, so it would be ideal to make sure that this type of relationship is developed. So, you need to work together to provide the best care. My last piece would be the following: just because it is your first job, does not mean it will be your final one. Take every opportunity to learn all you can because it will make you a much better provider who provides top quality care for your patients.