Working as an athletic trainer in high school gave Jessica Ursprung clarity regarding a future career.
“I decided my junior year of high school I wanted to go into medicine,” says Ursprung, now a physician assistant with BayCare Clinic Emergency Physicians. “I worked as a student athletic trainer in high school, you know, so I had a little bit of an introduction into sports medicine.”
Add to that the fact that Ursprung spent a lot of time around the hospital and it’s no wonder medicine was a growing interest for her.
“My sister actually had brain surgery when I was a junior in high school,” Ursprung says. “So, I spent a lot of time in the children’s hospital in Milwaukee … that kind of piqued my interest.”
Ursprung earned her undergraduate degree at Valparaiso University. She attended Midwestern University for PA school.
The road to emergency medicine
Her first job after graduation was with an orthopedic surgeon.
“I liked being able to work in surgery and the clinic aspect of it,” Ursprung says. “But I lost that job when the doctor I worked with moved away, and that’s when I was hired with BayCare Clinic.”
Ursprung joined BayCare Clinic in 2012. She appreciates the opportunity to assist others and put them at ease no matter the health issue.
“I want to do my best to help them … people come into the emergency room with … what they feel is an emergency or they need emergent medical attention, and I want to make them feel comfortable,” she says.
Physician assistants help with surgical operations, diagnoses, ordering and interpreting tests, and prescribing medications, among other things. They’re under the supervision of a physician.
Empathetic patient care
“My main goal is to make the patient feel more comfortable given their situation and do what I can to assure them, for the most part, that things are going to be ok … and that we will get through this difficult time,” Ursprung says.
When she isn’t treating patients, Ursprung enjoys spending time outdoors fishing, hunting, and hiking, as well as spending time with her husband and three children.