Why We Became PAs: The Skin Sisters' Two Paths

Brooke and Lauren are sisters born just 13 months apart who did almost everything together growing up. They went to the same elementary, middle, and high schools and even attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison at the same time, both joining sororities and logging long nights at the library. Their paths only diverged when it came to their careers: Lauren studied biology and anatomy, while Brooke prepared for a career in tech PR.

Today they are both dermatology PAs who blog together as The Skin Sisters and share skincare tips on Instagram. Their story is a great reminder that two people from the same family, the same schools, and the same starting point can reach the PA profession by completely different routes. If your path does not look like a straight line, theirs did not either.

Lauren always knew she wanted to go into medicine, with a nurse mom and a physician stepdad sparking her interest early. But she was unsure about medical school and a long residency. During her sophomore year of college, her stepdad suggested she look into becoming a PA. This was 2001, the profession was growing quickly, and the idea clicked.

She threw herself into research, reaching out to every PA, physician, and nurse she could find and spending countless hours shadowing. She gained clinical hours through Dialysis Clinics Inc. in Nashville, working with children and adults on dialysis or awaiting kidney transplants, which reinforced her decision. Lauren was accepted to a program in New York City, where back in 2004 the few PA programs offered only certificates or bachelor's degrees rather than the master's degrees common now. She entered PA school planning to practice dermatology, and although she fell in love with many rotations along the way, she built a fulfilling dermatology career that draws on all of that broad training.

Brooke took a much less direct route. After college she moved to San Francisco and spent nearly five years in corporate communications for a tech PR firm. She learned a lot and enjoyed the experience, but over time she realized she was not pursuing what she was passionate about. She had always been quietly drawn to science and the human body without knowing how to turn that into a career.

Over about a year she talked to everyone she could, took night classes in basic sciences, and started working as a medical assistant. While working in a pediatrician's office she noticed what she would later learn were social determinants of health, which led her to a Master of Public Health in Washington, D.C., including a fellowship in India. In her final year she realized she craved hands-on patient care, applied to her university's PA program, and was accepted. She started in emergency medicine interests but landed a dermatology role assisting with Mohs surgery, fell in love with the field, and eventually joined the same practice as Lauren when the timing worked out perfectly.

Whether you have always known you wanted medicine or you are switching careers entirely, The Skin Sisters prove there is room for your story in this profession. Let their two very different journeys reassure you that a non-linear path can still lead exactly where you want to go. If you want help mapping out your own route to PA school, we are here to guide you.