From the Very First Day

Kindra Freedom, PA-C (Seattle Class 43) and Brad Newhart, PA-C (Anchorage Class 1)

From the Very First Day: Kindra Freedom, PA-C (Seattle Class 43) and Brad Newhart, PA-C (Anchorage Class 1) Kindra and Brad noticed each other on their first day of school at MEDEX Northwest, and it only took a few days for them to build up the courage to meet. MEDEX convenes in Seattle for the first quarter of training, and they started going on study dates. Then Brad went to Alaska for didactics and clinicals. After two years of long-distance phone calls and intermittent vacations, they decided to tie the knot. The best thing about being married to a fellow PA-C, say Kindra and Brad, is that they understand work stressors and serve as each other’s sounding board. They also know when it’s time to leave work at work.

Kindra: Prior to becoming a PA, I was a registered nurse and specialized in perianesthesia and pain procedures. I became increasingly inspired by many of the PAs whom I worked with. Further investigation into the field led me to shadow two PAs, both who specialized in neurosurgery. Today, I work with a talented and renowned team in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UW Medicine, and we specialize in the complex care of patients with tumors and conditions of the brain and spine. I assist with managing our inpatient and outpatient population in the pre- and post-operative setting. I find my work challenging and rewarding!

Brad: Before I became a PA-C, I was a frontline combat medic with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq. I had worked with a PA and an M.D. in my battalion, and they were great mentors and a great team. They helped train me to function well autonomously while we were apart and when to call for help and refer injured or ill soldiers to a higher level of care. When I decided to leave the military, becoming a PA seemed a great way to utilize my existing training and experience to become a provider, albeit in a much different population than usually healthy military-age males. One of my favorite memories was my time spent in Unalaska, Alaska, an island about halfway out on the Aleutians and the working home of the Alaska king crabbing fleet. It is such a remote and beautiful place. I worked closely with two practicing PAs while I was a student, and we managed to work full clinic days followed by full hiking or kayaking days in each 24-hour period due to the ample summer sunlight. I recently changed positions to be a neurocritical care provider at Harborview Medical Center.