What does it take to transform obstacles into opportunities? Major M. Tiye Young knows firsthand. When deployment orders arrived just days before her PA school application deadline, she didn't abandon her medical dreams—she recalibrated. When a cervical cancer diagnosis threatened her future, she fought back with unwavering resolve. Now, as both a military leader and surgical PA, she's redefining what resilience looks like in healthcare.
This conversation takes us behind the scenes of Major Young's extraordinary journey from Army service to acute care surgery and gynecologic oncology. She shares the raw reality of balancing night shifts in a trauma center with military duties, including her recent command of 1,500 National Guardsmen during Hurricane Helene's devastating aftermath. The leadership skills she's honed through military service translate seamlessly to the operating room, where split-second decisions can mean the difference between life and death.
Perhaps most powerfully, Major Young reveals how her personal battle with cancer transformed her approach to patient care. Walking into the same hospital room where she once received treatment—this time as the provider rather than the patient—created a full-circle moment that fuels her compassion daily. She now advocates fiercely for patients showing subtle symptoms others might dismiss, remembering how her own body gave warning signs before her diagnosis.
Major Young's story isn't just about personal achievement—it's about creating pathways for others. As a Black female PA who grew up without access to healthcare providers who looked like her, she's committed to visibility and mentorship for underrepresented communities. Through social media and direct mentorship, she shows pre-health students that their backgrounds don't determine their potential.
Whether you're pursuing a healthcare career, serving in the military, or simply searching for inspiration to overcome life's unexpected challenges, Major Young's perspective will leave you with renewed purpose and an expanded vision of what's possible when you refuse to give up.
Follow her incredible journey on instagram @tymcarolina_
Virtual shadowing is an important tool to use when planning your medical career. At Shadow Me Next! we want to provide you with the resources you need to find your role in healthcare and secure your place in medicine.
Check out our pre-health resources. Great for pre-med, pre-PA, pre-nursing, pre-therapy students or anyone else with an upcoming interview!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ashley (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories, the joys
and challenges they face andwhat drives them in their
careers.
It's access you want andstories you need, whether you're
a pre-health student or simplycurious about the healthcare
field.
I invite you to join me as wetake a conversational and
personal look into the lives andminds of leaders in medicine.
(00:44):
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
conversations, so make sure thatyou subscribe to this podcast,
which will automatically notifyyou when new episodes are
dropped, and follow us onInstagram and Facebook at shadow
me next, where we will reviewhighlights from this
conversation and where I'll giveyou sneak previews of our
upcoming guests.
(01:04):
Today on shadow me next, I'mexcited to introduce you to
Major Tiye Young, a trulyextraordinary woman whose life
story is a testament toresilience, leadership and
unwavering commitment.
Major Young is a 14-yearveteran of the US Army and a
physician assistant specializingin acute care surgery and
gynecologic oncology, but herpath to becoming a PA has been
(01:28):
anything but conventional.
After completing herprerequisites for PA school,
major Young was unexpectedlydeployed, forcing her to pivot
and take a different routetowards her dream of working in
clinical medicine.
Despite these challenges,including navigating a complex
military career, transitioningfrom active duty to the National
(01:49):
Guard and overcoming a personalbattle with cervical cancer,
she persevered and went on tograduate from Wake Forest
University's PA program.
Currently, she works in ahigh-pressure surgical
environment, caring for patientswho are facing some of the most
difficult moments of theirlives.
Her experience has given her adeep well of empathy, allowing
(02:10):
her to provide not just medicalcare but hope to those in need.
She's also a passionateadvocate for underrepresented
communities in healthcare, usingher growing social media
platform to mentor and inspirepre-health students, especially
those who may feel like the pathto medicine is out of reach.
In this episode, we'll dive intoMajor Young's remarkable
(02:33):
journey, the lessons she'slearned along the way, and how
she balances the demands ofmedicine, the military and
advocacy, while still findingjoy in the journey.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
(02:53):
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer or company.
This is Shadow Me Next withMajor Tiye Young.
I have been looking forward tothis.
You don't even know how long Iam so excited to chat with you.
(03:14):
I'm in love with your journeyand I truly don't know how you
have time to do it all.
So thank you for being here,thank you for joining us, thank
you.
Maj. Young (03:22):
I'm so excited to be here and it truly is privilege,
and I hope that every personthat gets to sit in my seat and
talk to you knows that.
Ashley (03:29):
You have so many elements of your story that I'm
just so excited to dive into andto highlight and to show people
that really, on your journey,you've had.
You've had and I'm not going tocall them setbacks, you've just
had some surprises right, andsometimes the surprises are
really interesting and sometimesthe surprise is really scary,
but you have just shown time andtime again that you come
(03:51):
through these surprises astronger person who is more
relatable to, to people, which Iwas going to say patients, but
just to people generally.
So I'm so excited to highlightthat about you.
You have served in the UnitedStates Army for 14 years.
Thank you so much for yourservice.
It's incredible.
You were set to attend the ArmyPA school in 2013, but you were
(04:14):
deployed and this is one ofthose moments when you ran into
a surprise perhaps.
Maj. Young (04:21):
I was applying and I knew I'd spoken to everybody.
I knew I pretty much was goodto go, got my letters of
recommendation finished, everysingle prerequisite course that
had been assigned, because atthe time the courses were a bit
different.
So I was like I know I'm going,this is going to be great.
All I have to hit is submitright now.
And I was like, ok, well, I had11 days and I was deploying 11
(04:49):
days and I didn't even get mystuff on the container that
shipped.
They had to reroute my bagsbecause I was a latecomer to the
deployment, put it on aseparate carrier, and so I
arrived like with barelyanything, just the stuff that I
could bring, and then waited formy stuff to get shipped out
there.
(05:09):
It had to be shipped after Ialready was on ground as well.
Ashley (05:13):
And then fast forward 10 years after that.
You're a graduate of WakeForest University PA program.
You're now practicing in acutecare surgery and gynecologic
oncology.
You are active in the armyreserves.
You have a burgeoning socialmedia platform.
I mean, like the, I feel likethe world's just exploded for
you.
Are you happy right now?
Tell me how you feel about yourposition currently.
Maj. Young (05:35):
Oh, you know, when you do something and you finally
get there and you're like I'mnot sure I'm going to feel about
this, I'm in the phase where Ican't believe it actually all
happened.
I am so happy.
Every time I get to walk intomy patient's room I'm like I'm
actually the provider.
Oh, they're listening for whatI'm going to say because they
(05:57):
need the information.
And as a student for so long oras somebody who's shadowing or
as a medical assistant, you'rekind of always listening to
somebody else provide guidance,and so you're kind of a fly on
the wall.
You're not the primary.
So for the first time I feltlike what I'm saying is
meaningful and the advice, theguidance or just the hope
sometimes I'm giving to patientsis what is going to be long
(06:20):
term.
And it's up to me to know whatI'm talking about.
But it's up to me to give it askindly and as emotional as I
should be, considering theircircumstance, and so I'm so
happy to do that and it's soawesome.
Ashley (06:34):
Honestly, it's like it's like a full circle moment,
right.
I mean, the experiences thatyou've had that we're going to
talk about I'm sure make theweight of that moment.
You mentioned giving patientshope sometimes, I I'm sure make
the weight of that moment.
You mentioned giving patientshope.
Sometimes I'm sure it makes theweight of that moment even that
much heavier.
But, as we all talk about,you've been there and you know,
(06:55):
and now you have the educationfrom Wake Forest and you can
provide this to your patient ina way that is compassionate and
empathetic and sympathetic.
The beginning of your story isso interesting.
It's hard for me to even talkabout beginnings with you,
because I feel like what's soamazing is that you have had so
many beginnings which is justunreal.
But let's start with yourmilitary career.
(07:15):
So you, from the time you wereyoung, you knew you wanted to go
into the military.
Tell me about the day youencountered the PA profession.
Maj. Young (07:25):
Yes.
So I had not really heard ofwhat a physician assistant now
you know, physician associatewas.
But I was in Baumholder,germany, and there was a female
that was in my unit and I waslike what do you do?
I'm thinking she's a medic, butshe was a captain.
So I was like I don't think wehave captain medics.
You know, I'm trying to findand rattle in my little brain at
(07:45):
the time what does she do?
And people were asking herquestions.
My commander walked up to herand asked her something in
pediatrics and I was like, wait,she knows stuff.
And she was able to describeexactly what was going on.
And I went up to her and I waslike, what do you do?
She's like I'm a PA.
And I was like I'm sorry, Idon't know what that is.
And she's like, oh, I'm aphysician assistant in the army,
I am a provider.
(08:06):
I'm not a doctor, but I'm ableto have free range with
providing services to thesoldiers in all capacity,
whether I'm on ground, whetherit's emergent, whether it's
trauma.
And I was like, wait a minute,no way.
And then later on I would getto see her because I realized
I'm in her unit.
So she's my PA, me, notunderstanding how that worked.
And I was like, oh, you're myprovider, not like my primary,
(08:29):
but like if I get hurt, you fixme.
And she's like, yes, andwhether we're deployed, whether
we're stateside, whether we'rein another country.
And I was like I want to dothat, that's what I want to do.
I first time.
I first access to the soldiers,wellness their health, treating
(08:49):
them if I needed to on thebattlefield, being the first
person on like field missions.
I was like that's my job andI'm going to do it.
Ashley (08:54):
I just didn't know it was going to take so long.
How incredible for her to beable to explain that to you.
So this segues really nicelyinto something called the IPAP,
which stands for theInter-Service Physician
Assistant Program.
Tell us what this is.
Tell us a little bit about it?
Maj. Young (09:08):
Yes, so the IPAP program, or the Inter-Service
Physician Assistant Program, isan all-service PA program that's
down in Texas, and so what thisallows is for that component
soldier to become a PA.
It doesn't matter whether youwere enlisted, whether you're a
warrant officer or alreadyofficer.
This allows you to go back andpractice in that branch.
So whether you're NationalGuard, reserves or Active Duty
(09:31):
and it's kind of confusingbecause those are three separate
branches they're in the Armybut there are different
components of it.
So I wanted to go ahead andtransfer to be an IPAP student
to then become a PA on activeduty, and so it has all the same
requirements.
You have your didactic year,you have your clinicals, which
you then sometimes oftenpractice with the other students
(09:52):
that are in the program, andwhat's really cool about this is
that they have this thingcalled constructive credit.
So if you had a certain rank,technically you're not an expert
in that new branch, right?
But they allow you to be paidas an E6 while you're there.
So you're getting your regularpay, but of course your housing
and food is all still providedfor in that capacity, so you're
(10:16):
still getting paid, but thenonce you commission or you
graduate, you're automatically afirst lieutenant.
Now, if you already had aprevious rank before that, they
can do the constructive creditand then see how many years of
service, your expertise and kindof give you a different rank,
which is new, because you allused to start off as a first
lieutenant everybody and thenwithin like that six months you
(10:37):
get promoted to captain.
But you're a practicing PA.
So you go to a battalion or yougo to a company and you are
that group of soldiers, medicalprovider for all things, not
primary.
You still go to your primaryfor your annual but periodic
health assessments fordeployments.
You're doing everything.
So you get all scopes ofpractice and you can even
specialize.
(10:57):
So you can do surgery, you cando very niche things within the
military, you can go to specialforces, and so it's just a way
for you to be a medical providerin the military specifically,
whether it was Navy, air Force,army, etc.
Ashley (11:11):
Thank you so much for explaining that.
I think it's a really, reallygood option for a lot of people
that might not know the optionexists Now.
You went through the IPAPapplication, then got deployed,
and then you did regular PAschool application.
Then got deployed and then youdid regular PA school
application.
Maj. Young (11:25):
Yes.
So I had finished IPAPSrequirements, which were not the
same as civilian schoolrequirements.
So I had done the CHEM I.
I'd finished, about to finishCHEM II.
I went back and did the bio, Igot the shadowing hours, I got
the clinical hours and then theArmy changed its rules and
(11:46):
regulations.
If you've been an officer formore than 10 years, then you
need a waiver from like what?
From my side, federal side tobe able to transfer, and that
just wasn't going to happen.
That I'd already received abonus in my branch we're already
a low density branch, meaningthere's not a lot of people that
do my job, so they're not goingto be willing to let me go.
But at the time when I wasapplying, I met all the criteria
(12:11):
.
So I was like, all right, I'mjust going to go to civilian
program.
This came out in 2021, by theway, this is new.
So I was applying and foundthis out, that I was no longer
eligible for IPAP, and I waslike, well, I need to actually
take more courses, because now Ineed biochemistry, now I need
genetics, which part of the IPAPprogram you didn't need, like
(12:31):
the last semester.
So I took a year's worth ofclasses so that I could qualify
for civilian school At the time.
You need 50 shadowing hours todo IPAP and then some clinicals.
I needed 2000 for civilian, soit was going to take me an extra
couple of years.
Ashley (12:46):
It's another surprise in the plan right For you.
So you, of course, your, yourresilience, your tenacity, you
did all of these things and youdidn't just get into PA school.
You got into PA school WakeForest.
Tell us how PA school for youat Wake Forest University
compared to some of thechallenges that you face serving
in the army?
Part of me wonders for you atWake Forest University compared
to some of the challenges thatyou face serving in the Army.
(13:07):
Part of me wonders for you andyour experience in your
background, is there aperspective here that we need to
be considering?
Maj. Young (13:15):
I would absolutely say that I did not get to have
like the typical PA experiencebecause I still served and a lot
of people do not do thattogether.
So I still went to drill.
So while people were leaving onThursday because sometimes we
might have class like until 12,I'm leaving to go to drill right
after that.
Or Monday I'm missing schoolbecause we have a field mission
(13:38):
that's three hours away and soI'm bustling in the middle of
the night to get back and to geta quiz done and then to go to
class.
So that perspective of PAschool being hard as far as
academically is one thing.
But I just didn't have as muchtime as everyone else and I come
to find out that most peopledon't do it.
I was one of only three out ofmy unit that went to PA school.
(14:00):
I'm the only one still in.
No one, everyone else got outor unfortunately didn't graduate
.
So I didn't really understandthat.
I thought that this is justwhat you do, this is what you
muster through.
You get up, you show up on time, you're in the right uniform,
you're in the right place, youdo your job and then, whatever
else comes, you also do that job.
I just didn't realize how hardthat was.
(14:21):
Pa school is hard, don't get mewrong.
It's hard.
It's manageable if you knowyourself.
If you don't know yourself andyou don't know your capacity,
you don't know your boundaries,then it's really, really hard.
And I had to learn that thehard way, and sometimes to a
fault.
I wanted to still do everythingand I realized that sometimes I
(14:42):
couldn't.
Ashley (14:51):
So, yeah, pa school is hard but it's manageable.
It's such a beautiful reminderfor people who are so worried
about PA school and about howhard it is and about the amount
of time that they're going tohave for X or for Y or for Z.
And look at what you've done.
You went to Wake Forest, youpassed PA school and you were
still serving all of this timeand, like you said, you just put
your head down and you got itdone.
Okay, so you've graduated WakeForest, you're a PA.
(15:12):
You are still, at this point,national Guard.
Maj. Young (15:16):
Yep Because I switched components from active
duty.
I left active duty and thenjoined the Guard so that I could
go back to school.
Ashley (15:22):
to apply to PA school Unbelievable.
It just pivots, pivots, pivotsjust to make it all fit.
Before we get a glimpse of aday in the life of Major Young,
keep in mind that there's moreinterview prep, such as mock
interviews and personalstatement review, over on
shadowmenexcom.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
(15:43):
Now, Major Young and I did nothave the opportunity to talk
about a quality question, butshe brings up an excellent point
.
Everyone's journey to PA schoolis unique and the experiences we
have along the way shape who weare as future healthcare
providers.
A quality question that youmight hear on interview is this
(16:03):
what life experiences haveshaped you most and helped you
prepare to tackle the rigorouschallenges of PA school?
Whether it's overcomingpersonal challenges, balancing
demanding jobs or working inhealthcare settings, these
experiences can teach usvaluable lessons of perseverance
and understanding.
Valuable lessons ofperseverance and understanding.
(16:27):
So let's talk about a day inthe life of a PA who works in
acute care as a surgical PA at alevel two trauma facility, and
then you're also a gynecologiconcology PA.
What are you dealing with on aday-to-day basis?
Maj. Young (16:38):
It blows my mind every day that they let me do
this and that they pay me to dothis, with just a little bit of
knowledge that I have I mean, Ijust graduated I took the pants
like August because I had to doit again.
I will say I missed it by onequestion the first time.
The anxiety of it all justreally got me.
But on my day to day I worknight shift.
So I work the night 7 pm to 5am, which is amazing, and I work
(17:00):
seven straight, so Mondaythrough Sunday, 7pm to 5am.
So the get ready with me.
I get up at between two andthree, I go to the gym, I run
between two and three miles orI'm rucking and then I kind of
look over some material, if Ican, so I might play like
purpose games but like surgicalinstruments, just to make sure
(17:21):
I'm on par.
And then I go and we review thecharts together.
Usually I'm going into a surgerywhether it's an appendectomy or
cholecystectomy and then Iround on the floor and so then I
review my patient list.
Do I have a gynecologic patientthat day, meaning, did they
have a surgery or a procedure,or were they admitted via the ED
?
And then I go check them out,check their charts, and
(17:45):
sometimes their imaging comesback and I'm like they need to
go to surgery.
I'll get a CT back and I'm like, absolutely not, let's go to
pre-op.
And then I go explain to themI'm sorry, but you might have a
hematoma or you have dilatedloops of bile.
And so then I go back in thesurgeon and I first assist I can
(18:06):
do the anastomosis myself, soI'm the one sizing and I
completely do that all by myself.
And then, usually aroundmidnight, people like to either
hit things with their cars,unfortunately, or sometimes we
have gun violence, and so I'mrunning to a trauma which I've
had multiple gunshot victimsover this time and so I do a
trauma assessment victims overthis time and so I do a trauma
assessment Is there an openfracture somewhere?
Can we find where the fragmentsof whatever happened?
(18:34):
And so usually rushing themback to the OR.
And then I was first assist thesurgeon there, and that is a
daily, a Monday through Sunday,so I get it all, and then I'm
off for a week, and so that'sthat's what I do there's a lot
of emotion in that too, I wouldimagine, because you have a
patient that's already that'salready post-op.
Ashley (18:49):
You know, especially in gynecologic oncology, these are
scary cancers and then you'rehaving to tell them more scary
news.
And then you also have patientscoming in on literally their
worst day because they've beenshot or they've been hit by a
vehicle, like you said.
You know there's a lot ofemotion there.
I'm going to jump ahead.
This is a question I was goingto ask you later, but it's so
applicable right now.
(19:10):
You have seen, organized andmanaged so many missions in the
Army, most notably in 2024, whenyou were assigned command and
control in operations.
You were the operations officerfor Hurricane Helene, yes, and
you're responsible for staging,managing 1,500 Army and Air
National Guardsmen from threedifferent states.
I mean 1,500 Army and AirNational Guardsmen from three
(19:31):
different states.
I mean the amount of organizedchaos that that must have been.
So all of these experiences,that and this is just one of
them but all these things you'veexperienced working in the Army
, what have they taught youabout human resilience?
Because I'm sure you seesomething that's very, very
similar when you're working insurgery and when you're working
in the hospital.
Maj. Young (19:55):
Yes.
What I will say is that,because I have such a
significant amount of hope andbecause there's nothing, I think
that I can't do nothing reallyfeels as hard as it probably is
when I'm having to do it andthat's on it and I have an
exorbitant amount of energy.
I did not know that wasabnormal until people tell me so
for me this is just getting itdone.
For me, I'm getting there andI'm like okay, I was the first
person to arrive in Conover,which is our staging base for
(20:18):
Hurricane Helene.
One of our LMTVs, which is abig vehicle, got swept
underwater and six of mysoldiers had to swim out on the
side.
Oh, my gosh.
We tried to send a helicopterout and tried landing, but
unfortunately there was so muchfog.
We're trying to find and getpeople who have maybe been
sucked into a river, and so tome, I have to be calm, but I
(20:38):
have to know that sometimesthose things suck too, but I
have to manage that on my owntime.
So for me, having resilience isunderstanding that I have to put
the mission first people alwaysbut at that time you need to be
calm.
But it's gonna get better andpeople are relying on you and if
you honestly gave themeverything that you had, when
(20:58):
you're trying to think through aplan, when you're trying to
come up with the best course ofaction that will do the most
amount of good, then that keepsme resilient, because I know I
never faltered.
It might not have been assuccessful as I wanted it to be,
but I didn't falter, and sothat gives me hope and that
keeps me resilient.
Because Hurricane Helene wasdevastating, knowing that at
some points I'm on the phonewith people who were telling me
(21:20):
that their parents are dying andI can't save them.
And we tried, we tried.
We could not get to them intime, and so I had to take that
with me, that we did the bestthat we could, despite what
media might have shown or said.
Ashley (21:35):
I know what my guys did and we busted our chops out
there, incredible, and I cannotimagine a better person working
in an acute care surgicalposition other than you.
Who's literally this has beenyour training in situations far
more grand, but it's similaremotions.
I would imagine it's similaremotions On the other side of
(21:58):
things.
I would imagine that teamworkunder pressure that you
experienced and not onlyexperienced but managed and led
is exactly what you experienceand feel when you're working the
OR yeah, I mean what we do as aPA.
It's all about teamwork.
Maj. Young (22:15):
Oh absolutely the surgical techs save me all the
time because I'm like I don'tknow what the surgeon needs to
be handed next and they're like,hey, are you going to do this?
I'm like, oh yeah, that's great, I do need that lidocaine here.
Or when I'm closing sometimesI'm like I just don't feel like
this is closing really well,what do I do?
And I'm like, oh okay, well,maybe apply some Dermabon at
(22:35):
this and we can pinch thistogether.
I've never done an amputationbefore and the nurse is like, oh
well, this, there was anotherPA, there was the CRNA.
I was like, oh, I've seen thisbefore.
So everybody kind of alwayspitches in, even if it isn't
their specific specialty, andthat, to me, is all I've ever
asked for.
That's what I get in the army.
I'm never by myself in the army.
(22:55):
You're never on your own.
There's always a battle buddywith you, and so when I am in
the OR or making a bedsidedecision because that's on me
the surgeons normally aren'tthere.
So sometimes we have patientsthat decompensate or start to
code and we have to run a rapid.
And I'm the only one there.
That CNA has seen this before.
She's seen hey, they're,they're, they're desatting.
(23:18):
I've seen this.
The nurse up there has seen it,the charge nurse, the
environmental services people.
They're like hey, I've seenthem.
They don't seem like themselvesand I'm like you know what, let
me go check on that patient,because they see things before
we do.
So.
That's what feels like a teamto me.
Everybody has a part, no matterwhat.
It is no parts too small, andthat's what makes me feel so
good about being a PA that isjust the most perfect example
(23:42):
that I have ever heard of whybeing a PA is so fantastic.
Ashley (23:45):
I mean, it's just, it's so good.
Now, some of these proceduresthat you've you've described,
unfortunately, you have a veryintimate relationship with,
because before you could startyour career in medicine, you
were a patient yourself.
So tell us, tell us, a littlebit about this experience and
what it means to you now,looking back in the position
(24:08):
that you're in now.
Maj. Young (24:10):
Yes, I would position that you're in now.
Yes, I would have neverexpected that in my 20s I would
be diagnosed with cervicalcancer after being treated by so
many providers.
And it amazes me today that Iwent to go train for gynecologic
oncology and I walked into thesame room that I was a patient
in and for some reason, itdidn't hit me while I was
(24:30):
walking around, because I don'tknow what my room looked like
for me walking, because I wasn'twalking.
I was on a bed, I was on astretcher, so I'd never seen the
path that they took to get methere.
And a lot of the times allthree times I was coming back
from anesthesia, so I nevernoticed it until I looked at the
window, I looked at the bed andI looked where that sink was
(24:50):
and I was like this is where Iwas.
This is when I was readmittedafter having post-op
complication Because I developeda pelvic abscess, just like the
patients that I see and so thatat the time I was at UNC
Charlotte, I had enrolled inclasses and my provider was very
(25:10):
frank.
She was like you can't go toschool right now Because I was
thinking I could do some thingsonline.
She was like this isn't whatthis.
You're not going to feel goodand I'm like, well, I can do
anything.
She's like I know you can, Iknow you're capable, but this
fight is going to be a bit long.
Capable, but this fight isgoing to be a bit a bit long.
(25:31):
And so, understanding now whatmy patients are facing, it's
hard but I know that it'ssurvivable.
The hard thing is thatsometimes I see patients that
are younger than me now thatit's preventable, and then
sometimes I see people who areolder and they're so far
progressed that there's nothingwe can do.
We go into 20% of our patientsfrom and I know it's too
advanced, it's metastatic, andthat's who I see in the ED.
(25:53):
I'm like your cervical canceris metastatic, it's in your
liver, it's in your lungs and Iknow they're not going home.
And so sometimes it's hard totake myself out of that, because
at one point they thought I'dcome back and they was like we
have a 50% chance becausethere's no way to find it if it
already metastasized.
Like you can go through chemotreatments, but being even being
(26:14):
young, it's just it wasn't agood outcome.
And so now sometimes it's hardto take myself out of it, but a
lot of the times I have hope.
Ashley (26:21):
It's the worst possible way for you to be able to
sympathize and empathize withyour patients and, at the same
time, it's the best possible wayfor you to empathize and
sympathize with them, and I canonly imagine the challenge that
you probably felt, that internalstruggle, walking into that
room and kind of being in thesame position again, but this
(26:41):
time with power, and this timewith hope, and this time with
confidence that you are therefor a purpose right, and this
isn't something that's happeningto you.
This is a way that you can stepin and intervene for others.
So I think, as clinicians, aspeople, a lot of times our
experience dictates how perhapswe communicate and what we
(27:03):
communicate to some of ourpatients.
You've spoken about your passionfor, for example, for listening
to your body and not ignoringearly warning signs of certain
things.
You know, seeing these patientscome in with metastatic disease
is devastating and sometimesthere are early warning signs
for certain conditions.
Staying active, my God, you runand you rock before work.
(27:24):
I'm just so impressed with you.
Can you share how that passionhas kind of shaped your approach
to patient care?
Maj. Young (27:31):
Absolutely.
You know, when I hear thecomplaints of constipation, when
I hear the complaints of bowelchanges or bowel habits, when I
hear things like hey, I've beenfatigued, where they're normally
a bubbly, upbeat person, thosemake me ask different questions.
What's in your family history?
Has anybody close to you talkedabout having similar symptoms?
Was it already too late whenthey discovered them?
(27:53):
Because we're understanding nowthat it's younger people that
are experienced in colon cancers.
It's younger people, who maynot have been vaccinated, that
have the higher risks,especially between black and
brown women, and so when I'mhearing these things, I get to
ask them a little bit more.
Not that I treat them better ordifferently from other patients
, but the variety of questionsthat I may ask them may
(28:16):
attribute more to something thatI'm trying to make sure we
don't miss, not necessarily find.
So I'm not doing extra imagingfor no reason, but I need to
make sure that I don't miss anysigns, and for me it was very
weird.
My toenails stopped growing, myhair stopped growing, my hair
was falling out and I could notfor the life of me.
I remember going to my nailtechnician, and I see her
(28:36):
religiously because getting mynails done is something that I
just love to do.
And she was like, do you wantto get your nails, your toenails
done?
And I was like, oh no, theystill look good.
She was like it's been threemonths since you last did this
and I'm friends with her, so sheknows.
And then that's when I realizedI hadn't been here.
And then my hair I tookpictures.
My hair was like spiky and likeliterally shedding and I'm like
(28:59):
what is going on?
And my stomach pain was growing, I was losing, I was losing
weight and I'm like I don'tunderstand what is happening to
me.
And so that's when I, just whenI got to that doctor's office,
I said I'm not leaving.
He was like we don't have timeto see you today, we don't have
this specialty, and I was like,well, you're gonna have to wait
till you get somebody in Callsecurity.
I'm not leaving.
Ashley (29:20):
I literally was like call security.
Maj. Young (29:22):
And that's when she found it.
That's what she literally didSpe speculum exam went in there
and she was like I can see it.
And I was like, well, I'll bedarned because something wasn't
right.
And she said it might have beena polyp.
And I immediately rushed toanother doctor who I think he
immediately knew, he knew, andso I don't ignore those symptoms
(29:43):
.
I had telltale signs, I had thestomach pain, I had the vaginal
discharge, that just I'm like Idon't know what's going on.
They said, oh, it's normal, it'scommon throughout your cycle,
for and that could be foranybody, but then for me I knew
it wasn't, because why would itchange?
I'm not, I'm not much older,and so I'm glad that I got to
advocate that.
(30:04):
So advocate for that.
And so now I tell people youcan ask your provider, you don't
have to come in with a list,you know but ask is this normal?
I'm experiencing this, what doyou think this could be?
And then, with wellness, whenyou have the chance, go outside,
go run, go walk, don't wait,because so many patients come in
and they see us and they wishthey never waited.
(30:26):
And I'm glad that I had theopportunity and the privilege to
still be here.
So that's what I like toadvocate now Get your
vaccinations.
Despite what you're hearing, itworks.
Had I gotten it, I wouldn'thave had this, but 81% decreased
incidence of cervical canceroff of one vaccine.
So what else can we do?
So I advocate go get it.
I'm very passionate about that.
Ashley (30:50):
And from what I have seen and from what I have read,
your passion doesn't just stopwith your patients.
You are also so passionateabout serving as a mentor for
others and we're going to getinto it but, oh my gosh, your
content creation for otherpeople is just incredible.
Tell me about why you feel socompelled, especially to work
with underrepresented groups.
Why is visibility so importantin medicine?
Maj. Young (31:12):
You know what?
Sometimes patients need to seethemselves and who's taking care
of them, because there arethings that are different
culturally, but not only that.
People need to know that theycould do it too.
People need to see examples ofpeople that don't come from
great homes, that don't have thebest education, that are
socioeconomically disadvantaged.
(31:32):
Sometimes they don't knowthings are possible until you
say that it is because you saythat I've done it too and people
are like no, you have the media, you have the internet.
There's so much access youdon't know how much access there
really isn't until you'reseeing people use other Wi-Fi's
and libraries.
Do you see kids who are 15 thatare working jobs after school
(31:52):
because their parents don't haveenough for rent or they're
taking care of their siblings?
Just because we think thatthings are so easily accessible
because of our own lives, weforget that it's not true for
everyone.
And so being able to be arepresentative of just, not as a
minority, as a woman, but totell them that, despite
everything that has happened, Ican still put my best foot
(32:13):
forward.
Now I do know I have anadvantage of resources by being
in the military, so noteverybody has that and not
everybody is able to join.
So I know that I'm privilegedin that respect.
But sometimes they need to knowthat I never had a pediatrician.
I went to the local statedepartment.
I got my shots at my school.
I got free lunch.
No one in my family has adegree.
(32:33):
My siblings didn't graduatefrom high school At the time.
Things just weren't feasiblefor them.
So if I can tell them now thateven back then, I'm not so far
removed, I'm 35.
So if you're 19, there's somuch you can do that you might
not even know you can.
And that's why I think peopleneed to see themselves in the
(32:54):
work that's happening aroundthem.
Because I had never seen a PA,I had never had a Black provider
.
We couldn't even afford that.
I don't even know if we hadgood enough insurance to even do
that.
So if I can tell somebody thatthat even happened in my
generation it's still happeningin generations now then I can
(33:16):
show them that it's possible andthat I'm here to lend a hand.
That's our purpose is to helpthose who are coming after us.
Right, somebody went before usand got less than we did, so now
we need to give more to them,and that's kind of our job and
our, our, our mission is people,I would think so.
That's why I think I'm theperson to do it, not because I
(33:36):
feel like I have to, but becausethat's what I'm supposed to do
as a human being.
Ashley (33:42):
That could be your motto for your whole life.
Because I'm sitting herethinking, you know, imagining
the young black girl who iscoming in to see you as a
patient, maybe has never had apap smear before, and she's just
terrified.
And she, she's looking forsomebody that she trusts and and
for her you're going to be thatperson, okay.
And then I'm also imaginingthis patient that's received
(34:02):
this terrible diagnosis that youhave received once and again.
You're in that role of mentor,of sister in the disease, in the
diagnosis, of champion.
You are their champion, really,and you can do that so well as
a PA and as their medicalprovider, and I'm so grateful
(34:24):
for you, for stepping up to batevery single day.
Doing that for others.
It's a blessing, I know it is,but it's not without its own
emotional costs.
So, thank you, thank you fordoing that.
You're tough as nails.
I think we've all determinedthis, which is actually a really
great segue into your contentcreation.
(34:46):
So I was looking at your socialmedia.
You have moments where you'rein your medical scrubs, okay,
after a long night shift, andthen you're in your military
uniform, literally in the snow,and then you're in a ball gown
and a sash and a tiara for theMiss Veteran America Awards and
then literally on the next slideyou're in your PT outfit doing
(35:06):
trap bar deadlifts.
You are literally alwayssmiling, always giving your best
, strong effort.
And I know social media it'ssnaps of our life, but I can
just tell this is you right.
You are just showing the worldwhat you can do.
What has surprised you the mostabout your platform?
Maj. Young (35:27):
I'm always excited to create content, but I tell
people like I don't edit mystuff.
If I have a blemish, it's there.
If I have a role, it's there.
I know how to pose a little bitbetter so I don't show them all
, but it's there and I'm not.
I'm not changing that.
But I am genuinely also veryhappy.
My unit says that I'm thehappiest soldier to be there.
They always say that and it'sbecause I really am, and so I
(35:49):
never want them to think thatI'm a first take type of person,
that I'm an all 10 of 10 scores, that I don't fail.
I never want anybody to knowthat.
So I tell them I had to takethe pants twice.
I missed it by one question.
If I just calmed down a littlebit and stopped worrying that
everybody else was passing, Iprobably would have been okay.
But even as confident as I am,there are moments when I know
(36:10):
I'm going to make it happen.
I just don't know how.
And when I'm creating content,I get to tell them that and that
surprises me that more peoplereach out that they're like well
, this happened to me too.
People that I've known foryears that I'm like oh well, I
didn't know that about them, andthen it gives them the courage
to be able to say, oh, I didn'tknow that about them.
And then it gives them thecourage to be able to say, oh, I
saw her post that this didn'tgo well.
(36:31):
Now I can too.
And then, with its growth, myaudience shifting from being
confetti cannon that is just whoI am, but it's not a facade.
I wake up like this.
(36:59):
So I'm hoping, as I transitionmore into medicine, to
pre-health students, even tocurrent PAs or pre-PAs or even
pre-meds, whomever you are thatthey see that, but also they
know that I am still only ahuman being.
I will never be better thananybody else.
Everybody has a role, no matterhow significant, and I hope
that they see that, that I'mjust another part of a wheel
that is going to continuouslymove, whether I'm there or not.
But it is my job to make surethat it's sharp, it still works,
(37:20):
it gets over rocks, it doesn'tget stuck in the mud, and I just
hope everybody else wants toplay their part too, and I hope
on my platform that is what itshows.
I love to travel, I love to eat, I love to run, I love to hang
out with my friends, so I hopethat they see that I'm the
everyday girl.
I just had to fight a littlebit harder in some respects and
work a little bit harder, butI'm not really any different.
Ashley (37:41):
The relatability is incredible.
But beyond that, just the, justthe can do, and God, the joy
for life.
You see some really heavy stuffin the hospital.
And we're not even talkingabout burnout because I feel,
like you, that word doesn't eventouch your lips because of,
well, number one, how busy youare, you don't have time for
burnout.
But number two, I think thatwhen you are that involved with
(38:02):
so many different things, somany different avenues, when
you're that sure of yourself andwho you are and what you need
to do to maintain you, burnoutisn't even a question, right?
And I just like, if anybodywere to ask me well, ashley, how
would you combat burnout?
I'm just immediately going todirect them to your page and be
like, look at her, she iscombating burnout and she
(38:25):
doesn't even know it becauseshe's just living her life.
Tai knows what she knows andshe's doing it.
Like you said, you just makesure that your wheels not
getting stuck on rocks or stuckin the mud.
Just keep on turning.
There is one more question thatI want to address before we get
to the final question, and abunch of the things that you've
talked about it's really broughtme to this.
You mentioned in otherinterviews that in the next five
(38:47):
years you would like to go toCapitol Hill and advocate, and I
think we've already heard howyou are an advocate.
You are an advocate for women,you are an advocate for people
who are underrepresented.
You're an advocate for theregular, average Joe who maybe
wants to know can I do this,should I do this Right?
What advice would you give?
We've talked about vaccines too, and there's just there's a lot
(39:08):
of noise right now.
What advice would you give tosomeone who's feeling
disappointed or maybedisillusioned by, I'm going to
say, politics and medicine?
What advice would you give tosomebody who's just frustrated?
Maj. Young (39:22):
What I tell people sometimes for the there's two,
there's two sides and two facetsto this.
The people who are strugglingto not understand what they
should believe and they'refrustrated.
Should I be trusting mygovernment?
Should I be trusting my leaders?
What would make you the mosthealthy and most well person?
That is, what would make youthe most healthy and most well
person?
That is what would would yougive yourself a fighting chance?
And in getting that fightingchance, do you want that
(39:44):
vaccination?
Do you want that access to care?
And then also ask, ask yourselfsometimes we have to do things
that may not always benefit usimmediately.
So, is that extra $2 as far astaxes, that gets that kid health
insurance?
Is that going to hurt you?
What, what, what would make youbetter in that moment?
And that leave with thatdecision.
So, through the smoke, throughthe fog of that all, what makes
(40:08):
you the better part of that?
And you make that decision fromthere, regardless of what
you're hearing.
And then on the other side, itis so frustrating to see a
people try to kind of blankettheir disappointment, their hurt
and their shame and their likewhat's going on in the world?
By dismissing what we alreadyknow.
And I try to ask them are youdoing this because there's a
(40:32):
part of you who is disappointedwith whatever's happened, and
this is your way to feel betterof you who is disappointed with
whatever's happened and this isyour way to feel better.
This is your way to mask what'sgoing on by making decisions
that you seem like I need tostick with something, even
though it's not right.
Ask yourself if that's reallywhy you're doing it, and if you
can't come up with a good reasonwith backed up research, then
reevaluate that, because it isso easy to point in the wrong
(40:54):
direction when it feels better.
It always feels better to thinkthat you are right and to feel
and know that you were wrong.
It's always going to feel thatway.
So for those people, thinkabout that.
But also in the frustratedpeople who's been fighting for
forever, who've always wantedaccess to health care, which I
worked with the North CarolinaDepartment of Health Services to
(41:16):
give, to expand Medicaid,medicare I want that to be there
.
It's important.
If I pay more than everybodygets, gets more, and then
together we have bettermaintenance, we have healthier
people, so we can cut down onthis.
That's what we want to gotowards.
Don't fight.
Don't stop that fight.
I've fought Congress before andI won, and I would do it again,
(41:36):
but you can't.
You can't let them tell you toback down.
That can't happen.
And the reason that that can'thappen is because they don't
know what you've seen and theydon't know what you know.
And the better you fight, theharder you fight, then, the more
than maybe you can do and thenget others to do it for you,
with you and for you.
Ashley (41:53):
Incredible.
Thank you, and thank you, thankyou for your, your future
service even more to our countryin this role, because I know
you're going to do it and youknow I just I hate to think
about the women working ingynecologic oncology, the women
that are going to be in the backof your mind when you present
some of these arguments.
(42:13):
You know, and I think that thatis what weighs so heavily on us
as medical providers is, for alot of people, this is just
conceptual, you know, and, andfor you it's not.
You have stared this concept inthe face and you have told her
that this is metastatic and thatthe reason that her hair is
(42:34):
falling out and that hertoenails are not growing is not
in fact, in her head.
It's because she has cancer.
You know, and, and so I'm just,I am, I'm so hopeful for what
you will do, I'm so saddened bywhat it will take to get there,
but knowing that we have amazingleaders like you that are going
to just continue to push usforward and lead the way is just
(42:56):
.
It gives me so much hope.
So, thank you.
Maj. Young (42:58):
Thank you so much and may I say something about
you.
I am thankful for you.
The sheer will to wanna sharepeople's stories but, more
importantly, highlight what wecan continue to do is.
It amazes me to see you do this, to look at everything that
you've done, that questions thatyou ask, the fight that you put
up Like.
I am so thankful for peoplelike you.
And people don't understandwhat you don't have until you
(43:19):
don't have it.
We need people like you.
This is how things continue togo.
We need people to share thoseexperiences.
Every when I'm on the treadmill, I literally say my patients'
names who aren't here anymore.
Ashley (43:30):
Wow.
Maj. Young (43:30):
You know, I'm like.
You know what they would wantme to do.
They don't, they can't anymore,and so moments like this, when
I'm listening to you and I knowwhat you've done, I'm like she's
done this.
I don't have a reason why not.
Okay, let's figure it out.
Ashley (43:43):
I appreciate that.
It reminds me of what you saidearlier, how you're never alone
in the army.
I think medicine sometimes canbe very isolating, especially if
you're struggling with burnout,and I've spoken with Dr Todd
Otten a couple episodes ago andhe spoke about physician suicide
and I think it is isolating andI think the more that we can
band together and we can atleast have these conversations
(44:05):
where we feel like we're notalone, we encourage the next
level of students coming behindus all the pre-health students
to get in their medicalcommunity.
That's why we do what we do,right, ty?
Oh my gosh.
This has been an incredibleconversation.
Before we go, usually how Iwrap up is tell me some advice
(44:26):
that you would have for yourpre-health students.
I'm going to shift and instead,because you have done so many
incredible things, how do youdecide when it's time to pivot
or when it's time to take on anew challenge?
Maj. Young (44:39):
You know, I'm not going to be the same person as I
am today in five years.
So if I'm pivoting, will myinterests change?
Life is going to look a bitdifferent.
Things are unexpected.
I'll never be able to forecast.
So I need to be able to makethat decision that I'll still be
happy with in five years.
So if the pivot is just careerand not thinking about family,
do you want a family?
Then let's consider that.
Even if you don't have oneFinancially, is there something
(45:02):
you wanna invest in later?
Do you wanna buy a house?
Do you feel like this charityprogram?
Because, believe it or not, youstart it.
You're gonna be putting a lotof your own money into it.
So make those decisions that infive years, are still gonna
make you happy and still, evenif it fails, not drastically
change who you are.
And that's when I make mydecisions.
Because, going to PA school inmy 30s, I hadn't gotten married
(45:24):
yet, I haven't had kids yet.
What am I really forgetting?
And I've forgotten and forgotthat I did.
I did.
I was like, oh, it's never toolate.
So I have to think about if I'mgoing to pivot, if I'm going to
change.
If this is best for me, will itbe best for the family that I
still want, will it be best forthe economy that I hope to still
have?
(45:44):
So I have to make thosedecisions where I can still be
able to afford the basics, stilltake care of myself and then
hopefully still be able toprovide for the family that I
hope to have.
And so that's when I make thosedecisions, not for the now but
for in five years.
What will that be?
And I think that concept whenpeople get asked what's your
five and 10 year, can get lostBecause they're saying, no,
(46:05):
what's your career?
But what would change that?
What would make that not beable to happen or be able to
happen bigger?
We don't know.
And so that's what I would tellsomebody.
Ashley (46:22):
Incredible.
Tiye, you are amazing.
I am so happy to have met youand to know you.
Thank you so much for takingthe time to talk with us on
shadow me next.
Um, I cannot wait to follow therest of your career, which is
just already so impressive.
So thank you for joining ustoday.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so very much forlistening to this episode of
shadow me next.
If you liked this episode or ifyou think it could be useful
(46:42):
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have any questions, letme know on Facebook or Instagram
access.
You want stories you need.
You're always invited to shadowme next.
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories, the joys
and challenges they face andwhat drives them in their
careers.
It's access you want andstories you need, whether you're
a pre-health student or simplycurious about the healthcare
field.
I invite you to join me as wetake a conversational and
personal look into the lives andminds of leaders in medicine.
(00:44):
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
conversations, so make sure thatyou subscribe to this podcast,
which will automatically notifyyou when new episodes are
dropped, and follow us onInstagram and Facebook at shadow
me next, where we will reviewhighlights from this
conversation and where I'll giveyou sneak previews of our
upcoming guests.
(01:04):
Today on shadow me next, I'mexcited to introduce you to
Major Tiye Young, a trulyextraordinary woman whose life
story is a testament toresilience, leadership and
unwavering commitment.
Major Young is a 14-yearveteran of the US Army and a
physician assistant specializingin acute care surgery and
gynecologic oncology, but herpath to becoming a PA has been
(01:28):
anything but conventional.
After completing herprerequisites for PA school,
major Young was unexpectedlydeployed, forcing her to pivot
and take a different routetowards her dream of working in
clinical medicine.
Despite these challenges,including navigating a complex
military career, transitioningfrom active duty to the National
(01:49):
Guard and overcoming a personalbattle with cervical cancer,
she persevered and went on tograduate from Wake Forest
University's PA program.
Currently, she works in ahigh-pressure surgical
environment, caring for patientswho are facing some of the most
difficult moments of theirlives.
Her experience has given her adeep well of empathy, allowing
(02:10):
her to provide not just medicalcare but hope to those in need.
She's also a passionateadvocate for underrepresented
communities in healthcare, usingher growing social media
platform to mentor and inspirepre-health students, especially
those who may feel like the pathto medicine is out of reach.
In this episode, we'll dive intoMajor Young's remarkable
(02:33):
journey, the lessons she'slearned along the way, and how
she balances the demands ofmedicine, the military and
advocacy, while still findingjoy in the journey.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
(02:53):
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer or company.
This is Shadow Me Next withMajor Tiye Young.
I have been looking forward tothis.
You don't even know how long Iam so excited to chat with you.
(03:14):
I'm in love with your journeyand I truly don't know how you
have time to do it all.
So thank you for being here,thank you for joining us, thank
you.
Maj. Young (03:22):
I'm so excited to be here and it truly is privilege,
and I hope that every personthat gets to sit in my seat and
talk to you knows that.
Ashley (03:29):
You have so many elements of your story that I'm
just so excited to dive into andto highlight and to show people
that really, on your journey,you've had.
You've had and I'm not going tocall them setbacks, you've just
had some surprises right, andsometimes the surprises are
really interesting and sometimesthe surprise is really scary,
but you have just shown time andtime again that you come
(03:51):
through these surprises astronger person who is more
relatable to, to people, which Iwas going to say patients, but
just to people generally.
So I'm so excited to highlightthat about you.
You have served in the UnitedStates Army for 14 years.
Thank you so much for yourservice.
It's incredible.
You were set to attend the ArmyPA school in 2013, but you were
(04:14):
deployed and this is one ofthose moments when you ran into
a surprise perhaps.
Maj. Young (04:21):
I was applying and I knew I'd spoken to everybody.
I knew I pretty much was goodto go, got my letters of
recommendation finished, everysingle prerequisite course that
had been assigned, because atthe time the courses were a bit
different.
So I was like I know I'm going,this is going to be great.
All I have to hit is submitright now.
And I was like, ok, well, I had11 days and I was deploying 11
(04:49):
days and I didn't even get mystuff on the container that
shipped.
They had to reroute my bagsbecause I was a latecomer to the
deployment, put it on aseparate carrier, and so I
arrived like with barelyanything, just the stuff that I
could bring, and then waited formy stuff to get shipped out
there.
(05:09):
It had to be shipped after Ialready was on ground as well.
Ashley (05:13):
And then fast forward 10 years after that.
You're a graduate of WakeForest University PA program.
You're now practicing in acutecare surgery and gynecologic
oncology.
You are active in the armyreserves.
You have a burgeoning socialmedia platform.
I mean, like the, I feel likethe world's just exploded for
you.
Are you happy right now?
Tell me how you feel about yourposition currently.
Maj. Young (05:35):
Oh, you know, when you do something and you finally
get there and you're like I'mnot sure I'm going to feel about
this, I'm in the phase where Ican't believe it actually all
happened.
I am so happy.
Every time I get to walk intomy patient's room I'm like I'm
actually the provider.
Oh, they're listening for whatI'm going to say because they
(05:57):
need the information.
And as a student for so long oras somebody who's shadowing or
as a medical assistant, you'rekind of always listening to
somebody else provide guidance,and so you're kind of a fly on
the wall.
You're not the primary.
So for the first time I feltlike what I'm saying is
meaningful and the advice, theguidance or just the hope
sometimes I'm giving to patientsis what is going to be long
(06:20):
term.
And it's up to me to know whatI'm talking about.
But it's up to me to give it askindly and as emotional as I
should be, considering theircircumstance, and so I'm so
happy to do that and it's soawesome.
Ashley (06:34):
Honestly, it's like it's like a full circle moment,
right.
I mean, the experiences thatyou've had that we're going to
talk about I'm sure make theweight of that moment.
You mentioned giving patientshope sometimes, I I'm sure make
the weight of that moment.
You mentioned giving patientshope.
Sometimes I'm sure it makes theweight of that moment even that
much heavier.
But, as we all talk about,you've been there and you know,
(06:55):
and now you have the educationfrom Wake Forest and you can
provide this to your patient ina way that is compassionate and
empathetic and sympathetic.
The beginning of your story isso interesting.
It's hard for me to even talkabout beginnings with you,
because I feel like what's soamazing is that you have had so
many beginnings which is justunreal.
But let's start with yourmilitary career.
(07:15):
So you, from the time you wereyoung, you knew you wanted to go
into the military.
Tell me about the day youencountered the PA profession.
Maj. Young (07:25):
Yes.
So I had not really heard ofwhat a physician assistant now
you know, physician associatewas.
But I was in Baumholder,germany, and there was a female
that was in my unit and I waslike what do you do?
I'm thinking she's a medic, butshe was a captain.
So I was like I don't think wehave captain medics.
You know, I'm trying to findand rattle in my little brain at
(07:45):
the time what does she do?
And people were asking herquestions.
My commander walked up to herand asked her something in
pediatrics and I was like, wait,she knows stuff.
And she was able to describeexactly what was going on.
And I went up to her and I waslike, what do you do?
She's like I'm a PA.
And I was like I'm sorry, Idon't know what that is.
And she's like, oh, I'm aphysician assistant in the army,
I am a provider.
(08:06):
I'm not a doctor, but I'm ableto have free range with
providing services to thesoldiers in all capacity,
whether I'm on ground, whetherit's emergent, whether it's
trauma.
And I was like, wait a minute,no way.
And then later on I would getto see her because I realized
I'm in her unit.
So she's my PA, me, notunderstanding how that worked.
And I was like, oh, you're myprovider, not like my primary,
(08:29):
but like if I get hurt, you fixme.
And she's like, yes, andwhether we're deployed, whether
we're stateside, whether we'rein another country.
And I was like I want to dothat, that's what I want to do.
I first time.
I first access to the soldiers,wellness their health, treating
(08:49):
them if I needed to on thebattlefield, being the first
person on like field missions.
I was like that's my job andI'm going to do it.
Ashley (08:54):
I just didn't know it was going to take so long.
How incredible for her to beable to explain that to you.
So this segues really nicelyinto something called the IPAP,
which stands for theInter-Service Physician
Assistant Program.
Tell us what this is.
Tell us a little bit about it?
Maj. Young (09:08):
Yes, so the IPAP program, or the Inter-Service
Physician Assistant Program, isan all-service PA program that's
down in Texas, and so what thisallows is for that component
soldier to become a PA.
It doesn't matter whether youwere enlisted, whether you're a
warrant officer or alreadyofficer.
This allows you to go back andpractice in that branch.
So whether you're NationalGuard, reserves or Active Duty
(09:31):
and it's kind of confusingbecause those are three separate
branches they're in the Armybut there are different
components of it.
So I wanted to go ahead andtransfer to be an IPAP student
to then become a PA on activeduty, and so it has all the same
requirements.
You have your didactic year,you have your clinicals, which
you then sometimes oftenpractice with the other students
(09:52):
that are in the program, andwhat's really cool about this is
that they have this thingcalled constructive credit.
So if you had a certain rank,technically you're not an expert
in that new branch, right?
But they allow you to be paidas an E6 while you're there.
So you're getting your regularpay, but of course your housing
and food is all still providedfor in that capacity, so you're
(10:16):
still getting paid, but thenonce you commission or you
graduate, you're automatically afirst lieutenant.
Now, if you already had aprevious rank before that, they
can do the constructive creditand then see how many years of
service, your expertise and kindof give you a different rank,
which is new, because you allused to start off as a first
lieutenant everybody and thenwithin like that six months you
(10:37):
get promoted to captain.
But you're a practicing PA.
So you go to a battalion or yougo to a company and you are
that group of soldiers, medicalprovider for all things, not
primary.
You still go to your primaryfor your annual but periodic
health assessments fordeployments.
You're doing everything.
So you get all scopes ofpractice and you can even
specialize.
(10:57):
So you can do surgery, you cando very niche things within the
military, you can go to specialforces, and so it's just a way
for you to be a medical providerin the military specifically,
whether it was Navy, air Force,army, etc.
Ashley (11:11):
Thank you so much for explaining that.
I think it's a really, reallygood option for a lot of people
that might not know the optionexists Now.
You went through the IPAPapplication, then got deployed,
and then you did regular PAschool application.
Then got deployed and then youdid regular PA school
application.
Maj. Young (11:25):
Yes.
So I had finished IPAPSrequirements, which were not the
same as civilian schoolrequirements.
So I had done the CHEM I.
I'd finished, about to finishCHEM II.
I went back and did the bio, Igot the shadowing hours, I got
the clinical hours and then theArmy changed its rules and
(11:46):
regulations.
If you've been an officer formore than 10 years, then you
need a waiver from like what?
From my side, federal side tobe able to transfer, and that
just wasn't going to happen.
That I'd already received abonus in my branch we're already
a low density branch, meaningthere's not a lot of people that
do my job, so they're not goingto be willing to let me go.
But at the time when I wasapplying, I met all the criteria
(12:11):
.
So I was like, all right, I'mjust going to go to civilian
program.
This came out in 2021, by theway, this is new.
So I was applying and foundthis out, that I was no longer
eligible for IPAP, and I waslike, well, I need to actually
take more courses, because now Ineed biochemistry, now I need
genetics, which part of the IPAPprogram you didn't need, like
(12:31):
the last semester.
So I took a year's worth ofclasses so that I could qualify
for civilian school At the time.
You need 50 shadowing hours todo IPAP and then some clinicals.
I needed 2000 for civilian, soit was going to take me an extra
couple of years.
Ashley (12:46):
It's another surprise in the plan right For you.
So you, of course, your, yourresilience, your tenacity, you
did all of these things and youdidn't just get into PA school.
You got into PA school WakeForest.
Tell us how PA school for youat Wake Forest University
compared to some of thechallenges that you face serving
in the army?
Part of me wonders for you atWake Forest University compared
to some of the challenges thatyou face serving in the Army.
(13:07):
Part of me wonders for you andyour experience in your
background, is there aperspective here that we need to
be considering?
Maj. Young (13:15):
I would absolutely say that I did not get to have
like the typical PA experiencebecause I still served and a lot
of people do not do thattogether.
So I still went to drill.
So while people were leaving onThursday because sometimes we
might have class like until 12,I'm leaving to go to drill right
after that.
Or Monday I'm missing schoolbecause we have a field mission
(13:38):
that's three hours away and soI'm bustling in the middle of
the night to get back and to geta quiz done and then to go to
class.
So that perspective of PAschool being hard as far as
academically is one thing.
But I just didn't have as muchtime as everyone else and I come
to find out that most peopledon't do it.
I was one of only three out ofmy unit that went to PA school.
(14:00):
I'm the only one still in.
No one, everyone else got outor unfortunately didn't graduate
.
So I didn't really understandthat.
I thought that this is justwhat you do, this is what you
muster through.
You get up, you show up on time, you're in the right uniform,
you're in the right place, youdo your job and then, whatever
else comes, you also do that job.
I just didn't realize how hardthat was.
(14:21):
Pa school is hard, don't get mewrong.
It's hard.
It's manageable if you knowyourself.
If you don't know yourself andyou don't know your capacity,
you don't know your boundaries,then it's really, really hard.
And I had to learn that thehard way, and sometimes to a
fault.
I wanted to still do everythingand I realized that sometimes I
(14:42):
couldn't.
Ashley (14:51):
So, yeah, pa school is hard but it's manageable.
It's such a beautiful reminderfor people who are so worried
about PA school and about howhard it is and about the amount
of time that they're going tohave for X or for Y or for Z.
And look at what you've done.
You went to Wake Forest, youpassed PA school and you were
still serving all of this timeand, like you said, you just put
your head down and you got itdone.
Okay, so you've graduated WakeForest, you're a PA.
(15:12):
You are still, at this point,national Guard.
Maj. Young (15:16):
Yep Because I switched components from active
duty.
I left active duty and thenjoined the Guard so that I could
go back to school.
Ashley (15:22):
to apply to PA school Unbelievable.
It just pivots, pivots, pivotsjust to make it all fit.
Before we get a glimpse of aday in the life of Major Young,
keep in mind that there's moreinterview prep, such as mock
interviews and personalstatement review, over on
shadowmenexcom.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
(15:43):
Now, Major Young and I did nothave the opportunity to talk
about a quality question, butshe brings up an excellent point
.
Everyone's journey to PA schoolis unique and the experiences we
have along the way shape who weare as future healthcare
providers.
A quality question that youmight hear on interview is this
(16:03):
what life experiences haveshaped you most and helped you
prepare to tackle the rigorouschallenges of PA school?
Whether it's overcomingpersonal challenges, balancing
demanding jobs or working inhealthcare settings, these
experiences can teach usvaluable lessons of perseverance
and understanding.
Valuable lessons ofperseverance and understanding.
(16:27):
So let's talk about a day inthe life of a PA who works in
acute care as a surgical PA at alevel two trauma facility, and
then you're also a gynecologiconcology PA.
What are you dealing with on aday-to-day basis?
Maj. Young (16:38):
It blows my mind every day that they let me do
this and that they pay me to dothis, with just a little bit of
knowledge that I have I mean, Ijust graduated I took the pants
like August because I had to doit again.
I will say I missed it by onequestion the first time.
The anxiety of it all justreally got me.
But on my day to day I worknight shift.
So I work the night 7 pm to 5am, which is amazing, and I work
(17:00):
seven straight, so Mondaythrough Sunday, 7pm to 5am.
So the get ready with me.
I get up at between two andthree, I go to the gym, I run
between two and three miles orI'm rucking and then I kind of
look over some material, if Ican, so I might play like
purpose games but like surgicalinstruments, just to make sure
(17:21):
I'm on par.
And then I go and we review thecharts together.
Usually I'm going into a surgerywhether it's an appendectomy or
cholecystectomy and then Iround on the floor and so then I
review my patient list.
Do I have a gynecologic patientthat day, meaning, did they
have a surgery or a procedure,or were they admitted via the ED
?
And then I go check them out,check their charts, and
(17:45):
sometimes their imaging comesback and I'm like they need to
go to surgery.
I'll get a CT back and I'm like, absolutely not, let's go to
pre-op.
And then I go explain to themI'm sorry, but you might have a
hematoma or you have dilatedloops of bile.
And so then I go back in thesurgeon and I first assist I can
(18:06):
do the anastomosis myself, soI'm the one sizing and I
completely do that all by myself.
And then, usually aroundmidnight, people like to either
hit things with their cars,unfortunately, or sometimes we
have gun violence, and so I'mrunning to a trauma which I've
had multiple gunshot victimsover this time and so I do a
trauma assessment victims overthis time and so I do a trauma
assessment Is there an openfracture somewhere?
Can we find where the fragmentsof whatever happened?
(18:34):
And so usually rushing themback to the OR.
And then I was first assist thesurgeon there, and that is a
daily, a Monday through Sunday,so I get it all, and then I'm
off for a week, and so that'sthat's what I do there's a lot
of emotion in that too, I wouldimagine, because you have a
patient that's already that'salready post-op.
Ashley (18:49):
You know, especially in gynecologic oncology, these are
scary cancers and then you'rehaving to tell them more scary
news.
And then you also have patientscoming in on literally their
worst day because they've beenshot or they've been hit by a
vehicle, like you said.
You know there's a lot ofemotion there.
I'm going to jump ahead.
This is a question I was goingto ask you later, but it's so
applicable right now.
(19:10):
You have seen, organized andmanaged so many missions in the
Army, most notably in 2024, whenyou were assigned command and
control in operations.
You were the operations officerfor Hurricane Helene, yes, and
you're responsible for staging,managing 1,500 Army and Air
National Guardsmen from threedifferent states.
I mean 1,500 Army and AirNational Guardsmen from three
(19:31):
different states.
I mean the amount of organizedchaos that that must have been.
So all of these experiences,that and this is just one of
them but all these things you'veexperienced working in the Army
, what have they taught youabout human resilience?
Because I'm sure you seesomething that's very, very
similar when you're working insurgery and when you're working
in the hospital.
Maj. Young (19:55):
Yes.
What I will say is that,because I have such a
significant amount of hope andbecause there's nothing, I think
that I can't do nothing reallyfeels as hard as it probably is
when I'm having to do it andthat's on it and I have an
exorbitant amount of energy.
I did not know that wasabnormal until people tell me so
for me this is just getting itdone.
For me, I'm getting there andI'm like okay, I was the first
person to arrive in Conover,which is our staging base for
(20:18):
Hurricane Helene.
One of our LMTVs, which is abig vehicle, got swept
underwater and six of mysoldiers had to swim out on the
side.
Oh, my gosh.
We tried to send a helicopterout and tried landing, but
unfortunately there was so muchfog.
We're trying to find and getpeople who have maybe been
sucked into a river, and so tome, I have to be calm, but I
(20:38):
have to know that sometimesthose things suck too, but I
have to manage that on my owntime.
So for me, having resilience isunderstanding that I have to put
the mission first people alwaysbut at that time you need to be
calm.
But it's gonna get better andpeople are relying on you and if
you honestly gave themeverything that you had, when
(20:58):
you're trying to think through aplan, when you're trying to
come up with the best course ofaction that will do the most
amount of good, then that keepsme resilient, because I know I
never faltered.
It might not have been assuccessful as I wanted it to be,
but I didn't falter, and sothat gives me hope and that
keeps me resilient.
Because Hurricane Helene wasdevastating, knowing that at
some points I'm on the phonewith people who were telling me
(21:20):
that their parents are dying andI can't save them.
And we tried, we tried.
We could not get to them intime, and so I had to take that
with me, that we did the bestthat we could, despite what
media might have shown or said.
Ashley (21:35):
I know what my guys did and we busted our chops out
there, incredible, and I cannotimagine a better person working
in an acute care surgicalposition other than you.
Who's literally this has beenyour training in situations far
more grand, but it's similaremotions.
I would imagine it's similaremotions On the other side of
(21:58):
things.
I would imagine that teamworkunder pressure that you
experienced and not onlyexperienced but managed and led
is exactly what you experienceand feel when you're working the
OR yeah, I mean what we do as aPA.
It's all about teamwork.
Maj. Young (22:15):
Oh absolutely the surgical techs save me all the
time because I'm like I don'tknow what the surgeon needs to
be handed next and they're like,hey, are you going to do this?
I'm like, oh yeah, that's great, I do need that lidocaine here.
Or when I'm closing sometimesI'm like I just don't feel like
this is closing really well,what do I do?
And I'm like, oh okay, well,maybe apply some Dermabon at
(22:35):
this and we can pinch thistogether.
I've never done an amputationbefore and the nurse is like, oh
well, this, there was anotherPA, there was the CRNA.
I was like, oh, I've seen thisbefore.
So everybody kind of alwayspitches in, even if it isn't
their specific specialty, andthat, to me, is all I've ever
asked for.
That's what I get in the army.
I'm never by myself in the army.
(22:55):
You're never on your own.
There's always a battle buddywith you, and so when I am in
the OR or making a bedsidedecision because that's on me
the surgeons normally aren'tthere.
So sometimes we have patientsthat decompensate or start to
code and we have to run a rapid.
And I'm the only one there.
That CNA has seen this before.
She's seen hey, they're,they're, they're desatting.
(23:18):
I've seen this.
The nurse up there has seen it,the charge nurse, the
environmental services people.
They're like hey, I've seenthem.
They don't seem like themselvesand I'm like you know what, let
me go check on that patient,because they see things before
we do.
So.
That's what feels like a teamto me.
Everybody has a part, no matterwhat.
It is no parts too small, andthat's what makes me feel so
good about being a PA that isjust the most perfect example
(23:42):
that I have ever heard of whybeing a PA is so fantastic.
Ashley (23:45):
I mean, it's just, it's so good.
Now, some of these proceduresthat you've you've described,
unfortunately, you have a veryintimate relationship with,
because before you could startyour career in medicine, you
were a patient yourself.
So tell us, tell us, a littlebit about this experience and
what it means to you now,looking back in the position
(24:08):
that you're in now.
Maj. Young (24:10):
Yes, I would position that you're in now.
Yes, I would have neverexpected that in my 20s I would
be diagnosed with cervicalcancer after being treated by so
many providers.
And it amazes me today that Iwent to go train for gynecologic
oncology and I walked into thesame room that I was a patient
in and for some reason, itdidn't hit me while I was
(24:30):
walking around, because I don'tknow what my room looked like
for me walking, because I wasn'twalking.
I was on a bed, I was on astretcher, so I'd never seen the
path that they took to get methere.
And a lot of the times allthree times I was coming back
from anesthesia, so I nevernoticed it until I looked at the
window, I looked at the bed andI looked where that sink was
(24:50):
and I was like this is where Iwas.
This is when I was readmittedafter having post-op
complication Because I developeda pelvic abscess, just like the
patients that I see and so thatat the time I was at UNC
Charlotte, I had enrolled inclasses and my provider was very
(25:10):
frank.
She was like you can't go toschool right now Because I was
thinking I could do some thingsonline.
She was like this isn't whatthis.
You're not going to feel goodand I'm like, well, I can do
anything.
She's like I know you can, Iknow you're capable, but this
fight is going to be a bit long.
Capable, but this fight isgoing to be a bit a bit long.
(25:31):
And so, understanding now whatmy patients are facing, it's
hard but I know that it'ssurvivable.
The hard thing is thatsometimes I see patients that
are younger than me now thatit's preventable, and then
sometimes I see people who areolder and they're so far
progressed that there's nothingwe can do.
We go into 20% of our patientsfrom and I know it's too
advanced, it's metastatic, andthat's who I see in the ED.
(25:53):
I'm like your cervical canceris metastatic, it's in your
liver, it's in your lungs and Iknow they're not going home.
And so sometimes it's hard totake myself out of that, because
at one point they thought I'dcome back and they was like we
have a 50% chance becausethere's no way to find it if it
already metastasized.
Like you can go through chemotreatments, but being even being
(26:14):
young, it's just it wasn't agood outcome.
And so now sometimes it's hardto take myself out of it, but a
lot of the times I have hope.
Ashley (26:21):
It's the worst possible way for you to be able to
sympathize and empathize withyour patients and, at the same
time, it's the best possible wayfor you to empathize and
sympathize with them, and I canonly imagine the challenge that
you probably felt, that internalstruggle, walking into that
room and kind of being in thesame position again, but this
(26:41):
time with power, and this timewith hope, and this time with
confidence that you are therefor a purpose right, and this
isn't something that's happeningto you.
This is a way that you can stepin and intervene for others.
So I think, as clinicians, aspeople, a lot of times our
experience dictates how perhapswe communicate and what we
(27:03):
communicate to some of ourpatients.
You've spoken about your passionfor, for example, for listening
to your body and not ignoringearly warning signs of certain
things.
You know, seeing these patientscome in with metastatic disease
is devastating and sometimesthere are early warning signs
for certain conditions.
Staying active, my God, you runand you rock before work.
(27:24):
I'm just so impressed with you.
Can you share how that passionhas kind of shaped your approach
to patient care?
Maj. Young (27:31):
Absolutely.
You know, when I hear thecomplaints of constipation, when
I hear the complaints of bowelchanges or bowel habits, when I
hear things like hey, I've beenfatigued, where they're normally
a bubbly, upbeat person, thosemake me ask different questions.
What's in your family history?
Has anybody close to you talkedabout having similar symptoms?
Was it already too late whenthey discovered them?
(27:53):
Because we're understanding nowthat it's younger people that
are experienced in colon cancers.
It's younger people, who maynot have been vaccinated, that
have the higher risks,especially between black and
brown women, and so when I'mhearing these things, I get to
ask them a little bit more.
Not that I treat them better ordifferently from other patients
, but the variety of questionsthat I may ask them may
(28:16):
attribute more to something thatI'm trying to make sure we
don't miss, not necessarily find.
So I'm not doing extra imagingfor no reason, but I need to
make sure that I don't miss anysigns, and for me it was very
weird.
My toenails stopped growing, myhair stopped growing, my hair
was falling out and I could notfor the life of me.
I remember going to my nailtechnician, and I see her
(28:36):
religiously because getting mynails done is something that I
just love to do.
And she was like, do you wantto get your nails, your toenails
done?
And I was like, oh no, theystill look good.
She was like it's been threemonths since you last did this
and I'm friends with her, so sheknows.
And then that's when I realizedI hadn't been here.
And then my hair I tookpictures.
My hair was like spiky and likeliterally shedding and I'm like
(28:59):
what is going on?
And my stomach pain was growing, I was losing, I was losing
weight and I'm like I don'tunderstand what is happening to
me.
And so that's when I, just whenI got to that doctor's office,
I said I'm not leaving.
He was like we don't have timeto see you today, we don't have
this specialty, and I was like,well, you're gonna have to wait
till you get somebody in Callsecurity.
I'm not leaving.
Ashley (29:20):
I literally was like call security.
Maj. Young (29:22):
And that's when she found it.
That's what she literally didSpe speculum exam went in there
and she was like I can see it.
And I was like, well, I'll bedarned because something wasn't
right.
And she said it might have beena polyp.
And I immediately rushed toanother doctor who I think he
immediately knew, he knew, andso I don't ignore those symptoms
(29:43):
.
I had telltale signs, I had thestomach pain, I had the vaginal
discharge, that just I'm like Idon't know what's going on.
They said, oh, it's normal, it'scommon throughout your cycle,
for and that could be foranybody, but then for me I knew
it wasn't, because why would itchange?
I'm not, I'm not much older,and so I'm glad that I got to
advocate that.
(30:04):
So advocate for that.
And so now I tell people youcan ask your provider, you don't
have to come in with a list,you know but ask is this normal?
I'm experiencing this, what doyou think this could be?
And then, with wellness, whenyou have the chance, go outside,
go run, go walk, don't wait,because so many patients come in
and they see us and they wishthey never waited.
(30:26):
And I'm glad that I had theopportunity and the privilege to
still be here.
So that's what I like toadvocate now Get your
vaccinations.
Despite what you're hearing, itworks.
Had I gotten it, I wouldn'thave had this, but 81% decreased
incidence of cervical canceroff of one vaccine.
So what else can we do?
So I advocate go get it.
I'm very passionate about that.
Ashley (30:50):
And from what I have seen and from what I have read,
your passion doesn't just stopwith your patients.
You are also so passionateabout serving as a mentor for
others and we're going to getinto it but, oh my gosh, your
content creation for otherpeople is just incredible.
Tell me about why you feel socompelled, especially to work
with underrepresented groups.
Why is visibility so importantin medicine?
Maj. Young (31:12):
You know what?
Sometimes patients need to seethemselves and who's taking care
of them, because there arethings that are different
culturally, but not only that.
People need to know that theycould do it too.
People need to see examples ofpeople that don't come from
great homes, that don't have thebest education, that are
socioeconomically disadvantaged.
(31:32):
Sometimes they don't knowthings are possible until you
say that it is because you saythat I've done it too and people
are like no, you have the media, you have the internet.
There's so much access youdon't know how much access there
really isn't until you'reseeing people use other Wi-Fi's
and libraries.
Do you see kids who are 15 thatare working jobs after school
(31:52):
because their parents don't haveenough for rent or they're
taking care of their siblings?
Just because we think thatthings are so easily accessible
because of our own lives, weforget that it's not true for
everyone.
And so being able to be arepresentative of just, not as a
minority, as a woman, but totell them that, despite
everything that has happened, Ican still put my best foot
(32:13):
forward.
Now I do know I have anadvantage of resources by being
in the military, so noteverybody has that and not
everybody is able to join.
So I know that I'm privilegedin that respect.
But sometimes they need to knowthat I never had a pediatrician.
I went to the local statedepartment.
I got my shots at my school.
I got free lunch.
No one in my family has adegree.
(32:33):
My siblings didn't graduatefrom high school At the time.
Things just weren't feasiblefor them.
So if I can tell them now thateven back then, I'm not so far
removed, I'm 35.
So if you're 19, there's somuch you can do that you might
not even know you can.
And that's why I think peopleneed to see themselves in the
(32:54):
work that's happening aroundthem.
Because I had never seen a PA,I had never had a Black provider
.
We couldn't even afford that.
I don't even know if we hadgood enough insurance to even do
that.
So if I can tell somebody thatthat even happened in my
generation it's still happeningin generations now then I can
(33:16):
show them that it's possible andthat I'm here to lend a hand.
That's our purpose is to helpthose who are coming after us.
Right, somebody went before usand got less than we did, so now
we need to give more to them,and that's kind of our job and
our, our, our mission is people,I would think so.
That's why I think I'm theperson to do it, not because I
(33:36):
feel like I have to, but becausethat's what I'm supposed to do
as a human being.
Ashley (33:42):
That could be your motto for your whole life.
Because I'm sitting herethinking, you know, imagining
the young black girl who iscoming in to see you as a
patient, maybe has never had apap smear before, and she's just
terrified.
And she, she's looking forsomebody that she trusts and and
for her you're going to be thatperson, okay.
And then I'm also imaginingthis patient that's received
(34:02):
this terrible diagnosis that youhave received once and again.
You're in that role of mentor,of sister in the disease, in the
diagnosis, of champion.
You are their champion, really,and you can do that so well as
a PA and as their medicalprovider, and I'm so grateful
(34:24):
for you, for stepping up to batevery single day.
Doing that for others.
It's a blessing, I know it is,but it's not without its own
emotional costs.
So, thank you, thank you fordoing that.
You're tough as nails.
I think we've all determinedthis, which is actually a really
great segue into your contentcreation.
(34:46):
So I was looking at your socialmedia.
You have moments where you'rein your medical scrubs, okay,
after a long night shift, andthen you're in your military
uniform, literally in the snow,and then you're in a ball gown
and a sash and a tiara for theMiss Veteran America Awards and
then literally on the next slideyou're in your PT outfit doing
(35:06):
trap bar deadlifts.
You are literally alwayssmiling, always giving your best
, strong effort.
And I know social media it'ssnaps of our life, but I can
just tell this is you right.
You are just showing the worldwhat you can do.
What has surprised you the mostabout your platform?
Maj. Young (35:27):
I'm always excited to create content, but I tell
people like I don't edit mystuff.
If I have a blemish, it's there.
If I have a role, it's there.
I know how to pose a little bitbetter so I don't show them all
, but it's there and I'm not.
I'm not changing that.
But I am genuinely also veryhappy.
My unit says that I'm thehappiest soldier to be there.
They always say that and it'sbecause I really am, and so I
(35:49):
never want them to think thatI'm a first take type of person,
that I'm an all 10 of 10 scores, that I don't fail.
I never want anybody to knowthat.
So I tell them I had to takethe pants twice.
I missed it by one question.
If I just calmed down a littlebit and stopped worrying that
everybody else was passing, Iprobably would have been okay.
But even as confident as I am,there are moments when I know
(36:10):
I'm going to make it happen.
I just don't know how.
And when I'm creating content,I get to tell them that and that
surprises me that more peoplereach out that they're like well
, this happened to me too.
People that I've known foryears that I'm like oh well, I
didn't know that about them, andthen it gives them the courage
to be able to say, oh, I didn'tknow that about them.
And then it gives them thecourage to be able to say, oh, I
saw her post that this didn'tgo well.
(36:31):
Now I can too.
And then, with its growth, myaudience shifting from being
confetti cannon that is just whoI am, but it's not a facade.
I wake up like this.
(36:59):
So I'm hoping, as I transitionmore into medicine, to
pre-health students, even tocurrent PAs or pre-PAs or even
pre-meds, whomever you are thatthey see that, but also they
know that I am still only ahuman being.
I will never be better thananybody else.
Everybody has a role, no matterhow significant, and I hope
that they see that, that I'mjust another part of a wheel
that is going to continuouslymove, whether I'm there or not.
But it is my job to make surethat it's sharp, it still works,
(37:20):
it gets over rocks, it doesn'tget stuck in the mud, and I just
hope everybody else wants toplay their part too, and I hope
on my platform that is what itshows.
I love to travel, I love to eat, I love to run, I love to hang
out with my friends, so I hopethat they see that I'm the
everyday girl.
I just had to fight a littlebit harder in some respects and
work a little bit harder, butI'm not really any different.
Ashley (37:41):
The relatability is incredible.
But beyond that, just the, justthe can do, and God, the joy
for life.
You see some really heavy stuffin the hospital.
And we're not even talkingabout burnout because I feel,
like you, that word doesn't eventouch your lips because of,
well, number one, how busy youare, you don't have time for
burnout.
But number two, I think thatwhen you are that involved with
(38:02):
so many different things, somany different avenues, when
you're that sure of yourself andwho you are and what you need
to do to maintain you, burnoutisn't even a question, right?
And I just like, if anybodywere to ask me well, ashley, how
would you combat burnout?
I'm just immediately going todirect them to your page and be
like, look at her, she iscombating burnout and she
(38:25):
doesn't even know it becauseshe's just living her life.
Tai knows what she knows andshe's doing it.
Like you said, you just makesure that your wheels not
getting stuck on rocks or stuckin the mud.
Just keep on turning.
There is one more question thatI want to address before we get
to the final question, and abunch of the things that you've
talked about it's really broughtme to this.
You mentioned in otherinterviews that in the next five
(38:47):
years you would like to go toCapitol Hill and advocate, and I
think we've already heard howyou are an advocate.
You are an advocate for women,you are an advocate for people
who are underrepresented.
You're an advocate for theregular, average Joe who maybe
wants to know can I do this,should I do this Right?
What advice would you give?
We've talked about vaccines too, and there's just there's a lot
(39:08):
of noise right now.
What advice would you give tosomeone who's feeling
disappointed or maybedisillusioned by, I'm going to
say, politics and medicine?
What advice would you give tosomebody who's just frustrated?
Maj. Young (39:22):
What I tell people sometimes for the there's two,
there's two sides and two facetsto this.
The people who are strugglingto not understand what they
should believe and they'refrustrated.
Should I be trusting mygovernment?
Should I be trusting my leaders?
What would make you the mosthealthy and most well person?
That is, what would make youthe most healthy and most well
person?
That is what would would yougive yourself a fighting chance?
And in getting that fightingchance, do you want that
(39:44):
vaccination?
Do you want that access to care?
And then also ask, ask yourselfsometimes we have to do things
that may not always benefit usimmediately.
So, is that extra $2 as far astaxes, that gets that kid health
insurance?
Is that going to hurt you?
What, what, what would make youbetter in that moment?
And that leave with thatdecision.
So, through the smoke, throughthe fog of that all, what makes
(40:08):
you the better part of that?
And you make that decision fromthere, regardless of what
you're hearing.
And then on the other side, itis so frustrating to see a
people try to kind of blankettheir disappointment, their hurt
and their shame and their likewhat's going on in the world?
By dismissing what we alreadyknow.
And I try to ask them are youdoing this because there's a
(40:32):
part of you who is disappointedwith whatever's happened, and
this is your way to feel betterof you who is disappointed with
whatever's happened and this isyour way to feel better.
This is your way to mask what'sgoing on by making decisions
that you seem like I need tostick with something, even
though it's not right.
Ask yourself if that's reallywhy you're doing it, and if you
can't come up with a good reasonwith backed up research, then
reevaluate that, because it isso easy to point in the wrong
(40:54):
direction when it feels better.
It always feels better to thinkthat you are right and to feel
and know that you were wrong.
It's always going to feel thatway.
So for those people, thinkabout that.
But also in the frustratedpeople who's been fighting for
forever, who've always wantedaccess to health care, which I
worked with the North CarolinaDepartment of Health Services to
(41:16):
give, to expand Medicaid,medicare I want that to be there
.
It's important.
If I pay more than everybodygets, gets more, and then
together we have bettermaintenance, we have healthier
people, so we can cut down onthis.
That's what we want to gotowards.
Don't fight.
Don't stop that fight.
I've fought Congress before andI won, and I would do it again,
(41:36):
but you can't.
You can't let them tell you toback down.
That can't happen.
And the reason that that can'thappen is because they don't
know what you've seen and theydon't know what you know.
And the better you fight, theharder you fight, then, the more
than maybe you can do and thenget others to do it for you,
with you and for you.
Ashley (41:53):
Incredible.
Thank you, and thank you, thankyou for your, your future
service even more to our countryin this role, because I know
you're going to do it and youknow I just I hate to think
about the women working ingynecologic oncology, the women
that are going to be in the backof your mind when you present
some of these arguments.
(42:13):
You know, and I think that thatis what weighs so heavily on us
as medical providers is, for alot of people, this is just
conceptual, you know, and, andfor you it's not.
You have stared this concept inthe face and you have told her
that this is metastatic and thatthe reason that her hair is
(42:34):
falling out and that hertoenails are not growing is not
in fact, in her head.
It's because she has cancer.
You know, and, and so I'm just,I am, I'm so hopeful for what
you will do, I'm so saddened bywhat it will take to get there,
but knowing that we have amazingleaders like you that are going
to just continue to push usforward and lead the way is just
(42:56):
.
It gives me so much hope.
So, thank you.
Maj. Young (42:58):
Thank you so much and may I say something about
you.
I am thankful for you.
The sheer will to wanna sharepeople's stories but, more
importantly, highlight what wecan continue to do is.
It amazes me to see you do this, to look at everything that
you've done, that questions thatyou ask, the fight that you put
up Like.
I am so thankful for peoplelike you.
And people don't understandwhat you don't have until you
(43:19):
don't have it.
We need people like you.
This is how things continue togo.
We need people to share thoseexperiences.
Every when I'm on the treadmill, I literally say my patients'
names who aren't here anymore.
Ashley (43:30):
Wow.
Maj. Young (43:30):
You know, I'm like.
You know what they would wantme to do.
They don't, they can't anymore,and so moments like this, when
I'm listening to you and I knowwhat you've done, I'm like she's
done this.
I don't have a reason why not.
Okay, let's figure it out.
Ashley (43:43):
I appreciate that.
It reminds me of what you saidearlier, how you're never alone
in the army.
I think medicine sometimes canbe very isolating, especially if
you're struggling with burnout,and I've spoken with Dr Todd
Otten a couple episodes ago andhe spoke about physician suicide
and I think it is isolating andI think the more that we can
band together and we can atleast have these conversations
(44:05):
where we feel like we're notalone, we encourage the next
level of students coming behindus all the pre-health students
to get in their medicalcommunity.
That's why we do what we do,right, ty?
Oh my gosh.
This has been an incredibleconversation.
Before we go, usually how Iwrap up is tell me some advice
(44:26):
that you would have for yourpre-health students.
I'm going to shift and instead,because you have done so many
incredible things, how do youdecide when it's time to pivot
or when it's time to take on anew challenge?
Maj. Young (44:39):
You know, I'm not going to be the same person as I
am today in five years.
So if I'm pivoting, will myinterests change?
Life is going to look a bitdifferent.
Things are unexpected.
I'll never be able to forecast.
So I need to be able to makethat decision that I'll still be
happy with in five years.
So if the pivot is just careerand not thinking about family,
do you want a family?
Then let's consider that.
Even if you don't have oneFinancially, is there something
(45:02):
you wanna invest in later?
Do you wanna buy a house?
Do you feel like this charityprogram?
Because, believe it or not, youstart it.
You're gonna be putting a lotof your own money into it.
So make those decisions that infive years, are still gonna
make you happy and still, evenif it fails, not drastically
change who you are.
And that's when I make mydecisions.
Because, going to PA school inmy 30s, I hadn't gotten married
(45:24):
yet, I haven't had kids yet.
What am I really forgetting?
And I've forgotten and forgotthat I did.
I did.
I was like, oh, it's never toolate.
So I have to think about if I'mgoing to pivot, if I'm going to
change.
If this is best for me, will itbe best for the family that I
still want, will it be best forthe economy that I hope to still
have?
(45:44):
So I have to make thosedecisions where I can still be
able to afford the basics, stilltake care of myself and then
hopefully still be able toprovide for the family that I
hope to have.
And so that's when I make thosedecisions, not for the now but
for in five years.
What will that be?
And I think that concept whenpeople get asked what's your
five and 10 year, can get lostBecause they're saying, no,
(46:05):
what's your career?
But what would change that?
What would make that not beable to happen or be able to
happen bigger?
We don't know.
And so that's what I would tellsomebody.
Ashley (46:22):
Incredible.
Tiye, you are amazing.
I am so happy to have met youand to know you.
Thank you so much for takingthe time to talk with us on
shadow me next.
Um, I cannot wait to follow therest of your career, which is
just already so impressive.
So thank you for joining ustoday.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so very much forlistening to this episode of
shadow me next.
If you liked this episode or ifyou think it could be useful
(46:42):
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday, as always.
If you have any questions, letme know on Facebook or Instagram
access.
You want stories you need.
You're always invited to shadowme next.
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