06/25/2024
Member Feature: Catching up with Emily Knerr, PA-C
OAPA celebrates its members from across the state and in all areas of practice. This month we are featuring Emily Knerr, PA-C, general surgery physician assistant, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.
This year's nominee from Riverside for the Ohio Hospital Association's Health Care Worker of the Year Award, here's what Emily's nominator had to say:
"The award honors outstanding health care workers who are great leaders, reflect the mission and values of their organizations, routinely go beyond the call of duty and give back to their community. Her relentless advocacy for patient safety and quality improvement initiatives have set the standard for excellence in health care. Emily's leadership and dedication have led to significant systemic changes, such as the comprehensive nursing initiative addressing nasogastric tube management, which serves as a model for achieving impactful change across the organization. She is deeply committed to collaboration, serving in leadership roles on various councils and committees, where she brings the perspective of advanced practice providers to the table. Emily actively engages in community outreach, spearheading initiatives that support underserved individuals and foster a sense of community within and outside the hospital."
We caught up with Emily to ask her a few question about her career:
Why do you love being a PA?
I love working with patients, getting into the detail of their presenting problems, and thoroughly
discussing and sharing decision making with them on their plan of care. Medicine is not nearly as
straight forward as we might think, and I love being able to impact patient lives and outcomes as a PA.
discussing and sharing decision making with them on their plan of care. Medicine is not nearly as
straight forward as we might think, and I love being able to impact patient lives and outcomes as a PA.
What do you wish you knew about being a PA when you were in PA school?
Building relationships and communicating effectively is incredibly important. Whether you are stretching
out of your comfort zone or attempting to impact change, working well with others can be particularly
challenging, especially if you are perceived as “challenging up.” Being an excellent PA sometimes means
paving new paths that may be difficult for others to appreciate and embrace.
out of your comfort zone or attempting to impact change, working well with others can be particularly
challenging, especially if you are perceived as “challenging up.” Being an excellent PA sometimes means
paving new paths that may be difficult for others to appreciate and embrace.
Why are you an OAPA member?
Without the OAPA, Ohio PAs would have little to no influence on the laws effecting our practice. They
are absolutely essential to getting PAs practicing at the top of our licensure and training and I am so
grateful for all the work they do.
are absolutely essential to getting PAs practicing at the top of our licensure and training and I am so
grateful for all the work they do.
How do you like to spend your time when you aren't working?
I absolutely love to read (and managed to finish over 30 books in 2023). Whether I choose to be swept
away in fiction or dig in to a topic about which I was previously ignorant, there is a book for every goal
and mood. I am also passionate about photographing the beauty of the world around us, hiking, and
being with my family.
away in fiction or dig in to a topic about which I was previously ignorant, there is a book for every goal
and mood. I am also passionate about photographing the beauty of the world around us, hiking, and
being with my family.
Our thanks to Emily Knerr, PA-C, for sharing a little about her life as a PA. Would you like to be featured in a future newsletter, or do you know of an Ohio PA who you think deserves the spotlight? Please fill out this form to share your story, or that of a someone you admire!