Rhiannon Giles

PA Students Don Their White Coats

The Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program held its traditional white coat ceremony for first-year students on January 4, 2023. For the first time since 2019, the entire first-year class gathered in one location to celebrate their journey into PA…

I See Myself Digging This Hole I’m Standing In

I know it seems like I have it all together. BuzzFeed I can’t even keep a straight face while I write that. I also can’t even keep my credit card balance together. I just transferred my balance from one card to another. Late last year, I transferred…

Out With Resolutions – In With 101 Things

One of the reasons I prefer the 101 Things list over typical resolutions is that there are no open-ended goals; no vague goals like “eat better” or “exercise more.” I know my willpower and motivation don’t work like that. Some combination of anxiety,…

Beginnings - Rhiannon Giles

I’m just about done with 2022. I mean, technically, we are all just about done with it, but I’m dramatically and metaphorically done with it. I decided not to go to the Jump, Little Children show because BFF Steven was sick and couldn’t go with me,…

Endings - Rhiannon Giles

It always feels like the winter solstice and the lengthening of the days should mean the end of winter, not the beginning. It should be a reprieve from the darkness and chill when in reality, we have two or three more months of it. Or maybe I’m just…

The Story of a Very Good Dog

Maya was a very good dog. Even once she developed Cushing’s and had to pee all the time and didn’t always make it outside, she was still an excellent dog. One of the best. Picture it – Greensboro 2008 My then-husband, Zach, and I decided we wanted a…

Binders Full of Grief

I’ve been thinking about all the ways grief sneaks into our lives. How it isn’t just an emotion relegated to death of loved ones. It’s easy to dismiss all the smaller moments of grief. Just like it’s easy to dismiss the calculated total of small…

One thought on “My Therapist is Leaving”

“There’s also a lot of vulnerability in a relationship where the sole connection will someday be severed. A relationship that can be severed so completely by things other than death, things I have no control over. A relationship that is both real and…

Planning Your Path to PA: Undergrads

Our applicants find their passion for the PA profession at a variety of life stages. Some know they want to be a PA or a health care professional as children. Others come to the profession after a decade in different careers. Many potential…

Physician Assistant Student Lily McWilliams Presents at Spotlight on Stomach Cancer Symposium

Second-year student Lily McWilliams, RDN, recently presented at the “Spotlight on Stomach Cancer Symposium” hosted by No Stomach for Cancer, an organization providing support to stomach cancer patients and their families. Originally asked to speak…

My Own Worst Enemy

I’m sitting at my favorite probably-wont-get-covid-here bar-with-a-couch, ostensibly writing my next piece for ADDitude magazine. The still-in-my-head draft begins with a bit about how it would be nice if baggage, mental illness, and neurodivergence…

What I Think the Therapeutic Relationship is Trying to Tell Me

I have recurring therapy dreams where I go to an appointment and other people are in the room during what should be my time. I’m angry because she should know better. I’m hurt that she doesn’t care enough about me to give me one hour of her life.…

“Upcycling: My (Guilt-Free) ADHD Obsession”

“A problem for a lot of us with ADHD is the cost involved in our short-lived obsessions. The two kayaks I bought last summer — and proceeded to use exactly once — come to mind. The act of spending money can be as big a dopamine rush as the items we…

Duke Physician Assistant Program Celebrates Class of 2022

When the class of 2022 interviewed for their place in the Duke Physician Program there was no inkling of the pandemic that would change the shape of the world for years to come. Most of the class already had their acceptance letters by the time…

My itchy skin during pregnancy turned out to be something more dangerous than I expected

Late in my pregnancy, my feet and hands started itching, and nothing gave me relief. I recognized it as intrahepatic cholestasis, which can increase the risk of stillbirth. I got a prescription to help with the itching, then scheduled an induction.…

Duke Physician Assistant Program Looks Towards "Disruptive Innovation" for the Future

With an eye on the future, The Duke Physician Assistant Program (DPAP) recently held a faculty and staff event titled, “DPAP 2027: Disruptive Innovation for the Future of PA Education.” In her opening remarks, Program Director Jacqueline Barnett,…

Duke PA Class of 2002 Holds Reunion and Offers Mentorship to Graduating Students

Earlier this month, the Duke Physician Assistant Program class of 2002 hosted their 20-year class reunion. As part of the reunion weekend, the alumni hosted a "Summer Brunch Meet & Greet" for the class of 2022 just before they embark on their ca

Duke PA Students, Faculty, attend The Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March in Washington, DC

Thousands gathered on Saturday, June 18th, for The Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March in Washington, DC. A group of Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program students and faculty attended with the North Carolina chapter of

I have ADHD. In some ways, it makes me a better parent to my daughter.

Undiagnosed ADHD left me believing I was lazy. It sometimes makes it difficult to help my daughter, who has also been diagnosed with ADHD. Having ADHD does help me understand her struggles more than anyone. As a teenager, nobody could figure out why…

Pregnancy Almost Killed Me - Life of the Mother Clauses Are Not That Reassuring

April 11, 2015, was my daughter’s fifth birthday party. In the pictures from that day, I am wearing a knee-length fluttery skirt and an aqua tank top. I am on the porch, lighting candles, then I am standing arms crossed in the backyard. The next…