It was a typical Monday.
Juli Habegger arrived at the Pawnee County Rural Health Clinic in Pawnee City, Neb., for her 8 a.m. shift.
There, the physician assistant sees patients of every generation from an 87-year-old being monitored for atrial fibrillation to a 19-month-old with a cough and fever.
In between, she saw a convenience store employee recovering from a coffee burn, a bronchitis patient, a teen battling depression, a 7-year-old with an earache and ringworm, a patient with back pain and another with a sinus infection.
That’s a physician assistant’s life in rural Nebraska – always ready to treat whatever illness walks through the door.
“Every day, every patient is different,” Habegger said.
For this UNMC graduate, it’s common to see 12 to 15 patients each day. And, once a week she spends afternoons seeing patients at the local nursing home.
“I like treating the whole life cycle,” she said. “While we refer to specialists, primary care providers coordinate care and are the first individuals people come to — that’s rewarding.”
Habegger had intended to become a pharmacist.
But, a growing interest in college biology and human biology prompted her to explore other options.
That was when she learned about physician assistants.
A sophomore-year internship with two of the only three physician assistants in her hometown of Hastings, Neb., sealed the deal.
“I wanted more active participation with all age groups,” she said. “I also wanted to treat and help people with any kind of medical issue.”
While still at Hastings College, she enrolled in UNMC’s PA program and was accepted.
She graduated from Hastings College in May 1989 and UNMC’s PA program (then 24 months long) in August 1990. She’s since earned a master’s degree in PA.
After graduation, she worked one year with an internist at Bergan Mercy before moving to Pawnee City in July 1991, where her then fiance (now husband) lived.
Her interest in rural practice was well timed as the clinic was hiring midlevel providers as it transitioned to a rural health clinic.
“I wasn’t aware of PA as a career until I decided pharmacy wasn’t for me, but it’s been a good fit for me. There’s lots of autonomy, it’s allowed me to raise my family and treat all ages and conditions. It’s been so gratifying.”