Lindsey Graham, certified physician assistant, recently joined Bothwell Orthopedics & Sports Medicine.
Physician assistants (PAs) are mid-level providers that provide patient care under the guidance and supervision of a collaborating physician. They can diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret labs and tests, prescribe medications, perform procedures, assist in surgeries and make rounds in hospitals. PAs are educated to practice general medicine and trained using a curriculum modeled on medical school education. With this education, PAs are versatile and can practice in many different medical settings and specialties.
Dr. Evan Stout, physician at Bothwell Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, said growth and outreach were the reasons for adding a PA to the clinic’s team of providers.
“Our practice is growing, and Lindsey will see patients to reduce patient wait times and assist with complex surgical procedures,’ he said. “She will also allow us to expand our practice to Warsaw at Bothwell Health Center-Truman Lake.”
Graham is from St. Louis, Missouri, and received a master’s in Physician Assistant Studies from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, in November 2020. In May 2018, she received a bachelor’s degree in Health Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
During her master’s degree studies, Graham had more than 2,000 hours of direct patient contact during seven six-week-long clinical rotations in a variety of disciplines including family medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, women’s health, pediatrics, general surgery and an
elective of choice.
Graham’s favorite clinical experiences were at Bothwell and she said the physicians and staff members were incredible instructors and role models.
“I fell in love with the people as well as the hospital, and I knew this is where I wanted to work,” she said. “Bothwell physicians are amazing and are dedicated to their patients, practices and educating the future generation of providers.”
Growing up as an athlete and experiencing her own injuries, Graham especially respects and enjoys the orthopedics specialties because she is able to treat injuries and work to improve her patient’s functionality and quality of life.
Stout said Graham will work with him, Dr. Douglas Kiburz and Dr. Kelly Edwards to provide quality care to patients.
“Lindsey is a clinic provider and will see new patients, follow-up appointments, and provide post-operative care,” he said. “She will apply casts and splints and provide injections. Her emphasis will be on seeing and treating non-operative orthopedic problems and injuries.”
Graham said she chose to become a physician assistant because of the intensive training received in a shortened amount of time, which allows her to serve her community sooner and practice medicine at a high level in collaboration with a physician. She’s also looking forward to owning land in the area and eventually running a small family farm.
“I am very excited and thankful for this opportunity at Bothwell,” she said. “I’m eager to serve my new community.”
