PA Origin Story

From the Operating Room to Aesthetics: Why This PA Built Her Own Practice

For most of my career, my days started before sunrise and ended long after the last case. I was a surgical PA in orthopedics. I spent my first three years exclusively in hand and upper extremity surgery before moving into general orthopedics. I assisted in surgery, rounded in the hospital, and ran an autonomous clinic where I performed joint injections and other procedures and orthopedic evaluations. I learned a lot, and I loved the technicality of it. It was challenging. I had to be strong, and I had to work hard.



If you don't know what a PA is, here is the short version. I am a board-certified physician assistant, which means I diagnose, treat, assist in surgery, and prescribe, working in collaboration with a physician. It is one of the most flexible careers in medicine, and that flexibility is exactly what eventually let me change direction.

The part nobody tells you about: burnout

Burnout did not arrive as one dramatic moment. It was a slow accumulation. I felt like a pawn in a much larger system, one that valued my output but not my voice. I was doing work I was proud of but not always feeling respected for it. At some point I realized I was losing myself. My skin was struggling, I was in a hard place in life, and I was ready for a change. Making good money was not everything, especially when I was burned out and fighting for respect in a big healthcare system where I felt easily replaceable. So I started valuing myself and my family, and I decided to make the changes I could make as a PA.



I have always been an athlete and a high achiever. I was a three-sport varsity athlete, I played college soccer, and I graduated with high honors. I did hard things even when I did not want to, because pushing through is what I know how to do. So it took me longer than it should have to admit that pushing through was not the same as being okay.

Five turning points

1. I admitted the job was not working. Saying it out loud was harder than any surgery I assisted on.
2. I got curious about dermatology and aesthetics. After 10+ years of struggling with my own rosacea and not getting the answers or help I needed, I was intrigued by another area of medicine.
3. I moved. Over two years ago, we settled back in Boise, back to my roots, where I could build something more self-directed.
4. I kept my orthopedic roots. My background in joints, tendons, and injections did not disappear. It became my edge, especially with PRP for joints. I also became interested in regenerative orthopedics.
5. I got on camera. I first spoke on camera at 35, nervous and unsure. I started creating content, and it opened up a whole new world of PA advocacy, connection, and education. I started The Citrine Garden at 36.

Why PRP and aesthetics, together

This is the question I get most often: how does orthopedics connect to skin? It is my two backgrounds and passions coming together, tied by regenerative therapy and wellness: keeping you moving, confident, and happy in your own joints and skin, and helping you glow from the inside out. The Citrine Garden is my boutique practice, an umbrella for all of my areas of expertise, with skin and joints as the pillars, alongside hair and other wellness treatments. Whether it is a painful knee, a stubborn tendon, or skin that has lost some of its quality, I am drawn to approaches that support the body's own healing, backed by evidence and used for the right person. I will always tell you when something is not a good fit, and I will not recommend a treatment just because it is popular.



That honesty is the foundation of my practice. I want natural results, realistic expectations, and healthy skin first, treatments second.

What building a practice has actually looked like

I would love to tell you it was always smooth. But that is not the nature of building a business. I am still learning the business side, but the passion and knowledge for the medicine I bring is there as I grow my practice in Boise. I contract with a few clinics while growing The Citrine Garden, and I am working toward full independence. I am learning what works and what does not, and building a rhythm that is sustainable for me and my family. Some days I wonder if I am doing it right, but I am figuring it out as I go.

But I now have something I did not have in the hospital: a say in how I practice, how I spend my time, and how I show up for my family.



My social brand has also brought far more opportunity than I ever thought possible. It has opened my eyes to other realms of medicine, to what the PA role can look like, and to new ways to grow.

What I want other women in medicine to know

You are allowed to change your mind. You are allowed to outgrow a role you worked incredibly hard to earn. And you are allowed to want a career that pays you well and still leaves room for your life. As an AMWA member, I care deeply about women in medicine having more choices, and about talking honestly about what it takes to build them.



If you are a PA, nurse, physician, or anyone quietly wondering whether there is another way to do this work, there is. It may not look the way you expect. Mine did not.

Come along

If you want more of this, honest stories from a working PA, evidence-based skin and joint education, and a peek at real life in Idaho, follow along on Instagram and TikTok at @chelseatheskinpa. You can also visit chelseatheskinpa.com and sign up for this blog!



If you are in the Boise area and curious about PRP, skin health, regenerative aesthetics, or what a more personalized approach could look like, you can book a consultation through The Citrine Garden.

Happy PA Week!