Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Sarah Benson, a 2013 Van Buren High School graduate who is a General Surgery Resident at Trinity Health as she prepares for her career as a surgeon.  Sarah shares about life as a surgery resident, how she almost decided to not become a doctor but is glad she persevered, how her life isn’t quite like what is seen on Grey’s Anatomy and other television shows, how struggle can be good, and much more.  Anyone interested in a career as a doctor or surgeon will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

1:40 - Life as a General Surgery Resident 

2:56 - The teams and what it means to “Round” - meet to talk about each patient. 

3:28 - Sarah originally thought she would be a sports reporter; science classes changed all of that. 

4:47 - Hillsdale College - Biochemistry Major - great pre-med major 

5:05 - Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology - All potential majors for future doctors 

5:34 - Ran track for all five years at Hillsdale 

5:56 - Getting into medical school 

6:23 - Attended medical school at the University of Toledo - in-state 

7:26 - Starting a residency - “The Match” 

7:45 - Trinity Health in Ann Arbor - a five-year residency 

8:07 - Sarah’s program is a hybrid - no research required 

8:20 - Fellowships are a step beyond residency - not required 

9:55 - The types of surgeries Sarah does has a resident (and will do after her residency) 

10:20 - The residency still provides opportunities to experience various types of medicine 

10:55 - Becoming a small-town general surgeon = freedom to Sarah 

12:00 - What Sarah wishes someone had told her about the medical field when she was in high school 

12:22 - Respiratory Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Medical Case Manager, Physician’s Assistant, Nurse Practitioner - all cool medical careers in a hospital that don’t require 15 years of college. 

13:30 - The most challenging aspect of being a general surgeon - surgery is VERY complex. 

14:15 - Sarah has been the “first assist” for over 90 surgeries so far 

15:15 - How realistic is Grey’s Anatomy? 

16:08 - The most rewarding experience Sarah has had as a general surgeon resident 

17:07 - “You can’t expect the right things to be easy.” - Embrace the challenge 

18:02 - Sarah struggled in the first year of college, but she persevered to get to where she is today.  

Questions? 

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]).  

Connect with Sarah at [email protected].

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Jennifer Irving, 2015 Van Buren High School graduate who will be a dentist after finishing dental school at The Ohio State University and will be moving into the U.S. Navy to serve as a dentist.  Jennifer shares about how she decided to join the Navy, how her life will look as a dentist, advice she has for current students who want to be dentists, how important it is to take initiative when pursuing an internship, and much more.  Anyone interested in a career as a dentist will find information related to getting started down that path in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

1:30 - How life looks for someone finishing dental school 

2:34 - Dentistry unique when it comes to passing Board exams 

3:24 - Not a shortage of dentists, but there aren’t many schools that offer dentistry as a major 

3:56 - Dental school graduates don’t have many problems finding jobs 

4:52 - Originally wanted to be an orthodontist 

5:35 - Intended to go to dental school when she graduated from high school 

5:50 - Attending a school that has a graduate school in your desired field leads to a smoother transition 

7:00 - Started on the pre-dental track, which led to hearing about the Navy in a pre-dental club meeting 

8:05 - Interned at The American Dental Association in Washington D.C. after her junior year of college, which led to her thinking about the potential debt of dental school 

9:05 - Many dentists encouraged her to go into the military 

9:30 - Reached out to a recruiter, who helped her apply for the Health Professional Scholarship, which carries a four-year commitment to the Navy with the Navy paying for her dental schooling. 

10:06 - Commissioning into the Navy - what that means 

11:00 - There are some options for Jen as she prepares to graduate 

11:25 - Jen will be working on a base as a dentist upon graduation 

11:52 - Officer Development School is what Jen will do as a new officer in the Navy 

12:48 - Perks of staying in the military if a person chooses to do that 

13:25 - ROTC can be a path to pay for an undergraduate degree 

14:10 - Average student debt for dental school is $300,000 

14:40 - Having a good recruiter is important 

15:30 - Jen will have two hats - dentist and officer 

15:58 - A grant through Ohio State led to Jen’s summer internship 

16:25 - The ADA created an internship for her simply because she reached out to them 

17:18 - The hardest part of becoming a dentist is being accepted to dental school 

17:37 - Learn how to study because grades really matter when getting into dental school. 

18:16 - Be involved and well-rounded 

19:31 - The biggest time of struggle on the path to becoming a dentist was her freshman year of college. 

20:45 - Grading on a curve was a surprise 

21:22 - The culture of Ohio State is one of the best parts of attending the school 

22:00 - Professional careers (like dentistry) are different from other careers, so people need to figure out strategies to achieve their goals 

23:01 - “The more you know, the better off you are going to be.” - Starting to volunteer, etc.  

Questions? 

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]).  

Connect with Jennifer at [email protected]

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Michelle (Long) Fissell, a 2009 Van Buren High School graduate who is now a licensed professional counselor for Family Life Counseling & Psychiatric Services in central Ohio.  Michelle shares what she does as a counselor, what led her to a counseling career after intending to become a math teacher, what it was like to earn a counseling degree through Grand Canyon University’s online program, and much more.  Anyone interested in a career as a counselor will find information related to getting started down that path in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

1:58 - Becoming a licensed professional counselor 

3:03 - A typical day for Michelle as a counselor 

5:50 - Learning how to deal with the weighty issues counselors are helping patients manage 

7:09 - Original plan - become a math teacher 

7:37 - A New Testament class led Michelle in a different direction 

8:33 - Dealing with loss in her own life contributed to Michelle becoming a counselor 

10:00 - Worked at Dick’s Sporting Goods after college while “trying to figure out life” 

10:42 - Chose Grand Canyon University because she wanted an accredited counseling program 

12:23 - Working 60+ hours a week while completing her master’s degree 

13:25 - Positives and negatives of online schooling 

14:48 - An online group counseling class required some fancy logistics 

15:39 - Advice to someone considering a counseling career 

16:29 - The feeling of helping someone makes all of the work worth it 

17:04 - There are many career options in the world  

Questions? 

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]).  

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/michelle-fissell-563659a9/) or e-mail ([email protected]).

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Kristina Rowles, a 2008 Van Buren High School graduate who is now the Director of Home Repair for Appalachia Service Project (ASP) in Tennessee.  Kristina shares about what she does as the Director of Home Repair, how her experiences with ASP during the summer while in high school and college helped lead her to this career, how she started her career journey as a music therapist, internship opportunities with ASP for young adults, and much more.  Anyone interested in a career with a service organization or in music therapy will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

1:42 - A typical day as Director of Home Repair at Appalachia Service Project (ASP) 

2:19 - Home repair is mostly done by volunteers at no cost to the homeowners. 

3:08 - 8,000 volunteers in the summer of 2022 

5:05 - Kristina did volunteer with ASP while in HS but didn’t anticipate someday working for ASP full-time. 

5:46 - Kristina’s focus was on becoming a music therapist. 6:51 - Experience often leads to opportunity, which is true for Kristina. 

8:07 - Activities in college gave her good practice juggling many different projects/events, which help Kristina in her current job. 

9:15 - Music therapy led Kristina to where she is today. 

9:42 - Music therapy as a career 

10:00 - Proficiency in guitar, piano, and voice helpful as a music therapist 

10:57 - Music therapy internship required; Kristina did hers in Maine. 

11:15 - Music therapy certification lasts five years before re-certification. 

11:42 - Music therapists can own their own businesses, private practices, school systems, etc. 

12:24 - Winter in Bar Harbor, ME - an interesting experience 

13:48 - After thinking she was done with ASP after her college experience, a new door opened. 

15:00 - Headed to the University of Tennessee to earn a master’s degree in social work, and that coincided with moving into a new position with ASP 

17:00 - There are internship opportunities for young adults who have been out of high school for at least one year and are 18 

17:30 - The internship is a great way for young adults to take on real responsibilities that will help them develop both personally and professionally. 

18:00 - Interns meet and lead people from all over the country. 

18:41 - Project management - a big part of the internship and a great learning experience 

19:20 - Kristina was in charge of a $40,000 budget as a college student with ASP. 

20:25 - There is usually a stereotype with Appalachia, but there are some really cool people doing some really cool things there. 

22:03 - High school students don’t have to have life all figured out before they graduate.  

Questions?   

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]).  

Connect with Kristina on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-rowles-mssw-mt-bc-6a90bb88/) or e-mail ([email protected]).

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Matt Mutchler, a 2002 Van Buren High School graduate who is now an architect with the architecture firm F5 Design.  Matt shares about what he does as an architect, how many people who graduate with architecture degrees don’t become licensed architects, how he focuses on creating buildings that use as little energy as possible, and much more.  Anyone interested in an architecture career will find information related to getting started down that path in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

Questions?   

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected])  

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mutchler-326a5b2b/) or e-mail ([email protected])  

1:29 - Typical day for an architect 

5:30 - Architecture - a mix of art and science 

9:32 - Education to become an architect 

12:10 - Attending The University of Cincinnati, the best architecture school in the country at that time 

20:25 - His focus on building energy efficient buildings 

22:22 - Difficult parts of a career as an architect 

26:59 - Words of wisdom from Matt

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Ryan Brauneller, a 2013 Van Buren High School graduate who is now the Environmental, Health, and Safety Manager for ICU Medical.  Ryan shares about what an EHS manager does, how he changed career paths halfway through college, the personal characteristics which make EHS managers successful, how a former coach helped him on his career path, and much more.  Anyone interested in an environmental, health, or safety career will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

Questions?   

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail ([email protected]).  

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-brauneller-aa4754141/) or e-mail ([email protected]).

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Jon Tropf, a 2008 Van Buren High School graduate who is now a men's basketball coach at Ohio Northern University.  Jon shares about what he does as a coach, what it is like to win a league championship at a Division I university, the importance of building relationships, the unglamorous parts of coaching, and much more.  Anyone interested in a coaching career will find information related to getting started down that path in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

Questions?   

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/

Connect with Jon - [email protected]

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers Podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Lane Kuhlman, a 2001 Van Buren High School graduate who is now a Staff Interaction Designer with Google.  Lane shares about what she does as a designer, the pioneers of the internet she has worked with at Google, the importance of failing fast, and much more.  Anyone interested in design, art, or computer careers will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode.  Enjoy the show!  

Questions?   

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/

Connect with Lane on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanekuhlman/

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers Podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Brooke (Conroy) Nissen, a 2007 Van Buren High School graduate who is now the Executive Director of Focus Recovery and Wellness Community.  Brooke shares about what she does as an executive director, how her work in criminal justice led her to this point on her career journey, how she deals with stress, and much more.  Anyone interested in social work or criminal justice careers will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode. Enjoy the show!

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers Podcast!  This episode features a conversation with Nicholas DeBouver, a 2009 Van Buren High School graduate who is now an Associate Scientist of Structural Biology for the biopharmaceutical company UCB.  Nicholas shares about what he does as a scientist focusing on crystallography, how he turned a co-op position into a full-time job, what his career taught has him about failure, and much more.  Anyone interested in a science career will find information related to getting started down that path in this episode. Enjoy the show!