News
A Special Spin on Success
November 01, 2019
Anyone who knows Traverse City native Nicholus Kopacki, accomplished Physician Assistant, professor, and recently named among the 40 Under 40 of Northern Michigan, might be surprised to learn that he was the type of high school student that almost fell through the cracks.
Kopacki is a natural overachiever, but his attention was not captured by his classes and his energy naturally diverted from school into work. After all, when was he ever going to use algebra? It wasn’t until his father shared an observation, saying "Nobody wants a fifty year old DJ spinning new tunes," that Kopacki considered giving up being a DJ for academic goals.
Despite making good money as a bartender and a being voted and honored as best DJ in Northern Michigan, Kopacki seized opportunities to shadow area professionals and observe other walks of life. Through family connections in the healthcare community, he discovered different disciplines and services in the medical field and found himself drawn to become a Physician Assistant.
“I had no confidence in my academic abilities...after high school. I wasn’t even sure I was going to graduate,” says Kopacki, but in very short order his natural diligence helped him recoup any academic losses.
After two years at Northwestern Michigan College, Kopacki transferred to Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids and proceeded to build up an impressive amount of professional momentum. He credits his family for their support and his professors for their pursuit to make him “think outside the box”, creating opportunities that worked for his learning style and connecting didactic learning to real life practice.
After completing his graduate studies in 2008, Kopacki stayed in Grand Rapids, beginning his clinical career in Emergency Medicine. In addition to being a full time Physician Assistant in the ER he also worked part time jobs as a PA, acquiring every new skill he could. Early mornings and late nights in Emergency Departments, Cardiology, and Addiction Medicine molded him first into a confident provider and later an enthusiastic preceptor.
The satisfaction he felt helping students gain experience in their future workplace inspired him to reach out to his alma mater, and five years after graduation he began lecturing and teaching Physical Exam courses at Grand Valley State University. Kopacki’s efforts with GVSU turned out to be even more rewarding than he anticipated, resulting in a call to take part in the then new Physician Assistant Studies Program at the Traverse City Regional Center.
“Go with what you love, and you’ll be prepared unknowingly for when luck comes along,” Kopacki says. He considers himself very fortunate to be able to deliver a program that has taught him so much to those in the community that raised him.
Helping to develop the Physician Assistant Studies Program in Traverse City has brought home that the PA profession is still in its infancy and full of potential. Kopacki’s career is a very impressive one at his young age, and he is well deserved in being distinguished as one of Northern Michigan’s 40 Under 40 professionals. He begins his Doctoral degree in January, after which he plans to complete a Master’s degree in Business Administration with the eventual goal of executive level leadership within a healthcare organization.
For more information about the Physician Assistant Studies Program, contact Shannon Owen, Director of Northern Michigan Programs for Grand Valley State University at 231.995.1785 and at www.gvsu.edu/traverse.