When one of Rebecca Remington's young sons filled out a Mother's Day card, he answered the prompt, "What does your mom love to do?" with an answer that made her laugh: Homework.

It's true that Remington does a fair share of homework; she will finish a bachelor's degree in allied health sciences through GVSU's Traverse City Center next spring. It's a step in her plan to become a physician assistant. She completed another step earlier this month: applying to GVSU's master's degree program in physician assistant studies.

"One of our sons said the other day, 'I want to be a doctor like you're doing, taking classes,'" Remington said. "It led to a discussion of how you have to study and learn a profession. They see me studying; I'm glad it's making an impression."

Remington has worked as a surgical technologist at Munson Healthcare for nearly a decade, after earning an associate degree through a collaborative program between Munson and Northwestern Michigan College.

She's the third generation in her family to work for the healthcare system, following her grandfather and father, both of whom were physicians.

"I was fortunate enough to work in the same operating room for seven years with my father, who was an anesthesiologist before he retired," she said.

The bachelor's degree Remington earns next spring will be her second. A native of Traverse City, Remington earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Ithaca College in New York in 2011. While earning a master's degree had always been a goal, her plan accelerated after a fluke accident injured a tendon in a finger and she wore a splint for three months.

"You can't scrub into the operating room when your finger is in a splint, so I had all that time to plan next steps," she said.

Remington, now 37, visited GVSU's Traverse City Center and discovered that GVSU offered the flexibility she needed through online courses and in-person classes held at its Traverse City location on Northwestern Michigan College's Front Street Campus.

She is also an active member of Grand Valley's Pre-PA Society and Allied Health Sciences student group, noting that finding a community within the program has helped lead to study groups.

Remington added that the content in her classes has complemented her work in the operating room. "The transfer of knowledge from class to work has been full-circle and it makes it all worthwhile," she said.

By: Michele Coffill, Grand Valley State University