New York Army National Guard Capt. Ryan Romano speaking to new physcian assistants at Albany Medical College on October 7, 2024 in Albany, New York. Romano, a graduate of the Albany Medical College PA training program spoke about opportunities available to PAs in the New York Army National Guard. ( Courtesy Photo)
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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Army National Guard Capt. Ryan Romano, a physician assistant assigned to New York’s Medical Readiness Command, graduated from Albany Medical College’s PA program in 2017.
On October 7, he returned to his alma mater, talking to PA students who are about to complete their training about the opportunities for them serving in the Army Guard.
“I explained to them that being in the military as a PA was really unique because of the experience it offers that you just can’t get in the civilian sector,” Romano said.
The military, he said, offers medical trauma training and opportunities to practice in different places that most PAs don’t get.
His goal, he said, was to sell the positive side of being a military PA in the Army Guard.
Romano’s talk was sponsored by the New York State Society of Physician Assistants as part of a day-long session to give new PA’s some insight into the profession.
Since Romano is a graduate of the Albany Medical College program, it was special for him to be able to speak there, said Lt. Col. Luis Garcia, the New York Army National Guard’s Deputy State Surgeon, who is also the Capital District director for the state PA society.
Physician Assistants handle a variety of medical diagnostic and treatment tasks, working under the direction of a medical doctor.
It’s a rewarding job, Romano said, and he told the new PAs that they needed to be humble as they set out to do their first clinical rotations and get hands on experience.
He also told them to be enthusiastic about their jobs, he said.
Romano said he had always been interested in joining the military, and in 2021 he joined the New York Army National Guard. He also jumped at the chance to work full-time as a military physician’s assistant, he said.
“Before I joined the Guard, I was commuting five miles back and forth to my community hospital, with a regular routine, “he said. “But I felt I had so much more to give and I wanted to do bigger things.”
“A PA in the Army and the Army Guard has a lot of responsibility. And a lot of autonomy,” Romano said. There are also opportunities for leadership that PAs in a civilian workplace don’t get, he added.
It’s also great to work with a population of mostly healthy, young adults, he said.
“Honestly, the lifestyle is really great,” Romano said.
PAs who join the New York Army National Guard are eligible for loan repayment programs as well as retention bonuses, according to Garcia.
