When Nicole Miller first stepped into Family Care Center as a high school student, she didn’t expect to meet Jeff Katz, PA-C, DFAAPA, the mentor who would eventually shape her path into the PA profession. Her mother worked as Jeff Katz’s medical assistant, and because the clinic sat close to her school, Nicole often swung by between sports practices, homework, or games. What started as quick hellos soon became meaningful conversations, and a life-changing introduction to the PA profession.
“I didn’t even know what a PA was until I met Jeff,” Nicole shared. “Seeing what he did, how he cared for people, and how real he was with his patients… I remember thinking, I want to do that.”
Finding a Future in Healthcare
Nicole grew up surrounded by healthcare, her mom’s career, the community, and the energy of the clinic. But meeting Jeff helped her see a version of medicine she could see herself in.
As she got closer to graduation, Jeff and the team at Family Care Center encouraged her interests. Nicole, who didn’t have Wi-Fi at home until after COVID, often used Jeff’s office as her workspace. There, Jeff helped her set up her first college laptop, a memory they both recall clearly, and reviewed her schoolwork and applications.
That support extended into college. Nicole began at Western Carolina taking pre-reqs for both PA and medical school, working at Wendy’s while shadowing Jeff and other clinicians in the clinic. Jeff rarely took pre-PA students, but he made an exception for Nicole.
“She spent a summer shadowing me,” Jeff said. “I can count on one hand how many pre-PA students I worked with. She was one of them.”
Nicole’s exposure to rural family medicine, the kind of practice where you can call same-day and always be seen, made her fall in love with the personal, community-centered nature of the work.
A Mentor’s Impact: Seeing Patients as Whole People
One of the moments that stayed with Nicole came during an appointment with a woman who had a family history of breast cancer. She entered the exam room with Jeff and saw firsthand how he balanced honesty, empathy, and realism. The woman had a visible abnormality, one she had been too afraid to get checked.
“It wasn’t just what Jeff did, it was how he did it,” Nicole said. “He didn’t judge her, he didn’t scold her, he didn’t ask why she hadn’t come sooner. He met her where she was. He always does.”
That mindset shaped Nicole’s own vision for the provider she hopes to become.
“He’s just real,” she said. “He understands barriers. He sees the whole patient. That’s the kind of PA I want to be.”
Jeff’s philosophy comes from decades of caring for patients in rural Western North Carolina, the kind of medicine that relies on trust, continuity, and community.
“To me, that’s how medicine should be practiced, you care about people as people.” – Jeff Katz
From Student to Future PA: A Journey of Hard Work
Jeff is quick to emphasize that Nicole’s success is no accident.
“She worked hard in high school. She worked hard in college. She still works hard,” he said. “That whole family does. I have no doubt she’s going to be an excellent PA.”
Their paths may have started differently, Jeff moving to North Carolina in the late ’70s for PA school, Nicole growing up in the region, but both developed a love for rural medicine and community-based practice.
Planting Seeds for the Next Generation
When asked if she hopes to mentor someone one day, Nicole didn’t hesitate.
“Oh yeah. Definitely,” she said. “It feels like passing the torch.”
Jeff sees mentorship in similar terms, small seeds that grow over time.
“I’ve had students go on to do incredible things,” he said. “Some seeds don’t grow, but many do. And when they do, they carry the profession forward.”
Now, Nicole is preparing to become a PA herself, and Jeff’s impact is written all over her journey. “I hope one day someone feels comfortable enough to call me during dinner with a question,” she joked. “The same way I called Jeff.”
Thank you to Jeff and Nicole for taking the time to share their PA journey!
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Written by Thomas Wellenhofer
NC Academy of PAs Marketing & Communications Coordinator
