Julia Schrof, with her fiance while traveling the national parks of Washington and Oregon, is Akron Children’s newest physician assistant and night house officer.
Julia Schrof, PA, doesn’t shy away from adventure. In fact, she recently rented a van with her fiancé to live and travel throughout Washington and Oregon for a month. They started in Seattle and drove down the coast, exploring Mount Rainer, North Cascades and Olympic national parks. Altogether, they hiked 115 miles and drove about 3,500 miles.
But while traveling to new places is thrilling — she’s traveled across North America, Europe and Africa with dreams of hitting all 7 continents one day — Julia is most passionate about helping kids feel better as Akron Children’s newest physician assistant (PA) and night house officer. It’s only fitting that in her professional career she will travel across a variety of services, including pediatric surgery, emergency medicine, burn unit, ENT and cystic fibrosis, to diagnose and treat children and teens with acute and chronic medical conditions. It’s this thrill-seeking adventure she’s most proud of accomplishing.
Why did you choose to come to Akron Children’s Hospital?
I did a rotation here during my clinical year of school and I loved the environment and the chance to work with kids. A big part of the reason I chose to work at Akron Children’s is the people and community that have been cultivated here.
Julia enjoys spending her free time with her 11-year-old Chocolate Lab, Willow.
Describe your role at Akron Children’s and what you hope to accomplish.
My role at Akron Children’s is a night house officer. I work with a bunch of different services: pediatric surgery, emergency medicine, burn unit, ENT and cystic fibrosis. I am a new graduate, so I am extremely excited to be exposed to so many different areas of medicine. I hope to become a well-rounded PA throughout my career here.
What is your area of expertise and why did you choose it?
I’m not sure if I have an area of expertise yet because I’m a new graduate. As a PA, I am trained as a generalist, but I have always had a love for surgery.
When did you decide to become a provider and why?
I actually knew in high school that I wanted to be a PA. I loved science and the body. My friend’s mom was a PA and I shadowed her during high school, and I immediately fell in love with the role!
What impression do you hope to leave with your patients each day?
After every interaction with my patients, I hope they feel listened to and cared for.
How does your personality fit your role?
I am a very outgoing and talkative person. I think this works very well in medicine because communication is so important — both between staff and with patients and their families. Aside from communication, I am very empathetic, which I believe is vital in health care!
One of Julia’s favorite vacation spots is Key West, Fla. Her granny, pictured here, owns a timeshare there and Julia would visit each Easter with her family growing up.
What achievements are you most proud of?
I am most proud of being a PA. It is something that I have known I’ve wanted to do since high school, so it has been a long-term goal of mine.
What excites you most about medicine?
My favorite thing about medicine is the technological advances. I am constantly amazed at what products have been created to improve patient outcomes.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Forest Hill, Maryland. It’s a small town about 30 minutes north of Baltimore.
What’s one thing on your bucket list?
One of the biggest things on my bucket list is to visit all 7 continents. I have been to 3 so far: North America, Europe and Africa.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home from work?
I make sure to say hello to my dog, Willow. She is an 11-year-old Chocolate Lab!
Julia and her fiance recently rented a van to live and explore Washington and Oregon for a month. They visited several national parks along the way.
What is your favorite vacation spot and why?
I always like to travel to new places, but my favorite repeat vacation spot is Key West, Fla. My Granny has had a timeshare there for 30-plus years, so I used to travel there annually with my family around Easter.
What’s the last adventure you went on?
My fiancé and I rented a van to live in Washington and Oregon for a month. We started in Seattle, explored Washington, then drove down the coast and spent time in Oregon. We visited Mount Rainer, North Cascades and Olympic national parks. We mostly camped in some awesome spots, but also ended up in some interesting sleeping spots, like a Walmart parking lot! By the end of the trip, we hiked 115 miles and drove about 3,500 miles.
