Physician Assistant Moriah Novacinski, a 2010 Apollo High School graduate and recent Apollo Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, prides herself on achievement. During her time at Apollo, she competed in several sports including cross country and track and field. She established the Apollo record for running a mile in 5:09.56 (which she still holds today), was named All-Conference and competed at the State Tournament. Upon graduation, she attended St. Olaf College to major in biology with a women studies concentration but also to compete in cross country and track and field.
Novacinski’s passion for the healthcare field evolved from her health careers class with Marcia Handahl at Apollo, also her student union advisor at the time.
“I didn’t really think I was interested in medicine,” says Novacinski. “And she [Handahl] really encouraged me to apply for that course. I did my internships with her, and it sparked my interest further.”
Novacinski hit the ground running academically at St. Olaf and became a medical scribe for her college job. That exposed her to the career of physician’s assistant. She worked with emergency and urgent care personnel and was captivated by the career option.
Novacinski graduated from St. Olaf in 2014. She took a gap year to come back to Apollo to coach cross country and work at the St. Cloud Hospital and other healthcare facilities. After that year, she went on to St. Catherine University to complete her physician’s assistant license.
“After the three-year program,” explains Novacinski, “I started working for a company called Eppa which staffs emergency personnel around the Twin Cities area.”
Novacinski has worked in the Fairview Healthcare system and is currently stationed in Methodist Hospital’s emergency department.
“It’s very specialized,” says Novacinski. “It’s exciting … [and] stressful. It definitely takes a certain type of person to like that environment, but I love that every day is different. The medicine is fascinating and you’re always seeing a unique case.”
For Novacinski, creating a meaningful relationship with the patient, even if it is for a short period of time, is important. She strives to have a positive impact in her community through her career. In addition, Novacinski loves that the practice is acute care. She loves to create a solution to the problem the patient is experiencing.
“It’s really rewarding,” she shares. “It’s good for me – fast-paced, intense and lots of change.”
While in high school, she learned to multi-task and live a fast-paced life. She was a four-sport athlete: volleyball, basketball, cross country and track. In addition, she was an AAA (Academics, Athletics and Arts) award winner for Region 8AA.
“I’d do volleyball and cross country in the fall season,” says Novacinski. “It was a crazy time. I’d go from my section cross country meet and race across town to my volleyball game!”
She isn’t slowing down either. She’s competed in the Boston Marathon and now she and her wife, Andrea, have twin boys.
“Now that I’m a mom,” says Novacinski, “I don’t have as much time to run, but I still try to do it when I can.”
In the long term, Novacinski sees herself in this same role. Running around is in her blood, and if she can do that and help people in need when they need it most, she’ll keep up the pace.
Fun Facts:
- Novacinski loves spending time with her family.
- Her mother, Cheryl, is a teacher in District 742.
- Exercise is really important to her family, so they spend a lot of time outdoors.
- She and her spouse love to travel.
Novacinski’s twin boys
In Slovenia
Traveling abroad
You must be logged in to post a comment.