Houry Gebeshian is a Surgical PA at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH. This is how she works.
Choose one word that best describes your work style:
Methodical
What is your device of choice?
iPhone
Favorite apps & software?
Gmail app
How does Doximity help you in your work as a clinician?
Doximity is a good way to network with other healthcare providers as well as stay up to date on recent medical issues.
As a PA and Olympian, time management must be very important. What’s your secret to staying productive?
Life is a balance and nothing is unmanageable. People are capable of accomplishing more than they think. If there is a will, there is a way. After taking 3 years off of the sport, I had 2 years to get ready for the 2016 Olympic Games. I was 20 pounds overweight, I hadn’t set foot in a gym in 3 years, I didn’t have a job, and I was in an unfamiliar city.
I was essentially on my own to make this dream a reality. Even though it seemed overwhelming, I sat down and made a plan. I wrote out all of my training plans, routines, diet ideas, strength and conditioning, job search directions, and eventually my work schedule; everything that would get me from being a nobody to an Olympian. Through hard work and planning, anything is possible.
My advice is to write out your goals and then make a schedule for how you are going to accomplish those goals. Then all you have to do is follow your plan. There will always be set backs, but focus on the bigger picture of what your original goal was. Think positively and you will be able to balance it all.
What do you wish you knew when you were a student?
I wish I knew that I didn’t have to know everything when I was a student. I was so worried that I wouldn’t be prepared when I got out into the workforce but realistically, no one is ever fully prepared. As a medical provider, you are always learning because medicine is always changing and evolving. As a physician assistant, we are expected to be like sponges, learn as we go, and use everything we learned in school as a stepping stone into our careers.
Who is your mentor?
My gymnastics mentor is 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Dominique Moceanu. She was my childhood idol, however has transitioned into a mentor during my recent years.
My physician assistant mentor is my boss, Jim Nahrstedt. Not only has he taught me everything to be a successful PA, but he has also supported my Olympic dream since the first day I met him, which was the day of my interview for the position I have now in obstetric surgery.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Grumble that I have to get up and exercise, but once I am up and going, I'm happy that I did it.
What’s the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
Make sure my alarm is set for the morning.
How do you decompress?
By exercising. All of my worries and frustrations from the day would just dissolve once I started my routine in the gymnastics gym.
I can’t live without...
Some type of challenge that needs accomplishing.
What are you currently reading?
“When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi.
Do you have a favorite song?
I don’t really have a favorite song, but my favorite artist is Micheal Jackson. All of his songs are my favorite.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was to work hard because my hard work will eventually pay off, even if I don’t see it immediately.
Houry Gebeshian is a Surgical PA on the labor and delivery floor at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH, and received her PA training from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Most recently, she was the first female gymnast to represent the Republic of Armenia at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.