Alexandria’s Own, Coming Home

Some people leave their hometown and never look back. Caitlin Olson, PA-S always knew she’d come back—she just didn’t know it would be as a physician assistant (PA), joining Alomere Health’s General Surgery team in the very hospital where her healthcare career began.

Caitlin is an Alexandria Area High School graduate, and her path to medicine started right here—through Alomere’s CAPS classes, which gives local students a hands-on look at healthcare careers. “I actually decided that I wanted to be a PA through that CAPS program,” she said. “Being able to go into the hospital and actually shadow some PAs and other physicians… that kind of solidified it for me. Yep, this is what I want to do with my future.”

While earning her undergraduate degree in Brookings, SD, and before her PA degree in Michigan, Caitlin worked as a CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) in Alexandria and then as a phlebotomist at Alomere from 2022 to 2024—gaining valuable experience and getting to know the providers and departments throughout the hospital.

Joining Alomere’s General Surgery team alongside Dr. Gina Brown checked every box. “Through PA school, most of my electives were surgery-based,” she said. “I like being in the OR. I’ve seen how patients can come into a hospital setting, have surgery, fix the problem, then go home and feel better. It’s very satisfying.”

Caitlin is also looking forward to being part of Alomere’s da Vinci robotic surgery program, working alongside Dr. Brown as her skills grow in the role. “Alomere having technology like the da Vinci is very enticing,” she said. “It enhances the skill of the surgeon and reduces patient recovery time.”

Perhaps the most heart-warming part of Caitlin’s story: she’s now returned to speak with current CAPS students—the same program that first exposed her to healthcare as a career. “It feels like a full-circle moment,” she said. “From being in the classes, to shadowing and then working at Alomere for a couple years, to now coming back to build a career and help senior students… it’s been really cool.”

Caitlin and her husband, Ben—a mechanical engineer working in orthopedic surgical technology–are already house-hunting in the Alexandria Area. The two share a love of distance running. Both have run the Boston Marathon, and outside of work you’ll likely find them backpacking, cross-country skiing, or out on the lake wake surfing or paddleboarding.

For Caitlin, though, coming home is about more than a job. “I loved growing up in Alex,” she said. “When the time comes to have kids and start a family, I want them to have the same experience that I did… that’s the most exciting part.”