Noah Cuellar (25) arrived at Point Loma Nazarene University in 2018, having no idea the difference he would soon be making in healthcare.
Cuellar found out about PLNU in high school, when admissions counselors came to his school in Corona, CA, to talk about the university. When Cuellar heard about PLNU’s small class sizes, he was sold.
“The professors really care about you,” Cuellar noted. “And the classes are [usually] no bigger than 40 people. That’s different from most other college experiences that I’ve heard [about]. And I figured if I could get to know professors closely, maybe they could help me get to where I want to be. That’s exactly what happened.”
“I figured if I could get to know professors closely, maybe they could help me get to where I want to be. that’s exactly what happened.”
Cuellar majored in applied health sciences, part of PLNU’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his major and career, until he attended a meeting that changed everything for him.
Trying to find inspiration for his future, Cuellar attended a pre-PA meeting hosted by the university. When he found out what a physician assistant does, he realized it exactly aligned with his goals of helping others and applying his knowledge of medicine and science.
With this newfound calling, Cuellar committed to PLNU’s Physician Assistant M.S.M. program after finishing his time as an undergraduate. Getting hands-on experience in the labs and focusing on specialty practices within the PA profession, Cuellar found a love for emergency medicine. It also gave him an opportunity to network with people in his sphere of study.
“Networking is a skill that is taught, but people should apply it more often,” he said. “Every volunteer opportunity, every job you have, you’re making an impression. And those people know people who can help you get opportunities and get you to where you want to be.”
Two of those people he networked with were Amy Vu, DMSc PA-C, one of the founders of the PA program, and her husband, Jay Vu, MD. Thanks to their previous work experience with Sharp Grossmont Hospital, the couple helped secure the hospital as PLNU’s anchor partner.
Amy Vu explained that Grossmont typically didn’t hire new graduates because of the volume of the hospital, the illness within the typical patient population and the amount of learning that takes place for new clinicians. However, after seeing Cuellar’s excellent work within the PA program, Vu wanted to see if Grossmont would take a chance on him.
“I was talking to the director of the ER and I said, ‘Hey, if you ever want to consider a new graduate, this would be the one,’” Vu said. “And they took another huge leap of faith and hired him.”
Cuellar became the first official new graduate from PLNU’s PA program to be hired directly into Grossmont’s department of emergency medicine.
“I saw it as an opportunity to represent our school and the program,” Cuellar said. “Working at that hospital, we serve a lot of lower socioeconomic populations, and people who may not receive the best healthcare. So in a way, it was kind of intimidating, but I knew I was prepared from my training from the Point Loma program.”
During both his undergraduate and graduate programs, Cuellar had the chance to serve San Diego’s unhoused neighbors — an opportunity that helped prepare him for his job at Grossmont.
“Point Loma offers a lot of service opportunities, and I always carry those experiences with me,” he said. “There’s a whole service month at the PA program. For me, I was at a homeless shelter, at a church, and we were just serving meals almost every day. That experience and working with that population really prepared me well for the job I’m at now.”
“The biggest thing that Point Loma and the PA program teaches is meeting people where they’re at. [That looks like] seeing the patient as a whole — not just for what they’re there for specifically.”
PLNU’s graduate program not only taught Cuellar the practical aspects of being a PA, but also to care for patients with empathy.
“The biggest thing that Point Loma and the PA program teaches is meeting people where they’re at,” he said. “[That looks like] seeing the patient as a whole — not just for what they’re there for specifically. Taking into account all the factors of what brought them here to the emergency department really makes a difference in how we provide care as PAs and healthcare providers.”
From patients four months old to 90 years old, Cuellar’s job is constantly changing, and he never knows what his day is going to look like — but he likes it that way. Cuellar said he would be bored if he was doing the same things every day.
“I see as many patients as I can,” Cuellar said. “But also, my job is to make sure they’re not having any life-threatening diseases, symptoms that require them to have a stay at the hospital, or an emergency surgery.”
With life-threatening diseases and emergencies often on the table for Cuellar, he’s found solace in the team he works alongside.
“I like the team aspect of emergency medicine,” he said. “All us providers work well together. All the nurses, techs and other staff make the job fun, even though sometimes things can get stressful in emergency medicine.”
Cuellar’s hardworking attitude began long before his career started. In fact, it’s one of the traits that Vu noticed while Cuellar was still in his undergraduate program.
“Noah has always exemplified what Point Loma represents,” Vu said. “He holds himself to high academic and professional standards, consistently performing at an exceptional level while also demonstrating genuine compassion and empathy.”
As Cuellar continues to help patients thrive, PLNU’s PA program continues to help students do the same. Vu said that she hopes the PA program continues to “produce the same level of clinician” that they see in Cuellar.
“[I hope to] advocate for the community, and try to make a difference,” Cuellar said. “We’re all here for each other, trying to make the world a better place.”
