Bottelberghe joins Avera Marshall

Jacob Bottelberghe joined the Avera Medical Group Marshall as a Physician Assistant three weeks ago. Bottelberghe, a 2012 Minneota graduate, earned his Bachelor's Degree in the Physician Assistant program at St. Cloud State and graduated from St. Scholastica in Duluth with his Masters Degree in August.

He interviewed with Avera Medical Group Marshall this past May while he was still attending St. Scholastica. After graduating there, he completed his boards and applied and received his medical license.

Bottelberghe has now been working since early October at Avera where he has been assisting with surgical care. Physician Assistants have many of the same responsibilities as doctors, although they work under a physician's or surgeon's supervision.

"I'm very excited (to be working at Avera Marshall)," said Bottelberghe, the son of Steve and Janet Bottelberghe.

"I'm learning something new every day. I'm still relatively new there so they are working with me and having me do what I'm comfortable with for now."

Bottelberghe was initially planning to go to medical school, but changed to the Physician Assistant program after hearing about it from his mother and his aunt.

"I honestly hadn't heard of it before," he admitted. "And then I shadowed during my first year of college and I really enjoyed it."

Jacob and his wife, Rebecca, a speech pathologist with Southwest West Central Service Cooperative, reside in Marshall.