Kassie Spohr: Great Experience with IPCA:

“I had a great experience on this rotation: learning the art and science of pain management AND discovering all that an Alaskan winter has to offer!

Clinically, Dr. Cross did a great job of incorporating me into patient care and capitalizing on appropriate teaching points. She often tailored her teaching toward my future specialty. In a world where rotations can mean spending time with lots of different people, it was a unique opportunity to spend the majority of my time with one attending who knew me and my capabilities well. I was able to participate in procedures, new patient visits, and pain management follow-up appointments. I will be more comfortable managing chronic pain as a primary care physician and referring to a specialist when appropriate thanks to this rotation. In addition, all the staff at IPCA were very friendly and professional, quickly welcoming a medical student into patient care.

Outside of the office Dr. Cross, her family, and the staff at IPCA went out of their way to make sure I had a good time in Alaska. They made it possible for me to go snow machining, see the Northern lights, take a dip in Chena hot springs, watch the start of the Yukon Quest dogsled race and visit a few other tourist attractions and restaurants. It was everything I could hope for in a rotation and I would definitely recommend it!”

Kassie Spohr

University of Washington

School of Medicine

Medical Student, Class of 2014

Phalyn Butler: Alaska is awesome!

This rotation was such an awesome adventure, and aside from getting a great experience in pain treatment modalities and pain medications, the Cross family is great at making the students feel at home in Fairbanks. There are so many opportunities to explore Fairbanks and Alaska. I was able to go river rafting in Denali, fishing and camping on the Kenai Peninsula, and floating down the Chena River through Fairbanks. I also got to do some uniquely Fairbanks things, including visiting Pioneer Park for the Fourth of July and riding the award winning IPCA float in the Golden Days Parade! If anyone is interested in pain management and wants an amazing adventure rotation I would highly suggest this one. Housing is provided at the clinic, which is a huge help for students traveling to this rotation, and the set-up is pretty great, with all the things you would need to get by. The staff is very knowledgeable and great to work with, and everyone is really amazing at making you feel welcome. I loved my time in Fairbanks, and wish I had more time there to adventure and experience Alaska. I can’t wait to go back!

Phalyn Butler

University of Arizona

School of Pharmacy

PharmD Candidate, Class of 2014

Jake Glasser: The Ultimate Rotation Experience:

I had the pleasure of completing a clinical pharmacy rotation at the Integrative Pain Center of Alaska (IPCA) under the direction of Dr. Cross. It was a great experience. The staff at IPCA is friendly and they were all very welcoming to me as a student.  Dr. Cross was an excellent teacher as well as a great role model. She set a good example of how to care for and interact with patients. It was obvious that she genuinely cared about the wellbeing of each of her patients. She took the time to thoroughly listen to all of their concerns, and did everything she could to address each of those concerns to ensure the best possible outcomes. She would even address patients’ concerns that did not pertain specifically to pain.

Throughout the rotation, I had numerous opportunities to interact with patients. Dr. Cross would send me into the exam room to do complete medication workups with patients before she would go in to do her assessments. I would report to Dr. Cross what I learned from the workups and give her any recommendations I had, then we would go in to see the patients together. I would observe her while she completed the physical and subjective assessment of the patients. She always took the time after the patient consultations to teach me about what problems patients had and why she chose specific treatment options. I felt as though Dr. Cross listened to my recommendations when I had them, as long as they were appropriate and I had valid reasons to support them. She never dismissed what I had to say just because I was a student.

On the days we were not in clinic, I got to observe Dr. Cross perform a number of injection and minimally invasive procedures. Procedure days were interesting because I learned approaches to treating and managing pain that were different from the basic pain management options I was taught in classes. Dr. Cross always made certain I knew everything about the medications used, especially adverse effects and why certain agents were better for different procedures. Between observing Dr. Cross in clinic and procedure, answering questions Dr. Cross presented me with, and listening to Dr. Cross’s teachings, I learned a lot from my experience at IPCA.

Dr. Cross expected me to work hard to learn during my rotation and she held high standards, but she really encouraged me, and provided a ton of opportunities, to get out and experience Alaska. Among many other activities I could only do in Alaska, I got to kayak the Chena River, whitewater raft in Denali, tour Denali National Park, go on a dinner cruise on the Chena River, visit Anchorage for a weekend, and hike along the Byron Creek up to the Byron Glacier. Whether I was working to complete my rotation or I was out experiencing what Alaska had to offer, Dr. Cross and her family made sure I had something to do to enjoy myself. I would highly recommend a rotation with Dr. Cross at IPCA to any student who is interested in pain management and who would like to venture out to experience the adventure of Alaska.

Jake Glasser

University of Washington

School of Pharmacy

PharmD Candidate, Class of 2013

Peter Vu: Alaska Adventure

                                                                                                                                          During my fourth year of pharmacy school (2010), I had the opportunity to visit the Pain Management Center for my elective rotation in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Over a period of six weeks I shadowed my mentor, Dr. Cross, learning a

nd observing her interactions with patients. Patients come to her for one reason and one reason only–pain management. Her specialty in this area of healthcare has attracted not only patients but also students from different part of the country such as myself. During my training, I interviewed patients and learned their medical history from medication perspective. Dr. Cross and I then interview the patient together where she approached with more hands-on assessment evaluating patient’s pain and plan of action. The remaining days of the week were dedicated to time spent in the operating room where I observed Dr. Cross’s acute manual dexterity on pain management. The operating room was quite sophisticated with x-ray technology to guide penetrating needles. Outside the clinic, we ventured towards the Denali National Park, Chena hot spring, and Anchorage. Alaska’s bright, beautiful summer lasted through the six weeks I spent there with fishing, camping, and road trips with Dr. Cross and her family. 

Peter VU