A Day in the Life of a Psychiatry PA: Bridging Clinical Care, Leadership, and Education

A Day in the Life of a Psychiatry PA: Bridging Clinical Care, Leadership, and Education

Join me and other psych-minded PAs at the Psych Congress PA Institute event this December!

By Michael Asbach, DMSc, PA-C

November 10, 2025

When I graduated from PA school 14 years ago, I never imagined that my career would evolve to blend clinical psychiatry, leadership, research, and education. Today, my “typical” day doesn’t really exist—and that’s one of the best parts of being a PA.

As a PA student, I was initially drawn to the fast-paced world of surgery and emergency medicine. I loved the immediacy of decision-making and the tangible outcomes of procedural care. But during my psychiatry rotation, something shifted. I found myself captivated by how the brain influences emotion, motivation, and behavior, and how much was still unknown. The field’s complexity and its potential for discovery drew me in, and I’ve been here ever since.

Today, I serve as Associate Medical Director at DENT Neurologic Institute, one of the nation’s largest outpatient neuroscience centers. My role blends direct patient care, program leadership, and educational outreach, a balance that keeps me engaged, challenged, and constantly learning.

Morning: Clinical Practice and Connection
Most mornings begin at our Interventional Psychiatry Center, where our team provides advanced treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), esketamine (Spravato), and IV ketamine for patients with treatment-resistant depression and related disorders. My clinical work is highly collaborative. Our group includes psychiatrists, PAs, NPs, nurses, and technicians all working together to ensure patients receive individualized, evidence-based care.

Mornings may include reviewing a new patient consultation, assessing treatment response in an ongoing esketamine series, or fine-tuning a TMS protocol. The diversity of cases keeps the work both intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding. We often see patients who have struggled for years without relief, and witnessing even small improvements—such as a patient smiling for the first time in months or describing a return of energy and motivation—is profoundly meaningful.

Midday: Leadership and Strategy
By late morning or early afternoon, my focus often shifts to leadership and administrative responsibilities. As part of DENT’s behavioral health leadership team, I work closely with our executive team and operations staff to align our clinical mission with organizational strategy. That might include developing new service lines, optimizing workflows, or evaluating potential partnerships with industry and academic collaborators.

Currently, our team is working to launch CareNet, a psychiatry-focused group purchasing organization designed to help clinics across the region access interventional devices, medications, and digital health tools more efficiently. Projects like these allow me to think about healthcare not just from a patient-care perspective, but also from a systems and sustainability standpoint. This initiative allows us to expand access to care, support clinicians, and ensure that innovative therapies reach the people who need them most.

Leadership as a PA offers a unique lens: we’re trained as collaborators, communicators, and bridge-builders. Whether working alongside physicians, administrators, or students, I find that the PA role is often the connective tissue that helps teams function more cohesively.

Afternoon: Teaching and Research
My afternoons frequently include educational and academic work, which has become one of the most fulfilling aspects of my career. I serve as faculty at Shenandoah University’s Doctor of Medical Science program, where I mentor students conducting behavioral health capstone projects. These collaborations allow me to stay current with emerging research while helping the next generation of PAs develop their scholarly and clinical voice.

For me, education extends far beyond the classroom. I’m deeply involved in continuing medical education through the Psych Congress network, where I serve as co-chair for the upcoming Psych Congress PA Institute. This national event is designed to empower psychiatry PAs through high-level clinical education, leadership development, and community building. Developing these programs, often alongside psychiatrists, NPs, and researchers, has given me a front-row seat to the evolution of mental health care.

[Register today for AAPA’s inaugural Psych Congress PA Institute event!]

Many of my academic projects focus on translating neurobiology into clinical practice, bridging the gap between complex neuroscience and day-to-day psychiatry. Whether I’m working on a CME presentation, co-authoring a paper, or mentoring a student, I view education as a way to multiply impact: every clinician you teach goes on to improve care for hundreds of patients you may never meet.

Evening: Family, Reflection, and Renewal
No matter how busy the day is, I try to protect my evenings for family and reflection. My job often requires travel for conferences, meetings, and educational programs, so when I am home, that time with my wife and our four children is precious and fiercely protected. We spend as much time as possible outdoors hiking, exploring, or just recharging together. Those moments are grounding and remind me of the “why” behind everything I do.

Like many in healthcare, I’ve learned that professional fulfillment depends on balance. The diversity of my roles helps maintain balance. Clinical work keeps me connected to patients, leadership challenges me to think strategically, and education provides creative and intellectual renewal. Together, they form a career that feels both sustainable and purpose driven.

A Profession of Possibility
What I love most about the PA profession is its versatility. Few careers offer the ability to blend patient care, research, teaching, and leadership in such an integrated way. My days are rarely predictable, but they are consistently meaningful.

To me, being a PA isn’t just about diagnosing and treating patients—it’s about building systems, educating peers, and advancing the profession. I’ve learned that “beyond the clinic” lies an entire landscape of opportunity: leading programs, shaping policy, conducting research, or mentoring the next generation.

For any PA reading this, whether you’re early in your career or considering a new direction, I encourage you to explore the intersections of your interests. The skills that make us effective clinicians—critical thinking, adaptability, empathy, and teamwork—are the same skills that make us powerful agents of change within healthcare.

Every day as a PA brings new challenges, new opportunities, and new ways to make an impact. That’s what makes this profession not only rewarding, but limitless.

Michael Asbach, DMSc, PA-C, is the Associate Medical Director at DENT Neurologic Institute, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Shenandoah University, and Co-Chair Psych Congress PA Institute. Connect with him on Linkedin!

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