At Home in the ER

Now a physician assistant in the emergency department at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, a Level I trauma center in the Chicago suburbs, Speer begins each shift knowing anything can walk through the doors.

“I love the diversity of complaints,” she said. “Every day is different. It’s head to toe medicine. And when someone comes to the ER, it’s a very vulnerable time. No one wants to be there. If I can bring compassion and bedside education into that moment, that’s what matters.”

Speer grew up in Vernon Hills, a suburb north of Chicago, and has always felt connected to the region.

“I love Chicago,” she said. “It has that great Midwest feel to it — the livelihood of the city but the calm of the suburbs.”

She attended the University of Iowa, initially following her older brother, who played tennis there. Frequent visits to campus convinced her to enroll. A human physiology major with a minor in German, Speer gravitated early toward medicine.

Her interest in patient care began even earlier as a lifeguard.

“When someone needs medical attention, it can be a fearful or uncertain time,” she said. “Being able to make an impact, whether small or significant, in that moment is what drew me in.”

After graduating in 2017, Speer returned to Vernon Hills and began working as a certified nurse assistant at Advocate Condell Medical Center. What began as a way to build the patient care hours required for PA school became a seven-year experience that shaped her professional foundation. She worked in the hospital’s float department, rotating through nearly every unit.

“Every day I was floating to a different floor,” she said. “I loved getting a taste of everything.”

A Floating Assistant During Covid

That flexibility became essential in 2020, when COVID-19 reshaped hospital life.

“It was such an unknown time,” Speer recalled. “We had very limited resources. You’d get one N95 mask for the entire day and have to ration it. And at the end of the shift, there was always that uneasy feeling about carrying germs home to family.”

Units across the hospital converted to COVID floors. As a float CNA, Speer moved between them, including the intensive care unit. “You didn’t know what the future held,” she said. “But it united all healthcare team members. We felt like we were in it together.”

The experience strengthened her commitment to becoming a physician assistant. She was drawn to the profession’s medical model and its flexibility. “PAs are trained very similarly to physicians, but there’s something called lateral mobility,” she said. “You don’t have to pick one specialty for the rest of your life.”

For someone who had thrived rotating across departments, the breadth of the PA role was appealing. In January 2023, Speer joined Touro University Illinois as part of its inaugural PA class, graduating in May 2025. The newness of the program offered unexpected opportunities.

“Because it was a new program, there were so many ways to grow as a leader,” she said.

Speer served as class co-president and as a student representative to the Illinois Academy of PAs, attending professional conferences and helping shape the student experience. After graduating with honors achievement, she credits the faculty with creating a supportive environment during an intense program.

Approachable Faculty Make a Difference

“PA school can be intimidating,” she said. “But the faculty were so approachable. I felt very confident when I began practicing.”

The 2.5-year curriculum began with a rigorous didactic year followed by clinical rotations across the Chicago metropolitan area. Students completed seven core rotations — including family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, OB/GYN, psychiatry, pediatrics and surgery — along with three electives.

“I felt very prepared after my rotations,” Speer said. “Our preceptors really took us under their wing. We would see patients ourselves, then report back and discuss treatment plans.” For her electives, she chose an additional emergency medicine rotation and an urgent care rotation, confirming her interest in high-acuity care.

She began working at Advocate Good Samaritan in September 2025. The transition from student to provider came with a steep learning curve.

“No One Teaches You How to Remove a Popcorn Kernel from a Child’s Nose”

“When you start working, it’s real life,” Speer said. “No one teaches you how to remove a popcorn kernel from a child’s nose in school. That’s the beauty of emergency medicine as a new grad; every shift brings something new to learn.”

As a Level I trauma center, more complex cases are part of the daily rhythm. “It’s fast paced, especially during flu season,” she said. “But it’s a team sport. There’s a lot of collaboration.” 

Speer typically works day or evening shifts three to four days a week. Under the mentorship of experienced physicians, she says she continues to grow into the role. Looking back, she credits both her years of hands-on patient care and her time at Touro for preparing her.

“When you start PA school, you learn how to succeed academically,” she said. “But the foundation of bedside compassion and strong work ethic often comes from the experiences you had long before.”