A 43-mile stretch of Highway 12 in South Dakota, around 70 miles south of the North Dakota border, contains much of the life story of a UND physician assistant (PA) program graduate who has dedicated his personal and professional life to serving others.<\/p>\n
Clint Perman\u2019s path to becoming a PA started in 1989 when he entered the healthcare workforce as a registered nurse (RN) after earning degrees from both Presentation College and Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. Hailing from Glenham, S.D. (population 108), Perman worked in various roles as a nurse, including as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, before deciding to enter the PA profession.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a nurse I worked with PAs at the hospital, as well as in the military. I liked the autonomy they had and I felt I could make more of an impact in my rural community caring for patients as a PA,\u201d Perman said.<\/p>\n
So he chose the UND PA program because of its accelerated program for nurses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe initial route to becoming a PA from UND was a 12-month certificate program for an experienced RN to PA,\u201d added UND Department of Physician Assistant Studies Chair Jeanie McHugo. \u201cThe educational model, much like the current model, was alternating classroom sessions with clinical experiences. Learn, apply, learn more, apply more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perman spent a year alternating classroom and clinical experiences and successfully completed the program in 2002 as a Certified Physician Assistant (PA-C). After that, he returned to serve his home area in rural South Dakota, beginning in Mobridge for a year, then transitioning to Bowdle for nine years, and finally settling at Selby Medical Clinic in Selby, S.D., for the past 13 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the only provider [in Selby] for a number of years,\u201d he said, adding that a women\u2019s health physician now visits the community weekly. In 2020, the small clinic was acquired by Mobridge Regional Hospital, which is gladly keeping Perman on through the transition.<\/p>\n
For McHugo and her PA program faculty colleagues, it\u2019s gratifying to see graduates like Perman serving where they are needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in a small South Dakota farming community not too far from where Clint now lives, I know firsthand how incredibly important it is to have access to healthcare in these rural areas,\u201d McHugo said. \u201cIt is so rewarding to have the opportunity to teach and mentor PA students in rural communities who then stay and provide healthcare for the people who live and work in those communities. Their work is truly meaningful, impactful, and significant for these small towns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Perman\u2019s practice is in South Dakota, he continues to stay connected with the North Dakota Academy of Physician Assistants (NDAPA) and attends the group\u2019s conference annually.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see Clint consistently engage with the rural health focus at our annual NDAPA Primary Care Conferences and then bring those insights back to his community,\u201d said Jay Metzger, associate professor in the UND PA program and board member of the NDAPA. \u201cHis commitment to staying connected, learning from peers, and applying that knowledge in rural South Dakota embodies the very spirit of our program.\u201d<\/p>\n
The value of providing care to fellow community members in rural and underserved areas was observed and passed down to Perman\u2019s children. A 2022 article in North Dakota<\/em> Medicine <\/em>magazine featured Clint\u2019s son, Zach, who is the Chief Dental Officer and Hospital Chief of Staff serving the Indian Health Service (IHS) clinic in Fort Yates, N.D.<\/p>\n Zach and his sister Xandria Yackley both followed their dad into the healthcare field, both choosing the dentistry profession and working in the Fort Yates and McLauglin areas, respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cI frequently did locums work, covering a number of underserved IHS and rural healthcare facilities in addition to working full time at a rural clinic and Critical Access Hospital,\u201d Clint Perman said. \u201cI believe [my children] saw the impact one person could make in people\u2019s lives. It makes me very proud to have them in the field of healthcare and especially to know that they provide services to the underserved.\u201d<\/p>\n While healthcare may seem like the main spotlight in Perman\u2019s life, the layers of service he offers to his community run much deeper. The Cloverleaf Bar and Grill, located in Selby, is an establishment originally owned by Perman\u2019s in-laws.<\/p>\n Perman and his wife purchased the business from his wife\u2019s family after they retired and operated it for a number of years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe eventually sold the business but ended up getting it back. It was closed for a couple of years, but I received repeated requests to have it re-open so [community members] could have a spot to eat, drink, and get together. They eventually wore me down, and I opened it back up a couple of years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In addition to offering a place to dine, the Cloverleaf also offers hotel rooms and apartment rentals to accommodate housing and lodging needs for the community. Owning and operating the Cloverleaf is just \u201cdoing what is needed,\u201d Perman added.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess it\u2019s along the same line as healthcare, only providing a different service to the community,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s very time consuming to operate a business. It\u2019s only open on weekends but the work continues daily.\u201d<\/p>\n If working full time as a clinician, plus owning and operating a weekend restaurant business, isn\u2019t enough to make a person dizzy, Perman shared that he and his wife have also been fostering a baby for the past year.<\/p>\n \u201cI must have thought we had too much down time,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n In addition to providing a loving and safe home for a newborn, he finds solace in spending time with his kids and grandkids, gardening, and golfing when he can. For Perman, his wish to make an impact in his rural community has truly turned into a lifetime of service.<\/p>\n And he wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n