Keith Purino, PA-C, didn’t take the traditional path to a career in healthcare. With a background in economics and political science, he initially planned to attend law school. But during his senior year of college, everything changed after meeting some athletic trainers through his involvement in sports.

“I liked that they were working with athletes. It was medicine, and I had always been strong in science,” Keith recalls. That interest led him to Temple University in Philadelphia, where he earned a master’s degree in athletic training and worked in the field for almost five years.

While Keith enjoyed his work as a trainer, he began exploring other career paths in healthcare. “The hours were long, and the pay wasn’t great. I started looking into other options, and that’s when someone mentioned PA school. I had no idea what a Physician Assistant was at that point. It was the mid-1990s, and the profession was still relatively new.”

After shadowing a PA in his workplace, Keith applied to PA school “really on a whim” and was accepted into a program in Nashville. He initially thought he would go right back into orthopedics after graduation because of his background in athletic training. However, during his clinical rotations he discovered a passion for family practice and emergency medicine. He worked in those areas for nearly seven years before finding his way back to orthopedics.

A New Opportunity with AP Health

After spending 12 years as a PA in orthopedic practices, Keith was beginning to feel the heavy demands of the job. “I spent three days in clinic and two in the OR each week,” he explains. “Plus, I worked weekends and holidays, had call, did rounds, etc. I had two kids in middle school and felt like all my time was being consumed by my job. I was burned out.”

That’s when Keith was approached about joining AP Health in 2019. “They offered me a surgery-focused role. Once they explained the AP Health business model, I realized it would provide a better work-life balance, so I signed up. That was five years ago.”

Growth and Development at AP Health

Coming from a clinical background where he managed patient care from initial consultation through surgery and recovery, Keith had to adjust to focusing solely on the operating room. He also learned new specialties.

“As a seasoned PA, I was already well-versed in surgery and orthopedics,” he explains. “But joining AP Health was a big change. I went from working closely with just a few orthopedic surgeons, to collaborating with a much larger team of physicians across a variety of specialties. My first year was focused on learning neuro-spine, which really expanded my skill set.”

When Keith joined AP Health’s Nashville team, he was the only PA among a small group of surgical assistants. Since then, he’s witnessed—and helped drive—tremendous growth. “We’ve gone from about 8-10 providers with me being the only PA, to 25 providers with probably three-quarters of those being PAs,” he explains.

Keith’s surgical experience, leadership qualities, and strong interpersonal skills quickly set him apart, paving the way for his growth within the company. Last year, he was asked to assist the recruitment team with helping to interview new providers in addition to him working in the OR.

“We’re now staffing surgeries at more than a dozen facilities, with more growth ahead,” Keith explains. “We’ve been fortunate to build a deep bench of providers to accommodate that growth.”

Recently, Keith was named Director of Clinical Services for the Nashville team, a promotion that takes him out the OR.

“AP Health values promoting from within,” Keith says. “Having a clinical background and understanding what the OR demands of your providers gives me a unique perspective as a team leader. I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity to step into this role.”

Finding the Right Balance

In his new position, Keith oversees a growing team of providers, helps with scheduling, meets with physicians and facilities to understand their needs, and ensures that AP Health maintains its high standards of care.

While he occasionally misses direct patient care and the hands-on aspects of surgery, Keith values the company’s approach to work-life balance and its focus on matching the right providers with the right physicians.

“While managing people is new to me, I like interacting with our providers and making sure we are creating a good environment for them,” he says. “I know it’s been a good one for me.”