PHOTO BY JESSE S. JONES
A N SWE R I N G
the
call
Former sheriff's deputy
Connor McVey trades his
badge for scrubs.
By STYLIANA RESVANIS
When Connor McVey and his partner arrived
at the trailer, a gruesome scene awaited. The
sheriff's deputies were responding to a call
about a domestic violence incident in which a husband
and wife nearly died in a murder-suicide stabbing.
After a quick survey of the situation, they jumped into
action to subdue the husband and wrestle the knife
away. Then they got to work providing first aid on the
couple until the paramedics arrived.
Both victims survived, and for McVey, that dispatch call
changed the course of his career.
After spending three years as a deputy sheriff in his
hometown of LaBelle, Florida, McVey — who holds a
master’s degree in criminal justice — turned in his badge
and set his sights on becoming a physician assistant.
"The most important skill I learned from my
law enforcement training is the ability to stay
calm and collected in stressful situations."
— Connor McVey, MPAS '18
“I was always the guy who volunteered to handle the
Baker Act or Marchman Act calls, who de-escalated the
situation and was the last to go hands-on,” he says. “I
felt I was making a connection with people with mental
illnesses, but I wasn’t able to help — instead, I was
dropping them off at jail or a facility. I decided to switch
to medicine, so I could try to help them before they got
involved with law enforcement.”
As a new graduate of the UF School of PA Studies,
McVey plans to dedicate himself to treating those with
mental illnesses through a career in psychiatry. He says
his law enforcement background will come in handy as
he enters the health care arena.
“The most important skill I learned from my law
enforcement training is the ability to stay calm and
collected in stressful situations,” he says. “As a PA, you
might see someone as just another patient. As a sheriff,
you might see the person as just another suspect, victim
or traffic stop. But in both fields, it’s important to keep in
mind that this person will likely remember how you act,
what you say and the outcome of your actions for the
rest of their life.”
DOCTOR GATOR | 11