Sean C. O’Brien, PA-C, recently transitioned to a full-time staff position at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center. Previously he had been a per-diem staff member at MAHHC and worked for several years at the Dartmouth College Student Health Service.
“We are very pleased that Sean has come on board full-time at the Hospital,” said Kevin W. Donovan, MAHHC President & CEO. “In the year that he has been working here, Sean has evaluated and treated hundreds of patients in a caring and highly professional manner. He has also successfully performed minor in-house surgeries for many patients.”
O’Brien is a 2012 graduate of Franklin Pierce University in Lebanon, NH where he earned a Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies, and also served as president of his class.
O’Brien’s medical experience is wide, deep and varied. In addition to his experience as a physician assistant, from 1999 through 2012 he served as an emergency medical technician (EMT) with St Michael’s College Rescue, Shelburne Rescue and Charlotte Rescue of VT. From 2002 to 2010 he worked as the clinical research coordinator in general surgery at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. O’Brien has also worked for the chief medical examiner in Burlington, VT. He continues to serve as an adjunct member of the teaching faculty at Franklin Pierce University, lecturing, teaching and mentoring students in clinical skills, critical thinking and differential diagnoses and other areas.
In addition to his work experience, O’Brien has authored several medical papers and presentations and served as guest lecturer to local medical organizations. He also served as board member, committee member and volunteer for dozens of local, health-focused organizations. He is currently the President-elect for the Physician Assistant Academy of Vermont and takes office as the president in June.
“Sean is an ideal physician assistant,” says Mr. Donovan. “His experiences as a clinician, a professor, a researcher, a medical examiner and an EMT all come together to make him an accomplished and expert provider for our community. We are pleased to welcome him as a full-time member of our MAHHC family.”
Founded in 1933, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is a not-for-profit community hospital network including the critical access-designated Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, Vermont, and Ottauquechee Health Center in Woodstock, Vermont. Affiliated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the Hospital provides people in communities across the Connecticut River Valley with primary care and a comprehensive suite of specialty services, along with 25 inpatient beds, a therapeutic pool and an acclaimed, 10-bed inpatient rehabilitation department. Mt. Ascutney Hospital is a recipient of the national Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, one of the most prestigious awards in healthcare, and is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), as well as the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) with Level 3 status, the highest level of medical home designation for delivering quality care.