At a cardiology office, Mohammad Chanaa, a Virginia healthcare professional, manages care for patients recently discharged from the hospital, many of whom continue to experience serious health issues. At the same time, he serves as Deputy Chief of a local volunteer fire department, where he trains academy recruits, responds to emergencies, and contributes to department decisions through his role on the board.
These roles are the result of years of preparation and a deeper understanding of healthcare that began during a global crisis. After years of firsthand experience in outpatient medicine, emergency response, and clinical leadership, Chanaa now plans to become a Physician Assistant.
For him, this career step will provide the opportunity to remain actively engaged in patient care while also serving in a leadership position founded on trust and continuity of care.
“I’m driven not by titles, but by impact,” he said. “And I’ve learned that the way we help people often matters just as much as the help itself.”
Emergency Calls and Post-Hospital Care
Chanaa is the Clinical Lead at an outpatient cardiology practice, where he manages daily operations and supports patients in their recovery after a hospital stay. He treats some of the most critically ill individuals who have recently left inpatient care and makes sure they continue receiving the attention they need. In addition to seeing patients, he helps keep the office running smoothly, handling everything from treatment flow to staff organization.
Chanaa also holds a leadership role at his local volunteer fire department, serving as Deputy Chief. In this position, he sits on the board, trains recruits at the fire academy, and responds directly to emergency calls. The pace may vary between the fire department and the clinic, but both demand a deep, ongoing commitment to the people who count on them.
A Hard-Won Achievement
Completing a nine-month fire academy program is what Chanaa considers his most meaningful accomplishment. It meant training 24 to 28 hours each week, on top of full-time work and volunteer duties at the fire station. During the most physically demanding phase, he fasted daily for the month of Ramadan.
“This was without a doubt the hardest period in my life and career,” he said. “9 months where I had no free time, rest, or even enough to eat.”
Despite personal and family turmoil, long work hours, and physical exhaustion, Chanaa ultimately graduated as valedictorian of his class. The experience pushed his discipline to the limit, but what he gained in return was not only a certification but a sense of accomplishment that remains a part of him today.
A Career That Changed Midway
Growing up, Mohammad Chanaa—a George Mason University graduate—wanted to be a doctor. He started his education on the pre-med track, majoring in Biology, Microbiology, and Sociology. At the time, his understanding of healthcare was still limited.
That changed during his second year of college, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of life, and the visible efforts of frontline healthcare workers inspired him to see medicine in a new light.
“Everywhere I looked I was seeing stories of nurses, healthcare workers, doctors, researchers, firefighters, paramedics, and more chronicling their battles and challenges. This provided me with the chance to learn more about the field that interested me. In doing so, I discovered my first healthcare passion of Fire and EMS.”
While most people stayed home, Chanaa seized the opportunity to try something new, becoming a volunteer firefighter and EMT. That decision led to thousands of hours spent supporting patients, caring for emergency vehicles, and working at community events. As the months passed, he started to understand the medical industry directly from the field.
Later, he took a position at an outpatient cardiology practice, starting as a technician. Eventually, he became Clinical Lead and began overseeing a new office and its staff. Around the same time, he advanced within his fire department, gradually taking on more responsibility. Today, he holds leadership roles in both settings, providing him with a well-rounded view of healthcare across pre-hospital, outpatient, emergency, and community-based care.
Seeing medicine and healthcare from many of its angles led me to realize that the best fit for me would be a career as a PA,” he said. “I grew to understand that PAs see patients more often than doctors, take responsibility for their care from the doctor to see them through until they are well again, and so much more.”
That broader view changed his long-term goal. Instead of pursuing medical school, he began aligning all of his work, both volunteer and professional, toward becoming a Physician Assistant.
Holding Onto Compassion in a High-Stress Field
Mohammad Chanaa brings an empathy-focused mindset to every leadership role he takes on. He knows how easily people in medicine and emergency services can become disengaged from their work, especially when situations become repetitive or emotionally draining. Still, he views compassion as a choice that must be made repeatedly, even in ordinary or high-pressure situations.
“My primary core value is to be compassionate,” he said. “Often we can become used to our jobs and their repetitive nature, but one of the first things I learned was that when people call 911 or go to the hospital, it is because they are having the worst day of their lives and they need help.”
He pushes back against the kind of habits that leave people feeling rushed or dismissed in healthcare settings. That includes slowing down in conversations with patients, not minimizing patient concerns, and encouraging others in the field to adopt the same mindset.
“Treating a patient without being a caring and compassionate person is ultimately unhealthy, for both the patient and the provider,” he said. “These unsustainable behaviors are unfortunately all too common and do not provide proper care.”
Chanaa brings this perspective to both his volunteer and clinical roles, especially when training new staff or academy members, which has slowly influenced the attitudes of those around him.
An Unexpected Door That Opened Early
Chanaa’s leadership experience began before he was even cleared to respond to emergencies. During one of his first conversations at the fire station, he mentioned his past experience in the trades. That caught the attention of the department’s Vice President and Sergeant, who offered him an early opportunity to join the team.
“We talked and soon I got involved and became the primary pointman for all repair and maintenance needs at the fire station,” he said.
That role gave him access to relationships and responsibilities that most new volunteers typically don’t have. He formed early bonds with the full-time career staff and began to understand the department’s culture from the inside out.
“If it weren’t for the Vice President taking a chance on trusting me, I would never have had that chance to take such an important and proactive role in my fire station serving my community,” he said.
That experience gave him a head start and helped shape his leadership style, focusing on trust, taking initiative, and earning responsibility through action.
Shifting From Ambition to Peace of Mind
Over the past few years, Chanaa’s schedule has left little room for downtime. With work, training, and volunteer hours accumulating week after week, he has had to rely on personal routines to help manage the constant demands and avoid burnout.
“The only way to make sure I do not drown in my commitments or lose track of things is to develop regular routines,” he said.
Looking back, he wishes he had focused more on the bigger picture. He’d tell his younger self to think beyond the short term, avoid letting procrastination slow you down, and confront challenges head-on instead of trying to dodge them.
“Often, I would find myself focused on the present and immediate future, sacrificing long-term vision in favor of the here and now. In the past, this led to fearing and dreading the future, which in turn led to avoidant habits. Those avoidant habits took a long time to grow out of and improve, something that unfortunately led to unnecessary delays in university and immediately after,” he said.
These lessons changed the way he thinks about success. It’s no longer tied to titles or income, but about finding peace of mind.
“To me now, success means two things: comfort and peace. It does not matter to me what I own, who made it, or how much it costs. Peace of mind and stability are much more important factors in one’s life,” he said.
That belief continues to guide his choices, both in how he works today and what he hopes to do next.