Physician assistant John Green joins Oaklawn Express Care – Beckley Road

BATTLE CREEK – Lingering curiosity about a relative’s health condition eventually drew John Green toward a career in medicine, despite having been propelled along a different initial path.

“I used to be in radio, with WQXC ‘Cool 101,’” Green said. The Otsego-based station gave the Battle Creek native the opportunity to exercise talents he’d flexed as master of ceremonies for stage shows at Lakeview High School and as a broadcast journalist during his U.S. Army stint.

That all changed when Green happened to interview some medical students. His long-held interests began to surface.

Today, Green is a physician assistant with 16 years of experience. He will be based primarily at Oaklawn Express Care – Beckley Road, which opened June 1 in Suite B at 5352 Beckley Road, Battle Creek. The office may be contacted at (269) 558-0714. 

“My paternal grandfather died of lung cancer when I was 16,” Green said. “I loved that man, and his death always stuck with me. I was curious about how this had happened to him, so that curiosity was always there. I wanted to prevent that kind of thing from happening to others.”

However, at first the challenge of a medical education seemed daunting at the time, especially when his radio career had pulled him along so expeditiously.

“Then I saw the writing on the wall,” he said. “I was doing a remote broadcast about 1998 and these physician-assistant students came in from rotations they’d been doing in Grand Rapids. We got to talking about it and I thought, ‘Wow, that is really cool.’”

At that point, Green’s longtime fascination with the proper medical treatment of people in need surged into his mind.

“I got my ducks in a row and decided that’s what I wanted to do,” Green said, crediting his fellow radio-station staff with helping him find the time to pursue his newfound goals. As a result, he became the first in his immediate family to pursue a medical career.

Green earned a bachelor of science degree in interdisciplinary health from West Michigan University, graduating magna cum laude in 2005. He went on to earn a master of science degree in medicine through WMU’s physician assistant program in 2007. During those studies. Green worked as a patient-care advocate and for a surgical organization, both in Kalamazoo.

After graduation, Green worked full- and part-time for medical services in several Michigan communities, eventually joining Oaklawn’s Marshall-based After Hours Express in 2015. In recent years, he has been based at Oaklawn’s express-care site in Albion.

Green is licensed by the Michigan State Board of Licensure, certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and is additionally certified in basic life support, advanced cardiac life support, wound care and urgent care.

A cyclist who particularly enjoys road and mountain biking, Green likes to explore southern Michigan’s “beautiful trails” and maintain his personal health through workouts.

“I also like movies, especially crime stories, dramas and comedies,” he said.

A 1980s veteran of the XVIII Airborne Corps headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Green has lived in Kalamazoo for about 27 years. His adult daughter from a previous marriage is studying at Western Michigan University.

Green said he has enjoyed working for Oaklawn for the past eight years.

“I’ve always liked the atmosphere of the town and the hospital itself,” he said. “In a smaller setting, you can make closer connections with other providers so you have more outreach and tools in your belt.”