Tara Elkins, a northern Virginia native, first joined VEMA in 2009 as Lead Scribe at the Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Emergency Department. After completing the VEMA scribe program, Tara moved to Roanoke to attend graduate school at Jefferson College of Health Sciences (JCHS). In 2012, she graduated with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from JCHS, where she was the recipient of the prestigious Dr. Hugh Trout Sr. Endowment. She returned to VEMA as a PA in early 2013 and began caring for patients at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax and Fauquier Hospital in Warrenton.
Tara began serving as VEMA’s Director of Advanced Practice Education in 2015. In this capacity, she works as a liaison between the hospitals and several local universities while precepting and evaluating students during their clinical rotations. In 2016, she earned her NCCPA Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Emergency Medicine and was named Director of Advanced Practice Clinicians. She currently oversees all of VEMA’s emergency medicine physician assistants and nurse practitioners.
When she is not at the hospital, Tara enjoys spending time with her husband and their beloved puppy, Jax. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Tara enjoys college football and cheering on her alma mater. She has spent time volunteering with Fairfax County Public Schools, offering sports physicals to students throughout the county. She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Virginia Academy of Physician Assistants.
