A cohort of 26 Elizabethtown College Master of Science in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies students were recognized for their hard work and for taking the next step toward becoming a healthcare professional during the program’s Moving Up Ceremony on Friday, Aug. 4.
The celebration symbolizes the transition from classroom to clinic recognizing the cohort’s demonstrated competency to move to the next level of their educational journey in clinical rotations. Students in Etown’s two-year master’s degree program complete a didactic year of classroom and laboratory experience before beginning a variety of inpatient and outpatient clinical rotations during their final year.
“This cohort is the first group to represent the Etown PA program with our clinical partners,” Elizabethtown College Director of the Physician Assistant Program, Dionna Rookey said. “It is an exciting time not only for the hard work of all the students but additionally for the entire PA program team. The students have spent endless hours learning, working, and practicing in a multitude of areas. The faculty and staff have also worked hard to ensure the students are ready to meet the challenges of today’s healthcare needs. ”
The students’ white coats were pinned during the ceremony which marked their next step in becoming a healthcare professional by moving from student-centered classroom work to patient-centered clinical rotations.
“Being granted the opportunity to interact and learn from real patients during rotations is truly an honor that I cherish and is pivotal to medical education as a whole,” Payton Mitten ’24 said. “I look forward to reinforcing what I have already learned in the classroom and am open to the lessons that patients will teach me so I can be as well-rounded of a provider as possible for my future patients.”
At the culmination of the program, students will sit for the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE), and after successful completion of the exam, graduates will be able to work as a physician assistant in medical facilities across the nation in specialized areas of clinical practice, as well as in research occupations or academia.
“This ceremony was very important for me personally because it marked the halfway point to my dream career,” Katherine Brown ’24 said. “After making it through the grueling 13 months that are PA didactic year, I am so excited for a new journey and to be working with the amazing clinicians that Etown has set us up to work with. I feel incredibly lucky that I am able to pursue that dream here at Etown.”
Photos from the event can be viewed on the College’s Flickr page.
About Etown’s Physician Assistant Program
Designed to meet the needs of 21st-century learners in a rapidly growing field, Elizabethtown College’s Physician Assistant (PA) Program equips future healthcare providers with an education that is centered on service and integrates interdisciplinary learning.
The program offers two pathways – a BS/MS program and a standalone Master’s program which offers small class sizes that allow students to build strong mentoring relationships with faculty. Discover more about Etown’s PA program at etown.edu.