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Physician Assistant Program graduates 34

Class PhotoThirty-four members of the Physician Assistant program celebrated their graduation at a ceremony held Aug. 14 in the OHSU Auditorium. The event marked the culmination of a 26-month program, consisting of academic courses – some shared with fellow students in the MD program – and clinical rotations in five states and 43 cities. During these clinical visits, members of the graduating class participated in 57,567 patient consultations, 14,413 rural visits and 2,507 surgeries, as well as helping to deliver 261 babies.

In his keynote address, Dean Mark Richardson highlighted the role of physician assistants in making the promise of health care reform a reality. Noting examples such as the creative use of telemedicine and emerging health information technologies, he encouraged the graduates to “be open to new ways of organizing our community of health care professionals so that together, as a team, we can deliver health care in ways that best meet the needs of our patients – wherever they live.”

Student Award Winners Rebekah MacNeill (L) and Shannon Donovan (R).Historical data show that approximately 57 percent of OHSU’s Physician Assistant program graduates are currently practicing in Oregon, with 37 percent of that number pursuing careers in primary care. Prior to entering the OHSU program, members of the graduating class averaged 3.4 years of prior direct patient care and/or health care related experience per student.





Click here to read the full text of Dean Mark Richardson’s keynote address.

Click here to read a Q & A from the East Oregonian about program graduate Kristin Dunlap, Class of ’09.



Pictured: (top) Graduates of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2010; (Bottom) Student Award Winners Rebekah MacNeill (L) and Shannon Donovan (R). Ms. MacNeill received the Excellence in the Clinical Year Award and Ms. Donovan received the Professionalism Award. Not pictured: Nick Sabrowski, who received the Academic Achievement Award.

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