Jan. 13: Physician Assistant students will receive white coats

Thirty professionals begin the clinical portion of their studies next week to earn the Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The White Coat Ceremony is at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, in the Charles H. Fee, MD, Auditorium at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Dustin Hager, MPAS, PA-C, will present the keynote address, focusing on the role of the physician assistant in primary care. Hager, a UND PA alumnus of the Class of 2010, is a practicing primary care physician assistant for Heart of America Johnson Clinic in Rugby, N.D.  Welcome remarks will be given by Senior Associate Dean for Education Gwen W. Halaas and by Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies Grant McGimpsey. Closing remarks will be given by Associate Dean for Health Sciences Tom Mohr.

“The presentation of the white coat is symbolic of the new profession the students are entering,” said Department Chair Jeanie McHugo. The coats will be worn by students through the clinical phase of their training and denote their involvement with the physician assistant program at UND.

The individuals in this class come from a wide variety of health-care disciplines, which through class interaction will strengthen each student’s ability to return to his or her rural clinical site as a well-rounded primary care provider.

The Class of 2018 is the first group of students who have been admitted under a new admissions structure. The PA program has two methods of entry with separate criteria for admissions purposes. Entry Point 1 is designated for health professionals with at least three years of experience working as nurses, respiratory therapists, radiology technologists, paramedics, military health-care providers and related professions. Entry Point 2 is designated for applicants with science-based educational backgrounds and some health-care experience working as a certified medical assistant, certified nurse assistant, physical therapist assistant, emergency medical technician, and others. Once admitted into the program, these students with various backgrounds further complement and add to the overall educational environment of the class.

Enrolled students come from throughout the United States, from Texas to Florida, but this particular class is very regional, with 67 percent of the students from the tri-state area of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. Students range in age from 22 to 49 years, with an average age of 31; the class includes 13 men and 17 women.

Students have completed their first two semesters of basic sciences and now will spend their first four weeks in Grand Forks before returning to their home communities, where most of their training will take place under the supervision of physician and physician assistant preceptors. Over the next 18 months, they will return to UND for several weeks at different junctures for education and training.

Master of Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2018

• Leslie Anderson, Superior, Wisconsin
• Kendra Apland, Rapid City, South Dakota
• Kayla Ashton, Andover, Minnesota
• Cody Baxter, Fargo, North Dakota
• Brittney Benson, Bismarck, North Dakota
• Ashley Bjornerud, Bemidji, Minnesota
• Jordan Buchholz, Mandan, North Dakota
• Christina Conneran, Warren, Minnesota
• Jeanmarie Dahl, Larimore, North Dakota
• Kelsey Daley, Hettinger, North Dakota
• Stephen Drewel, Justin, Texas
• Emmanuel Hernandez, Lubbock, Texas
• Timothy Hovde, Morris, Minnesota
• Jamie Johnson, Titusville, Florida
• William Kucera, Bismarck, North Dakota
• Cord Tanner Landrum, Ada, Oklahoma
• Lawrence Duane Lee, Lakeland, Florida
• Cynthia Mills, Tavares, Florida
• Katherine Packulack, Fertile, Minnesota
• Steven Pietrusza, Jacksonville, Florida
• Darren Pledger, Fort Smith, Arkansas
• Kailey Potratz, Hawley, Minnesota
• Breanna Privratsky, Crookston, Minnesota
• Larissa Reck, Cavalier, North Dakota
• Ashley Schultz, Perham, Minnesota
• Emily Stevenson, Beulah, North Dakota
• Kayla Ternes, Beulah, North Dakota
• Jamie Trautner, Felton, Minnesota
• Mitchell Volin, Worland, Wyoming
• Kate Whelan, Park River, North Dakota

For more information, please contact the PA program at (701) 777-2344, or visit www.med.und.edu/physician-assistant/.

— Denis F. MacLeod
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni and Community Relations
University of North Dakota
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
1301 N Columbia Road, Stop 9037 | Room W103 | Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037
701.777.2733 direct | 218.779.3107 cell
denis.macleod@med.UND.edu
www.med.UND.edu/