Physician Assistant Class of 2021 Accepts their White Coats
| The Physician Assistant Studies program presented 40 students from the Class of 2021 with their white coats May 24 in a ceremony in the Fred W. Smith Auditorium in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.
Gloria Richard-Davis, M.D., told students that the white coat is a “symbol of professionalism, caring, compassion, candor and trust, which you must earn from your patients.”
Edward Williams, M.P.A.S., M.Ed., chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies and program director, explained to the audience the importance of the white coat in the students’ lives.
“The white coat represents something larger than themselves — they represent our program, our college and our university. And even as students, they represent our profession,” he said. “The white coat is a great symbol of where they’re about to go, and what they’re about to do.”
Gloria Richard-Davis, M.D., MBA, NCMP, FACOG, professor, division director for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and medical director of the PA program, called the white coat ceremony a “rite of passage for medical professionals.”
“The white coat serves as a symbol of professionalism, caring, compassion, candor and trust, which you must earn from your patients,” she said.
Emily McKinney, president of the Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2019, told her fellow students that while PA school is a lot of hard work, it is an amazing journey.
“There’s also a practical reason for the white coat — it has pockets, which you will need to carry valuable tools needed for seeing patients,” she said as the audience chuckled.
Susan Long, Ed.D., dean of the College of Health Professions, welcomed the students into the allied health professions, which make up 60% of all health care providers in the United States.
Emily McKinney, president of the Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2019, encouraged the students to look toward the rewards of PA school. She warned that PA school is difficult, and they may not always get the grade they wanted on a test or in a class. So she urged students to celebrate the small victories that happen along the way.
Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2021
“Recognize those small victories and let them push you on to the next one. Those little moments of personal accomplishment are the things that will keep you going,” she said.
Amber Teigen, M.M.Sc., an assistant professor and the program’s director of Didactic Education, joined Williams on stage to give each student their white coat.
The students receiving their white coats were:
- Amane Ali
- Paige Allen
- Gabriel Arrendondo Arriola
- Hannah Breau
- Nyashe Clark
- Alexandra De La O
- Taylor Dycus
- William Ellis
- Jared Elmquist
- Casey Green
- Jerry Green
- April Harris
- Gregory Hau
- Caleb Holbrook
- Alayna Holdsworth
- Jamie Hunter
- Lindsay Jefferson
- Cassie Kaufman
- Abby Kordsmeier
- Bria Mays
- Maggie McNamara
- Catherine Milwee
- Lacey Newell
- Nicole Oulela
- Paresh Patel
- Priya Patel
- Rohan Patel
- Brittany Pint
- Shyanne Price
- Jordan Reddick
- Timothy Richardson
- Jami Schmidt
- Katherine Shuster
- Garrett Soileau
- Maison Stice
- Lauren Tapp
- Allison Teague
- Rebekah Ward
- Benjamin Winn
- Neoni Yustana