College’s Physician Assistant Students Transition Into Clinical Phase

Penn College’s physician assistant program held its first Induction to Clinical Clerkship White Coat Ceremony on July 23, marking an important transition for third-year students from classroom to practice-based education. As it moves forward, the Class of 2011 will spend the majority of its time learning in clinical settings, applying skills by administering care to real patients. "The (white) coat is a symbolic transition from basic sciences to more patient-related care,” explained Paula D. Holmes, clinical director of the program. “It's more of a cloak of compassion that we expect students to take on in the role, which is more involved with patient care than it has been in the first three years of school."