Hundreds of family members and friends gathered in person and virtually on July 30 to celebrate the Lewis Katz School of Medicine’s fourth graduating class of physician assistants.
Thunderous applause rolled down the aisles of the packed Luo Auditorium – testament to the audience’s pride in the graduates and the excitement of celebrating in person, together, albeit with masks still firmly in place.
Incredibly, the graduation ceremony was the first time the entire class had been together since March 13, 2020 – “The day we thought was the beginning of a two-week snow day but turned into six months of Zoom University,” quipped Breanna Price, a graduating student and ceremony speaker.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic threw an unprecedented curve ball at the Class of 2021, the students persevered – conquering a challenging 26-month curriculum, completing clinical rotations across a dozen disciplines, taking difficult exams, and demonstrating their clinical and professional competency.
“To get to this day, you met a high bar of expectation. You prevailed, challenge after challenge, obstacle after obstacle,” said Amy J. Goldberg, MD, FACS, Interim Dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. “That’s the message here, that’s what it’s all about. Adapting. Accommodating. Adjusting. Advancing.
“Challenges, obstacles and tests – and I don’t mean exams – are going to keep coming,” she continued. “That’s how the practice of medicine is. That’s how life is. You must bring your ‘A’ game every day. Tuck it under your arm. Take it everywhere you go in the world. It will serve you well in your career and in all aspects of life.”
During her remarks, Program Director Christine Mount, MS, PA-C, noted the “astounding impact” the class of 31 graduates will have on patient care.
“If the average provider sees 20 patients per day, that correlates to 620 daily patient visits for this class,” she said. “Carry that out to an entire year and it’s more than 160,000 patient visits. Be an advocate for every one of those patients. Remember, the most important impact you can have is to treat each patient like they are your only patient that day.”
Melanie Cosby, PhD, Director of the Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Katz School of Medicine, was chosen by the graduates as the ceremony’s distinguished speaker in recognition of the support, insight, and guidance she provided to them over the past two years.
“Perhaps you didn’t create the many challenges our world is facing these days, but as people and healthcare providers, you have the power to disrupt the status quo,” she said. “You are the future, and you have the opportunity – a responsibility – to do your part in making things better. Provide the care and compassion you would demand for your own loved ones. See the humanity in people who are different than you. Listen and truly hear them. We all have a responsibility to know better, to do better, and to be better. You may be planting seeds for trees that you may never sit under.”
Class President Joshua Evans chose a hiking theme for his remarks, commenting on the phenomenon of the “false peak.”
“Sometimes the slope of a mountain is so steep that its true peak is hidden behind what you think is the top,” he said. “Hikers who forgo breaks and put all of their energy into reaching this false peak then have nothing left to give mentally or physically when they realize they have farther to go. The lesson: take time for yourself along the way because we are all still destined for higher peaks.”
During the ceremony, awards for Academic Excellence, Professional Excellence, and Excellence in Leadership were announced. In addition, two students were inducted into Pi Alpha National PA Honor Society, along with Dr. Cosby, chosen by the students as an honorary inductee.
Following the awards, Program Medical Director Saqib Rehman, MD, MBA, shared his thoughts on the role of the modern practitioner.
“There used to be a massive information gap between medical practitioners and patients…we were the gatekeepers of information,” he said. “But now we have Dr. Google, and the information gap has closed. Our job is to help patients sort through what is fake and what is accurate. We must also empathize with our patients…show them we care. This creates trust, more engaged patients, and better outcomes. Patients will look to you as a source of healing, as a source of hope.”
Also offering words of advice was Molly Peters, MMS, PA-C, President of Temple’s PA class of 2020. She also had the honor of administering the Physician Assistant Oath to the freshly minted graduates.
Price noted that “It’s been 793 days since we all met in Kresge Hall for our first day of orientation. We met as strangers from all over the country, super nervous to start our journey. There were times I thought this day might never come. But it has and our bond is now strong. I cannot be prouder to be associated with you.”
The ceremony closed with the graduates being instructed to stand up, turn around, and accept the applause from their family and friends.
The room shook.