Cohort 2023 ended with a great clinical year. We are very proud of these group of students. We continued to get such great feedback on this group of students out in many locations, most of which were in our immediate area, but there are always some distant rotations that are wonderful experiences. This year we had students in rotations throughout Missouri, with a few rotations in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Oregon. We had more alumni preceptors than ever, and we always excited to add more alumni to our growing list of preceptors. This seemed to be a particularly good year for students getting offered jobs early on in the fall semester. It is so exciting to see where each student chooses to start their career as a PA. Many students took positions in locations where they had done rotations this year.

Graduation week was a busy one, but one that ended with the graduation reception that was well attended by students and their families as well as the graduation ceremony on Friday. We had several preceptors who were able to attend the graduation reception this year, which was great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six students attended the CoxHealth Second Annual Advanced Practice Provider Symposium on September 29^th. These students were able to attend this symposium due to a generous donation by an alumnus of our program. This was an all-day symposium and was a great opportunity for additional learning for our students.

We were never short on volunteers when asking for help for a number of events in 2023, whether it be open houses, interview sessions, or other events. Jordan Carter, Ashleigh Sharkey, and Regan Wilson all volunteered to be proctors for an oral presentation exercise for the incoming clinical cohort at their orientation. We also had participation in this orientation event by some alumni and preceptors: Jaimie Wood, Travis Bell, Brock Frazier, and Marc Havlicek. Regan Wilson volunteered to assist Professor Cook, Mrs. Snow, and Heather Booth put on an Exploratory Event with AHEC for pre-PA students, as well as any other health professions students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the faculty attended the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) Education Forum in October in New Orleans. The faculty participated in a variety of workshops with other PA educators with the goal of enhancing the curriculum and processes throughout the program. The Keynote speaker was Crystal Washington, who spoke on “The Future is NOW: Technology & Trends That Will Revolutionize Post-Graduate Education.” She was excellent. The faculty got to visit with alumnus, Cassidy McCandless at the Forum. It’s always great to see our students and alumni in leadership roles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class of 2023 links

• Class of 2023 Student Spotlight: Zane Tranmer
• Commencement

After the application, interview and selection process last semester we are pleased to welcome Cohort 2025 to MSU PAS! These thirty-four students hail from six different states with a diverse array of prior medical experience averaging over 5300 hours. Director of Didactic Education, Katelyn Maben, shared “They have begun their Spring courses, including Anatomy, Radiology, Physiology, Clinical Assessment 1, Molecular Pathophysiology, Principles of Clinical Problem Solving and Social Aspects of Medicine. While they know the year ahead is a challenging one, we have encouraged them to work together as a team as they embark on this journey and learn from each other’s knowledge, experience and strengths. We are excited to see what the future will hold for Cohort ’25 and what each of them will bring to the Program, University, community and PA profession.”

This Spring we are pleased to offer three on-campus open house information sessions and one-virtual session this semester. During the sessions, prospective students will meet PAS faculty and staff, participate in Q&A session with current PA students, and tour facilities utilized by PAS including the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center and the McQueary Family Health Sciences Hall. Those interested can rsvp here: RSVP for Open House – Physician Assistant Studies Department – Missouri State.

This Spring semester we look forward to meeting future PA students during the MSU Spring Showcase on April 6th and MSU Admitted Student Mondays throughout the semester. Interested future applicants can schedule advising appointments online via the department website.

MSU pre-PA students are encouraged to join the MSU Pre-Physician Assistant Society to connect with other pre-professional students, network with clinicians, and gain experience in volunteer and leadership. Learn about the society and their successful fall 2023 semester here: MSU Pre-Physician Assistant Society

CASPA officially opens on April 25th for the 2024-2025 cycle. An early consideration deadline will be instituted this year on May 24, 2024. The final deadline to apply for the MSU PA cohort beginning January 2025 is July 15, 2024. All prerequisite coursework and bachelor’s degrees must be complete no later than Summer 2024. Applicants who have questions about the CASPA application process will find helpful information on the CASPA Applicant Help Center.

Written by MSU Pre-Physician Assistant Society Executive Board Members,

Claire Sextro, Ava Fisk, & Baylee Angerer

The MSU Pre-Physician Assistant Society is a community of undergraduate students of all different years, backgrounds, and experiences. The purpose of this society is to educate students about the PA profession and requirements for graduate school while encouraging and supporting students in their current studies and graduate school preparation. We facilitate a welcoming environment used for collaborative activities to mutually aid our peers in our shared goal of attending PA school and ultimately, to become a practicing PA-C. In addition, Pre-PA Society’s purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about different PA programs and be aware of the requirements when applying. A large part of our mission is to prepare current Pre-PA students for the work they will do as a PA student in the future. Together, our society offers a camaraderie among Pre-PA undergraduate students, attends meetings, volunteers within the Springfield community, and many other miscellaneous activities to further our journey to become proficient healthcare providers.

As a society, we have seen a semester full of growth and learning. Our main focus was to provide valuable resources to create a supportive community for our members that are all aspiring to be a Physician Assistant. Throughout our fall semester, we had a great variety of biweekly meetings. Some of these meetings consisted of current PA-C’s speaking about their careers and journey to becoming a PA, current MSU Physician Assistant didactic and clinical year students speaking about their experience in the program, and a large number of schools throughout the nation speaking on behalf of their Physician Assistant program. The diversity of these meetings allowed us to offer a well-rounded approach to prepare our members to make their journey to becoming a Physician Assistant seem a less daunting. We are excited about the positive impact of the club and continue to pursue this in the upcoming semester.

The Pre-PA Society has made a large effort this past Fall ’23 semester to help serve the Springfield community. Each month consisted of at least 3 volunteer events (2 non-profits and a street clean). Local organizations that we have had the honor to help serve included the Ozark Food Harvest, Convoy of Hope (Hands of Hope), Eden Village, Cox Ronald McDonald House, the MSU PA Program, and the MSU Bear Pantry. While serving the community, we have been able to provide meals for those in need, sort donations, act as patients for the PA school, keep streets clean, donate blood, interact with the underserved, and provide disaster relief supplies. When looking at this upcoming semester, we are hoping to incorporate and build relationships with other organizations such as Dynamic Strides Therapy, the Drew Lewis Foundation, the Salvation Army and more. Overall, it has been a very successful fall semester both in terms of volunteering and the overall mission for the Pre-PA Society and we are excited for what’s to come!