This week, Bryant was proud to welcome the University’s Physician Assistant Class of 2024 to campus, holding Bryant’s eighth annual White Coat Ceremony on January 4. The cohort includes 47 students selected from more than 900 applicants. Students in the incoming class have an average of 5,291 patient care hours per student- more than double the 2,000 hours required for admission to the program, and breadth of experience as dedicated frontline EMTs, medical assistants, cardiac sonographers, athletic trainers, and PT techs.
In the history of higher education and our nation, this is a critical time for public health and high-quality medical care. Across the country we are reminded of the importance of access to health care and the vital contributions made by health care professionals. The backgrounds of Bryant’s Class of 2024 represent impressive service and vital contributions to helping others in their communities. The PA students hail from across New England and from as far as California, Texas and Florida.
Bryant’s School of Health Sciences and programs in healthcare are a key area of focus for the University’s Vision 2030 strategic planning currently underway. At the White Coat Ceremony, Bryant President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., congratulated the students and said, “Wearing the white coat is a powerful sign of your commitment to excellence in medical care and your changed role in becoming a health care professional. When you graduate, you will have the foundation to excel in all the competencies required for PA practice and equipped to meet the emerging needs of our health care system. Bryant’s faculty, staff and students are all very glad that you are here.”
The White Coats were distributed by Christopher Furbee, PA-C, interim program director; Wendy Buja, PA-C, director of didactic education; and Jodi Cusack, PA-C, associate director of clinical education.
The incoming class, which will earn the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies degree with a 27-month curriculum, has already distinguished itself academically, earning Graduate Record Exam scores above the 60th percentile.
Students in Bryant’s Physician Assistant Studies program work with patients in an unprecedented 12 clinical specialty rotations. During the clinical phase, they are paired with and learn alongside preeminent doctors, PAs, and other clinicians affiliated with the University’s clinical site partners, including many local and regional hospital systems and private practices.
The University Physician Assistant Studies program provides high-tech classrooms and laboratories including two physician assistant classrooms, a high-fidelity medical simulation center, and a physical examination laboratory that reflects the most modern facilities. Students study human gross anatomy at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in its award-winning medical education building in Providence. Anatomy is reviewed on Bryant’s own digital cadaver, Anatomage.
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Bryant University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Bryant University. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
