Contact: Amy Gilliam

(click photo for enlargment)
Physician Assistant Studies Program graduating Class of 2006

The PA program converted to a master’s level program in February 2001 after more than two decades as a bachelor’s program. Each January, students are enrolled in the 100-credit-hour, 30-month program. This year’s incoming class includes bachelor’s graduates from 13 Kentucky colleges and universities.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 10, 2005) -- The University of Kentucky physician assistant (PA) studies program, a division of the UK College of Health Sciences, welcomed the incoming Class of 2007, consisting of 53 students, at its fifth annual convocation and white coat ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 9, in UK’s Memorial Hall.

The 57 members of the graduating Class of 2006, who are about to embark on their clinical experiences, also received their white coats and took the physician assistant oath.

Lori Stewart Gonzalez, dean, UK College of Health Sciences, congratulated the graduating Class of 2006 on achieving this landmark in their education – the point at which theory learned in the classroom is translated into practice. She also stressed the vital role filled by physician assistants in providing affordable, high-quality health care to citizens throughout the Commonwealth.

“The Division of Physician Assistant Studies continues to educate high-quality practitioners who serve throughout the state,” Gonzalez said. “As the students embark on the next step of their journeys, they should keep in mind the oath to help others. They can make a difference and can increase the accessibility of quality health care in Kentucky.”

College faculty welcomed students to the health sciences profession as colleagues and challenged them to make a commitment to gain the knowledge and compassion necessary to become outstanding physician assistants.

The PA program converted to a master’s level program in February 2001 after more than two decades as a bachelor’s program. Each January, students are enrolled in the 100-credit-hour, 30-month program. This year’s incoming class includes bachelor’s graduates from 13 Kentucky colleges and universities.

The only program of its kind in Kentucky, the physician assistant master’s degree program at UK is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program is offered at the UK Lexington campus and through a satellite program at Morehead State University. Graduates are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination at the conclusion of the program. After successful completion of the examination, they are eligible for state certification to practice as certified physician assistants.

Established in 1966, the UK College of Health Sciences was the first school of its kind in Kentucky and among the first 12 in the United States. In the past 30 years, nearly 3,000 allied health professionals have been educated at UK.