MSU-Meridian 2027 PA class receives white coats in ceremony
Contact: Marianne Todd
MERIDIAN, Miss.鈥擨n a time-honored tradition of the medical profession, 27 无尽资源采集-Meridian Master of Physician Assistant Studies students in the university program鈥檚 5th cohort have received their first white coats this month, signaling their readiness to move from the didactic phase of education to clinical rotations.
鈥淭he Class of 2027 has been working relentlessly over the last year to learn how to diagnose and treat different disease states, communicate with patients and become empathetic providers,鈥 said Pam Vayda, program director and department head. 鈥淭he next phase of clinical training allows PA students to be involved in caring for patients across multiple specialties and gain insight from various medical professionals. We are very proud of these students as they move into the next phase of their training.鈥
Hundreds of friends and family filled the MSU Riley Center鈥檚 Exhibit Hall during the recent ceremony, which featured a brief history lesson on the significance of the white coat by Casey Kerian, an assistant clinical professor.
Being the image of medical cleanliness and purity, the white coat gained momentum and became standard garb for surgeons in 1915 following the unveiling of painter Joseph Eakins鈥 renowned painting, 鈥淭he Agnew Clinic鈥 from the University of Pennsylvania, which depicts a physician wearing a white coat while performing surgery.
After receiving the coats, the students recited the Pledge of Professionalism in Medicine, a promise to consecrate their lives to humanity.
Sydney King, class president, spoke to classmates about advancing to clinical rotations.
鈥淭he information we spent hours learning will turn into real conversations with real people,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he conditions we鈥檝e studied in our textbooks will become patients entrusting us to take care of them. That鈥檚 both exciting and extremely daunting, but if this past year has taught us anything, it鈥檚 that we鈥檙e capable of more than anything we thought possible.鈥
The program has graduated 63 students since 2023, all of whom completed 10 five-week clinical rotation blocks in hospital and clinical settings. The third cohort, currently in clinicals, will graduate this May, and many of these students already have job offers, Vayda said.
MSU-Meridian鈥檚 PA program prepares students to fill critical gaps in pediatrics, internal medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, behavioral health and women鈥檚 health.
For more information on MSU-Meridian鈥檚 Master of Physician Assistant Studies, visit .
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