The Aug. 25, 2017 White Coat Ceremony was held for the College's Class of 2019 Physician Assistant Studies students.
On Friday, Duluth’s Infinite Energy Center was the site of the Georgia Campus - Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) White Coat Ceremony for the college’s Class of 2019 Physician Assistant (PA) Studies students.
Family members and friends witnessed the 19 students donning their white coats and taking the Pledge of Professionalism which includes the statement, “I will hold as my primary responsibility the health, safety, welfare and dignity of all human beings.”
John Filson, PA-C, the president-elect of the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants who currently works in emergency medicine in Gainesville, Georgia, spoke to the students, saying, “GA-PCOM is giving you the tools and an incredible opportunity” to become a Physician Assistant. “You are the future of our profession.”
“The white coat symbolizes the trust that we must earn from our patients,” explained Rebekah Thomas, PharmD, PA-C, the Georgia Campus PA Studies site director.
Laura Levy, DHSc, PA-C, program director of PCOM’s PA program, told the assembled family members and friends that they have now become their students’ teachers. “You are about to endure the longest physical exams of your lives!”
PCOM Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
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