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The first cohort of graduates in The University of Tampa’s physician assistant medicine (PAM) graduate program will celebrate their accomplishments in a convocation ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 16, and at UT’s commencement ceremony on Friday, Dec. 17. The convocation ceremony will be at 5 p.m. in Falk Theatre on campus and the commencement ceremony will be at 9:30 a.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds Expo Hall. Masks are required indoors.

The inaugural cohort consists of 48 students, 47 of whom will be graduating. This inaugural cohort was selected for admission into the new program in 2019, out of over 2,000 applications. Students entered the program with over 5,000 hours of health-related experience and completed 112 hours of courses and over 1,200 hours of hands-on medical care in hospitals and clinics. Thirty percent of the graduates have already accepted positions for employment in pediatric orthopedics, family medicine, internal medicine, neurosurgery and emergency medicine. Seventy percent of the students plan to stay in Florida to practice medicine after graduation.

“The PAM faculty were committed to provide instruction in the art and science of medicine, guided by a passion for student success, service to the community and respect for the medical profession,” said Johnna Yealy, chair, associate professor and founding director of the PAM program. “We did not anticipate all the challenges we would face during the instruction of this inaugural cohort, but through it all, we have delivered on that promise. We are so proud to call these graduates ‘colleagues’ as they go forward and provide quality medical care for their communities.”  

UT’s PAM program follows the traditional medical model of training, providing in-depth analysis of disease processes, diagnosis and treatment. Students engage in full-time study for seven semesters, earning their degree in 27 months.

Physician assistants are nationally certified and licensed medical professionals who work on health care teams with physicians and other providers. The profession has been named by top media outlets, including Forbes and USA Today, as one of the most promising jobs in America.