Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants
August 2013 Vol. 3, No.2
Connecticut PA A Publication of the Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By: Andrew Turczak, PA-C, MHS
ConnAPA has been busy over the past few months. We wrapped up another great year for the organization with a successful Charter Oak Conference, held our Annual Meeting in June, and elected an enthusiastic new executive board of directors. Our legislative team made major headway in the last few months continuing to promote our work and advocate for our patients. We look forward to further accomplishments, and continue to work closely with the legislative team, as well as our numerous committees, which have already started working on this coming year’s agenda. On August 5th we held the fiscal year’s first Board of Director’s Meeting. It was well attended by current board members, the CT PAF President, Rick Pope PA-C, and students from all three CT PA Programs. At this meeting, the 20132014 budget was passed and multiple membership policy changes were voted upon and accepted to enhance our membership value. It’s great to see the collaboration between ConnAPA, CT PAF, and our PA programs continue to strengthen our organization. I look forward to working with these groups even more, as well as other medical organizations from around the state and nation.
Andrew Turczak, PA-C, MHS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Annual Meeting ............. .....3 PA Week Social Events . .....4 DOT Training ................ ..... 5 Turning Lemons into Lemonade ...................... ......6 Legislative Update ........ ......6 CT PAF Update.............. …...7 Visiting the Senator ...... ..... 8
Here is a snapshot of a few of our goals for the year: Legislative—The Kowalski Group, along with our Legislative Committee, will continue to keep us up-to-date on ongoing issues and advocate for ALL PAs and their patients in the state. We encourage all members to contact us at connapa@ssmgt.org about any issues or legislation important to your practice and our profession. Education—The committee is already hard at work planning the 27th Annual Charter Oak Conference, which will take place April 7–10, 2014 at the Mystic Marriott. In addition to the annual conference, plans are underway to host another PA Reimbursement Workshop and develop a Student Leadership Track (Continued on page 2)
QU Student Update ....... ..8-9 Yale Student Update ..... 10-11 UB Student Update ....... 11-12
Please email editorial submissions to: Dawn Colomb-Lippa, PA-C, Editor Dawn.Colomb-Lippa@quinnipiac.edu
2012-2013 Board of Directors
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (CONTINUED)
OFFICERS
President Andrew Turczak, PA-C andrew.turczak@ynhh.org
Vice President Jason Prevelige, PA-C jprevelige@yahoo.com
Imm. Past President Sarah Clark, PA-C sfountain_13@hotmail.com
Secretary Johanna Chelcun, PA-C jennifer.s.violette@gmail.com
Treasurer Terry O’Donnell, PA-C Johanna.chelcun@quinnipiac.edu
REGIONAL DIRECTORS
Region 1 Kathy Voss, PA-C kathyvoss@snet.net
Region 2 Peter Juergensen, PA-C pdjuergensen@cox.net
Region 3 Sheree Rascati, PA-C Sheree.rascati@gmail.com
Region 4 Amanda Campbell, PA-C
program for students enrolled in PA Programs around New England. As always, Regional Directors will also be putting together educational dinners to provide CME Category II credits. Membership—This is an exciting time for our membership committee. Our new chairperson, Deanna Cichon PA-C, along with her returning committee members, are bursting with fresh ideas and looking forward to increasing membership. With a revamped membership renewal plan and exciting incentives for new members to join, we have high hopes of boosting our numbers. Stay tuned for more information about further membership opportunities and local PA social events around the state! Communication—We will continue to communicate with our members via electronic newsletters, along with regular updates on this website. If you are a member, you can get updates sent directly to the e-mail address of your choice to stay up to date on the latest breaking news, updates, and opportunities. We are currently working on updating our Facebook Page and created a committee to review our current website for potential upgrades. PA Awareness—We will continue to participate in events during PA week and throughout the year to bring awareness to the community regarding our profession. Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in participating in any of our events. In closing, I would like to thank all of our members for their continued support. The executive board, committees, and management team promise to continue working hard so that your voices are heard at the state and national level with the ever present goal of increasing PA awareness and supporting the growth of our profession. If you are not a member, I would highly encourage you to consider joining our cause. We represent your profession and YOU as a Physician Assistant practicing in the state of Connecticut. Remember: the higher our numbers, the louder our voices. We look forward to seeing you at our PA WEEK CELEBRATION SOCIALS! New Haven Monday October 7th Russian Lady Restaurant 5:00pm
aecampbell@quinnipiac.edu
Region 5 Deanna Cichon, PA-C deanna.cichon@live.com
STUDENT REPS
Quinnipiac University Matt Nankin, PA-S matt.nankin@quinnipiac.edu
Alex Ciccarelli-Rosa, PA-S ajciccarellirosa@quinnipiac.edu
Hartford Wednesday October 9th City Steam Brewery 5:00pm
If you have any questions, ideas, concerns or would like to get involved, please feel free to reach out to me personally at Connapa@ssmgt.org Cheers, Andrew Turczak PA-C, MHS ConnAPA President 2013-2014
Yale University Devra Schlar, PA-S devra.schlar@gmail.com
Jen Schloth, PA-S schlothj@gmail.com
Bridgeport University Jaime Camacho, PA-S jcamacho@bridgeport.edu
Cynthia Perez, PA-S cperez2@binghamton.edu
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Join ConnAPA’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=57194311075
CONNAPA ANNUAL MEETING By Sarah Clark, PA-C On June 10, ConnAPA held its Annual Meeting at Carmen Anthony Steak House of New Haven. The event was very well-attended and featured Ari B. Gellar, D.O., who spoke about “Understanding Hyponatremia: Treating Beyond the Primary Diagnosis.” After the CME portion of the night, the Annual Meeting took place in which all committee reports were presented and the new slate of officers and regional directors was voted on. Congratulations to the new slate of officers and directors: Officers: President: Andrew Turczak, PA-C Vice President: Jason Prevelige, PA-C Treasurer: Terry O’Donnell, PA-C Secretary: Johanna Chelcun, PA-C Immediate Past President: Sarah Clark, PA-C Directors:
Jason Prevelige, PA-C accepts Leadership Award
Andrew Turczak, PA-C receives President’s Award from Sarah Clark, PA-C
Region 1: Kathy Voss, PA-C Region 2: Peter Juergenson, PA-C Region 3: Sheree Rascati, PA-C Region 4: Amanda Campbell, PA-C Region 5: Deanna Cichon, PA-C
In addition, the annual awards ceremony was held and several awards were given to ConnAPA members who have gone above and beyond for the organization. Congratulations and a big thank you to the following award recipients:
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
President’s Award: Andrew Turczack, PA-C for his mentorship of new leaders and tireless dedication to ConnAPA and the PA profession Leadership Award: Jason Prevelige, PA-C, for his outstanding energy and efforts Service Award: June Nunes, PA-C for countless years of service and dedication to the ConnAPA Board of Directors Service recognition certificates: Johanna Chelcun, PA-C for her initiative and energy as a committee member and incoming board member Jonathan Pinto, PA-C and Jennifer Violette, PA-C for their years of service to the ConnAPA Board Sarah Clark, PA-C, service award as President of ConnAPA 2012-2013 In conclusion, it was another productive and successful year in the ConnAPA organization. We are all looking forward to continued success this year under new leadership.
Elizabeth Abreu, PA-C Carly Arena, MHS, PA-C Michelle Cavo, PA-C Melissa Gargano, PA-C Courtney Hollingsworth, MS, PA-C Thomas Mangano, PA-C Paul Oliver, PA-C Anna Shafer, PA-C Debra Sullivan, PA-C
Outgoing Board Member Jonathan Pinto, PA-C receives service recognition certificate
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Connecticut Academy of Physicians Assistants
Celebrate PA Week with Two Special Social Events! New Haven, CT
Hartford, CT
Monday, October 7, 2013 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 5:00 p.m.
The Russian Lady
City Steam Brewery
144 Temple Street Downtown New Haven
942 Main Street Downtown Hartford
Click here to join the event on Facebook!
Click here to join the event on Facebook!
Come and Mingle with fellow PAs! Free appetizers will be provided. Cash bar. Excellent Networking Opportunity A courtesy RSVP is requested, but walk-ins are welcome. RSVP by email: connapa@ssmgt.com; or on ConnAPA’s Facebook event page fax: 860-286-0787 (please confirm receipt); or mail to: ConnAPA, PO Box 30, Bloomfield, CT 06002
□ I will be attending the event in New Haven □
I will be attending the event in Hartford
Name: _____________________________________ Email: ___________________________________ Preferred Address: __________________________________________________
□ Home □ Business
City: ________________________________________________ State: _______ Zip: _______________ Telephone: __________________________ Email: __________________________________________ ConnAPA, P.O. Box 30, One Regency Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002 Phone: (860) 243-3977 Fax: (860) 286-0787 Email: connapa@ssmgt.com Visit www.connapa.org
Save the Date! Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants 27th Annual Charter Oak Conference Monday through Thursday April 7-10, 2014 Mystic Marriott, Groton
Highlights include: AAPA Chapter Lecture Series on ER/LA Opioid REMS and Type II Diabetes Over 30 AAPA Category 1 approved CME lectures Hands-on workshops Welcome reception Exhibit hall Networking and social events
Mark your calendar now and visit www.connapa.org for registration and program information.
TURNING LEMONS INTO LEMONADE by Brian T. Maurer On a recent morning commute, I caught a StoryCorps segment on National Public Radio. This week’s piece featured a father and his 10-year-old daughter. At 4 years of age the girl developed a rare form of bone cancer in her spine. She went on to have 8 separate surgeries on her back. At one point, 2 titanium rods were implanted the length of her vertebral column. She also received repeated courses of chemotherapy in an effort to combat the cancer. Her father tells the girl what is was like for him to see her in the ICU after her first surgery: so many tubes going in and coming out of her small body. She was so swollen, he didn’t even recognize her at first. Gradually, she began to get better. Now, at 10 years of age, she has been declared cancer free. But on her small body she still bears the scars that testify to the many procedures and treatments that she’s had to endure over the course of her short life. One scar runs the length of her belly from the xyphoid process to the mons pubis. Another scar marks the location of the feeding tube that once entered her stomach.
Want to do more to support your profession? JOIN A COMMITTEE! Membership Deanne Cichon, PA-C deanna.cichon@live.com
When she was in the hospital, her father used colored felt-tipped pens to draw designs on her skin, incorporating the scars into the drawings. The long midline abdominal scar became the green stem of a brightly colored flower; the circular G-tube scar (she calls it her second belly button) became a butterfly. Her father used creative insight to turn something horrible into something beautiful for his suffering daughter. We’ve all heard about what we can do when we are inundated with lemons. We can suck them to savor their sourness, or we can turn them into lemonade. Many times in the world of medicine we can do little more than offer empathetic support to patients in the throes of chronic debilitating illness. Even though to us clinicians it might not seem to be a lot, to patients, a positive outlook radiating from the face of their caregiver means a great deal. If perception is crucial, perspective is everything.
CME/Conference Planning Jason Prevelige, PA-C jprevelige@yahoo.com
Government Affairs Drew Morten, PA-C , MPH drumort@aol.com
Communications/Public Relations Justin Champagne Justin_Champagne@hotmail.com
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FALL 2013 A bill to restrict providers who would be able to evaluate potential patients for treatment at Medispas was passed at the very end of this year’s legislative session. This bill was supported primarily by plastic surgeons. The language of the bill would limit the initial evaluation to only physicians. ConnAPA believed this was in conflict with our own legislation which authorizes supervising physicians the ability to delegate to PAs any services that fall within the physician’s scope of practice. Thanks to a number of alert and vocal PAs and the good work of our lobbyist, Linda Kowalski, ConnAPA was able to impress upon the governor the problems associated with passage of this bill. We have a good relationship with the legislature and the governor and because of that we played an important role in the governor’s action. Linda sent the following note to me which summarizes how we were able to play that key role. “I wanted to follow up and point out that we had an impact on the veto of this legislation. We had informed the Governor’s office that the statutes were conflicting. We further noted that this should have gone through the scope of practice review process. There will be legislation again next year. ConnAPA will be involved and we will keep you apprised.” To see the response letter from Governor Malloy go to http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/lib/ malloy/2013.7.12_-_veto_message_-_sb_1067.pdf
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CONNECTICUT PAF UPDATE by Rick Pope, PA-C The third CT PAF BIKE/WALK for Education took place June 22nd and 23rd. At the end of the event Professor O'Donnell from Quinnipiac University hosted a hamburger and hot dog barbecue at her home in West Suffield, CT near the Massachusetts border. Contributions for the two-day event were close to $1,000. The CT PAF this year gave $6,000 to five PA students who either go to school in CT or are from the state and go to PA schools outside CT. It is hoped that PA students will apply for this scholarship when the 2014 applications are sent out in January. The scholarships range from $750 to $1500. This year, due to the continued generosity of PA speakers at the Bikers and Walkers, Day 1 of CT PAF BIKE/ Charter Oak Conference, the Trustees of the CT PAF have a WALK for Education new scholarship, "Charter Oak Speakers Award," named in honor of the speakers who donated their fees to the CT PAF. The Trustees wish to thank all those speakers who contributed this year and in the past. This fall, we are looking to have our third CT PAF event. Please pay attention to www.connapa.org as the details will be on the website. It is likely to occur in the month of October. Thanks to all who participated and donated this year for the CT PAF BIKE/WALK for Education.
DONATE TO PAF
Day 2 of the BIKE/WALK for education at the Massachusetts state border
http://ssman3.ssmgt.com/ssm/ CAPA/members_online/ members/donations.asp
WELCOME NEW MEMBERSHIP CHAIR My name is Deanna Cichon and I am CONNAPA's newly appointed membership chair. I, along with other members of the board, have been working diligently to make changes to promote membership. We will be speaking with students at all three Connecticut schools to encourage new graduates to join. We are also planning CONNAPA social events during PA week. We ask that, you, as current CONNAPA members please encourage your colleagues to join our organization. It is through the continued support of our dedicated members that this is all possible. Thank you for reading and we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!
Deanna Cichon, MHS, PA-C
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MAKING AN IMPACT BY VISITING THE SENATOR
Delegates Joe Varano, Patrick Killeen and Sarah Clark represent CT at the House of Delegates
This year the annual AAPA conference, May 25-29, not only offered the usual quality continuing medical education opportunities to attendees, but also by nature of the location of the conference, PAs were offered the unique experience of participating in a congressional visit with representatives. William Kohlhepp, Cindy Lord, John McNab and student Monique Greene were a group of CT-based attendees who visited with Senator Chris Murphy during their time in Washington. The issues discussed included the important role PAs can play in meeting the nation's primary care provider need as well as possible ways to increase the numbers of graduating PA students going into primary care (i.e. increased Title VII funding). The subject of addressing federal barriers to the full utilization of PAs, particularly the ordering of home health care and providing hospice care was also discussed. Lastly, the need to update FECA to recognize PAs ability to diagnose and treat injured federal workers was reviewed with the Senator. Participants felt that the meeting was very Monique Green, PA-S; Cindy Lord, PA-C; and positive and the visitors were well received William Kohlhepp, PA-C by Senator Chris Murphy.
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY STUDENT UPDATE by Matt Nankin, PA-S Quinnipiac Physician Assistant students continue charging forward in both coursework and community activity. The 2013s have moved on to their final semester, the 2014s began clinical rotations and the 2015s have been thrown into the mix with their first semester. With all the excitement surrounding our educational responsibilities, one might expect a lull in the community service actions of our classmates, but that is not the case. The Migrant Farm Clinic is fully operational, with staffing from QU PA students to provide community healthcare. Two dedicated QU PA students went down to Nicaragua as part of a Medical Missions trip. We also participated in a dental and medical screening collaborative effort through the Connecticut Mission of Mercy. This flurry of QU PA activity surrounds a breakthrough on campus for inter-professionalism through the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. While each individual QU PA student strives to master the science of medicine through coursework and clinicals, we strengthen our foundation of empathy by giving back to the community. Every summer, Quinnipiac University PA students partner with the UCONN Migrant Farm Clinic to provide health care to thousands of migrant farmers who travel to Connecticut for work. Each year between 7,000 and 20,000 migrant farmers travel from various countries of Central and South America to work on farms picking produce, tobacco or to work on dairy farms. Most of
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QU STUDENT UPDATE (CONTINUED) these farms are located in rural areas of the state and lack public transportation. The Migrant Farm Clinic is a mobile clinic that makes care available to the workers by bringing the clinic to their worksites. Having finished a year of didactic education and a year of clinical training, third year QU PA students work with the migrant farmers, taking histories, performing physicals and developing treatment plans for conditions ranging from musculoskeletal to dermatologic to infectious disease. QU PA students and their preceptors are able to provide certain over the counter and prescription medications free of charge thanks to donations from various pharmacies and businesses throughout the state. In addition to providing health care at the mobile clinic, first and third year QU PA students also participate in the Migrant Farm English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Many of the migrant farmers have little or no ability to speak English, which creates a significant hurdle while living in Connecticut. By bringing classes directly the farm, the ESL program aims to break down the barriers between the workers and their ability to interact with members of the community. The lesson plans used in each English class are designed to target a specific topic that will benefit the men in their daily lives on the farm. Each lesson plan is developed and taught by a team of QU PA students. These students travel to farms in Windsor and Glastonbury three days per week from June until the end of August.
Training in Nicaragua
Two QU PA students, Dan Kent and Cheryl Sturgis, went on a medical service trip to Nicaragua with the group Volunteers in Medical Missions, July 27-August 3. The team was centered in La Dalia and went to several mountain communities to provide medical services. They saw patients in a temporary clinic, utilizing their clinical skills to assess the needs of the patients and provide medications and treatment from the formulary provided by VIMM. The clinic director of the trip, Jack Gardner, PA-C, hosted training at his house the weekend before the trip. The students are grateful for this unique opportunity to practice medicine in an international setting. QU PA students participated in an inter-disciplinary event at Connecticut Mission of Mercy (CTMOM). Including the Urban Service track, there were 18 second and third year students from QU who provided medical triage and patient information services. CTMOM 2013 was held at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport this past June. Over 1,200 volunteers from all over the state donated their time, skills, and compassion during 2,125 patient visits. Volunteers included oral surgeons, dentists, dental hygienists, doctors, nurses, physician assistants, students, interpreters, and people from the community. Together, CTMOM volunteers provided $1,300,000 in donated dental services to patients of all ages. The theme of this quarter’s community activities correlates with the new Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences on the North Haven Campus: teamwork, leadership, and the development of roles and responsibilities. These core concepts are taking root at the Center and new inter-professional programs and activities are being developed. Team-based learning at the Simulation Lab on campus and pilot programs like the Trailside Project in Hamden is ingrained by the core concepts of the Center. Trailside Project takes representatives from all the disciplines on the campus and through teamwork and leadership, the participants have offered services to an adult living community in Hamden. Our Physician Assistant students make it clear that an education from QU does not just mean grueling coursework (though that is included) but a comprehensive learning process inclusive of the campus-wide traditions of community outreach, service and leadership.
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YALE UNIVERSITY PA PROGRAM UPDATE by Devra Schlar, PA-S and Jennifer Schloth, PA-S
Class of 2013 Updates Members of the Class of 2013 are busy finishing up their last few rotations, including several international rotations. Yale has established a number of excellent rotation sites in Uganda, Spain, and Peru, including one for the adventurous type, Amazon Promise! Other students are traveling to rotations in Colorado, Chicago, and even rural clinics in Kentucky and Maine. It has been a very busy past Class of 2014 at Six Flags Amusement Park few months for this class but they are eagerly counting down the months until graduation this December! Class of 2014 Updates
Watching the fireworks on the Fourth of July
The Class of 2014 has officially reached the end of their didactic year. Their last exam was on August 8th, and they are excited to celebrate their accomplishments with the program faculty at their end-of-theyear brunch. These past few months have been extremely busy, as students have been juggling studying for exams, going into the hospital to interview patients for their Clinical Practicum class, and prepping for surgical rotations with special workshops such as learning how to scrub into the OR, knot-tying, and suturing. Students are excited for some “down time” on their well-deserved vacation. Once they return, the Class of 2014 will begin two weeks of “transition time,” where they will attend several workshops and learn countless clinical procedures to prepare them for rotations, such as drawing blood, starting IV’s, intubating, and casting. They will also be participating in a live animal lab where they can put their surgical skills to the test. Students are eagerly awaiting their official rotation schedules, and will be starting their first rotation on September 9th. The class is excited to put all of the knowledge they’ve learned over the past year to good use, and to challenge themselves to become great PAs. Although this time of year has been extremely busy, many students have still made time to volunteer at Neighborhood Health Project, Columbus House, and HAVEN Class of 2014 at the Yale Spring Fling Concert Clinic. Students have also taken some time to have fun, including a class trip to Six Flags, watching fireworks from the top of East Rock Park on the 4th of July, attending the Yale Spring Fling concert featuring Mackelmore, and
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YALE UNIVERSITY STUDENT UPDATE (CONTINUED) an end-of-the-year class barbecue. Earlier this spring, members of the Class of 2014 were paired with a student from the incoming Class of 2015, so students are excited to finally meet their “little sibs” in the next few weeks. Littlebig sib pairing has been very successful over the years, as it is a great way to make new friends, answer questions, and give advice to the incoming students. Class of 2015 Updates Several members of the Class of 2015 have already made the move to New Haven, and the others will be moving in within the next few weeks. Students are excited to get to know each other, explore New Haven, and start taking classes. We can look forward to many more updates from this class as the year unfolds.
UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT STUDENT UPDATE By: Alexandra Cotter, PA-S It has been an exciting time at the University of Bridgeport PA Institute. The class of 2015 has been busy learning all of the ins and outs of clinical medicine, exploring all that our cadavers have to teach us, and experiencing therapeutic encounters for our Integrative Medicine course. We have explored various practices from acupuncture to chiropractic treatments. We hit the ground running for term two, and we haven’t stopped! It is hard to believe that we are nearly halfway done with our didactic phase.
Members of the Class of 2015 at the National Kidney Foundation Walk. From left to right Craig Brancato, Kristen Mitchell, Ellen Le, Nicole Arvanites, Nora Trachtman, Cortney Davis, Cynthia Perez, and Vanessa Romero
The class of 2015 continues to build a strong commitment to community service and we have begun to make our mark as physician assistant students. Back in April, members of the Class of 2015 traveled to Hamden, CT to support and participate in the QU PA Program’s Run for your Life road race.
Kalin Bilides and Kristen Mitchell head the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) for the Class of 2015. For the second time this year, they organized a group of students to travel within Connecticut, where they help to screen patients for the early detection of kidney disease. Additionally, a number of students volunteered at the Kidney Foundation Walk where they helped to set up, face paint, and break down the event at Sherwood Island State Park, in Westport, CT. All forty students of the class of 2015 participated at the employee health fair at Bridgeport City Hall. We spent the morning practicing our blood pressure taking skills and interacting with the employees of City Hall, including Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. Danielle DePeau of the Class of 2015 created a UBPAI team that participated in Relay for Life June 8th, at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. The team managed to raise over $2,000 to help (Continued on page 12)
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UNIVERSITY OF BRIDGEPORT (CONTINUED) fund cancer research before the event began. Additional money was raised for donation by offering blood pressure screenings during the event. The Class of 2014 has been keeping busy at their rotation sites throughout Connecticut. It has been interesting to hear what life is like during clinical rotations when we get a chance to mingle with them during callbacks, most recently during the Rheumatology dinner in New Haven. “We have been enjoying interacting with patients and applying our knowledge from our didactic year on an everyday basis” says Marissa Kerwin, PA-S. Their rotation sites have included St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Hospital of Central Connecticut, Greenwich Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital, and Griffin Hospital. At this point in time, they are amidst their fourth rotations, and already more than a third of the way done
The first graduating class of with their rotations. the University of Bridgeport’s Physician Assistant Institute, We celebrated an exciting milestone for our program. Monday, May 13, 2013, the the Class of 2013 University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Institute proudly graduated its first class of physician assistant students. With sixteen months of arduous didactic work and nine rotations finally complete, the nineteen students of the Class of 2013 received their long white coats, and celebrated their success with family, faculty and staff. As we send off our first graduating class, we have the opportunity to help interview the candidates of the Class of 2016, and have felt an incredible sense of accomplishment as and it gives us an opportunity to reflect on our time when we were, quite recently, in the same spot. It is exciting to be a part of the process, and look forward to adding another class to our program.
Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants One Regency Drive Bloomfield, CT 06002 Phone: 860-243-3977 Fax: 860-286-0787 E-mail: ConnAPA@ssmgt.com www.connapa.com
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Professor Donald Solimini, PA-C, and members of the Class of 2015 at Relay for Life. From left to right Professor Donald Solimini, PA-C, Lindsey Averill, Julie Zito, Colby Dodd, Alex Cotter, Jason Cornelio, Colleen Hickey, Danielle DePeau, Ellen Le, and Shadin David.
We are all eager to see what the next eight months of our didactic phase has in store for us. We are excited for the Class of 2014 as they continue to learn from their successes and trials, and continue to absorb new experiences and apply their knowledge at their rotations. Congratulations to the Class of 2013 as they enter the workforce as new PAs!
Follow ConnAPA on Twitter: @Conn_apa