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 PA 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, GA, 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!”
