BUIES CREEK — The College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ (CPHS) physician assistant program at Campbell University celebrated the beginning of the academic year with its fourth annual white coat ceremony. The program adds 44 new students to its roster with the class of 2016.
Tom Colletti, director and chair of the physician assistant program, welcomed distinguished guests, Campbell administration, as well as the students and their families to Buies Creek and reflected on the amount of growth the program has encountered during its four year tenure.
After a beautiful rendition of “How Great Thou Art” by Suzzette Van-Lare, PAS-2, the newly coated class of 2016 was addressed by Ronald Maddox, dean of CPHS.
“You’re not going into this field for a job. You’re training for a profession where you will take care of people,” said Maddox. “In addition to the incredible amount of knowledge you will learn during your time here, always remember that you are dealing with human beings. Being a health care provider is always about the people.”
In addition to being addressed by their program director and the dean of the College, students were given pearls of wisdom by Jeffrey Lamphere, executive director for mid-level providers at Wake Physician Practices.
Lamphere offered quotes from Mark Twain to Frederick Douglas to Michael Jackson, and left the class with the challenge to wear their white coats with purpose.
“Your white coat is not just a piece of cloth,” said Lamphere. “It’s the start of your change.”
The class is the fourth class to matriculate through the master of physician assistant practice curriculum and includes the first cohort of dual degree master of physician assistant practice and master of science in public health students.