The Physician Assistant (PA) Program at Lincoln Memorial University-School of Medical Sciences (LMU-SMS) welcomed its twelfth class of students virtually using Zoom on May 11. Due to COVID-19 and to maintain the safety and health of the students, faculty and staff, the PA program hosted a virtual orientation and began the semester online.

The students in the PA Class of 2022 will pursue a full-time, 27-month program that leads to the Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. The PA program hails the largest class size of all PA programs in the southeastern United States. The entering class of 2022 is 75% female and 25% male. The average age is 26 and the average GPA is 3.37. Approximately 60% of the class hails from the Appalachian region, with the majority of those coming from Tennessee, Kentucky or Virginia.

“Though we couldn’t meet in person, we’ve never been more excited to welcome a new group of students on their journey to become physician assistants,” said Dr. Stephen Noe, director of the LMU-SMS PA Program in Harrogate. “It was great to see their faces and speak with them virtually for now, and we look forward to formally welcoming them to campus soon.”

The Class of 2022 also celebrated their acceptance into PA school virtually through social media. Members of the Class of 2022 was sent t-shirts and posters along with their acceptance letters and posted photos using #LMUSMS and #FuturePA.

LMU’s PA program was established in 2009 on the main campus in Harrogate, Tennessee, and is one of the largest PA programs in the United States. The program provides an intense immersion into clinical education and practice, with a curriculum that focuses on the pathogenesis of disease, the clinical presentation of the disease state and the interventions and therapeutics needed to treat each patient. Dedicated, experienced faculty with clinical and research expertise use an eclectic blend of instructional techniques that allow for early application of concepts that include small group work, clinical skills labs, clinical scenarios and simulations. Using simulated trainers, students practice procedural skills such as intravenous catheter insertion, lumbar puncture and point-of-care ultrasound.

Meeting its mission to provide quality health care with an emphasis in primary care to the medically underserved of Appalachia, the LMU-SMS PA program was ranked #10 in the United States by the Rural Health Research Center for having the highest proportion of graduates working in rural locations. LMU-SMS students have a unique opportunity to participate in a variety of volunteer experiences where medical services are provided to indigent, uninsured and underserved populations. Additionally, the program offers early exposure to patient care through working in a rural clinic with supervision.

Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is located in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423.869.6280 or email at admissions@LMUnet.edu.