Current Student News
Physician Assistant
General News
The 47 students in the Salus Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Class of 2022 walked into the Hafter Student Community Center for their Long White Coat ceremony Oct. 12 to the strains of “Celebration,” the 1978 hit by Kool and the Gang.
For Sara Dilly, MMS ‘22 and her family, the celebration didn’t take long to get underway. As she made her way across the stage to receive and put on her long white coat, Brandon Hughes, her boyfriend of more than seven years shouted out “Dilly!” accompanied by hoots and hollars from the family members in attendance.
“I was super-excited for her,” said Hughes after the ceremony. “She’s been working so hard for the last two years and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Dilly’s family flew up from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the long white coat ceremony and commencement the following day.
“The accomplishments, the discipline it took to get here, the perseverance, just all of the effort that she took upon herself and decided to do it,” said her father, Steve Dilly. “She put her mind to it and nothing is going to stop her.”
Through tears, mother JoAnn Dilly said, “I’m just very proud of her. She worked so hard.”
For her part, Dilly said walking across the stage to put on the long white coat was a deeply meaningful experience.
“It’s the culmination of two years of really hard work. It took a lot of mental effort and there was a lot of learning. It’s an honor to finally wear that coat and I’m excited to go out and take care of my patients,” she said.
The Dilly family was among the many family members and friends in attendance to celebrate the achievements of the PA Class of 2022, known as the “COVID Class” because it entered the program at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and had to complete much its didactic education via online lectures — from the comfort of their own pajamas in their own bedrooms as it was pointed out during the ceremony.
Rachel Ditoro, EdD, MSPAS, PA-C, who took over as PA program director in July 2022, emphasized the significant changes this class specifically had to endure and how class members became more resilient throughout the academic process by experiencing those changes as a result.
“Change is exhausting. Our bodies are constantly working to manage those changes,” she said. “Every time we go through change, and every time we’re confronted with something new, we have to acknowledge the additional burdens created by the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on our lives and your education. It can’t be understated.”
Dr. Ditoro added that class members met those obstacles and demonstrated the ability to be resilient in the face of the challenges that were laid out before them. And, she reminded the class there was one more challenge left for them to face: taking the board exam.
“While you may not be excited about taking that test, you may not want to, and you certainly don’t have a choice of not taking that test. You might find yourself struggling with motivation,” said Dr. Ditoro. “But I would like for you to instead refocus on what change really is about. And, that change is the future. That board exam is just an obstacle. With that in mind, don’t walk slowly toward it, but run and jump over that obstacle. Because what lies beyond it is your future as a PA.”
Salus president Michael Mittelman, OD ‘80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE, pointed out some exciting statistics: the class had a condensed gross anatomy course of eight weeks as opposed to 16 weeks; they saw almost 57,000 patients; completed almost 2,000 telehealth visits; participated in almost 3,000 surgical procedures; took care of almost 9,000 patients in the emergency room; cared for more than 10,000 children and almost 12,000 geriatric patients.
“You really were the pandemic class. You went through it all and took on the challenge head on,” said Dr. Mittelman. “I was in awe of the work you were doing during this whole ordeal.”
In addition to presenting the class its long white coats, the PA department announced its annual awards. Cited as the Preceptor Outstanding Service Award was Joel Kramer, DO; Preceptor of the Year Award to Yvonne Prioleau, MD; Clinical Excellence Award to Lauren E. Wychowski, MMS ‘22; Alumni Association Award to Rachel K. Ball, MMS ‘22; and the Pi Alpha Awards to Sarah Dilly, Devin Fadelsak, Madison Elizabeth Quinn, Jessica R. Robinson, Caitlyn Taxter and Conner Jacob Thomson, all MMS ‘22. Samantha Wereszczak, MMS ‘22, presented the class video.
During her remarks, class president Natalie Hoffman, MMS ‘22, told her fellow classmates it was difficult to imagine that the day had finally come for the Long White Coat ceremony and that the class was prepared and ready to enter their profession.
“Addressing the class felt a lot more personal because I’m part of the class. I am one of them and I believe it was a lot more personal for the class as well to hear it from one of their own,” said Hoffman. “To get the long white coat, it was just an unreal moment. We didn’t get to have a short white coat ceremony (because of the pandemic), so I’m glad we got to have an in-person ceremony with all of our friends and family as we all got to witness the final chapter of our PA program.”
Hoffman’s mother Karen attended the ceremony and described the pride she felt in seeing her daughter experience the moment.
“To see her put the white coat on after a long two-plus years and to experience what she went through is unreal,” said Karen Hoffman. “She has a great career ahead of her and the long white coat is the first step.”
