Duke Physician Assistant Program News & Blogs

Duke Health and Durham Celebrate Pride

The city of Durham, along with many from the Duke Health community, came together to celebrate inclusion, community, family, pride, and advocacy at Pride: Durham, NC 2024.

Congratulations to the Duke PA Program Class of 2024

On August 2nd, the Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program held its 57th graduation, celebrating the class of 2024.

Ninety-one students walked beneath the Gothic arches and stained glass of Duke Chapel to receive their certificates.

Division Chief and Program Director Jacqueline S. Barnett, DHSc, MSHS, PA-C, began the ceremony by providing statistics on the amount of work it takes to be a PA student.

Minding the Gap: Should I Take a Gap Year Before PA School?

Many students worry that if they are not prepared to apply to a physician assistant program in concert with the end of their undergraduate degree, they are hurting their chances of getting into PA school at all. But did you know that only about 7% of our students in a given year come directly from college? For many, college is where the path to PA begins, but we do not believe that's where it must end.

Second Year Student Group Blog: Wilderness Medicine

Who we are

Checking that we rigged Lila in the stokes basket safely!
Checking that we rigged Lila in the stokes basket safely!

The Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Wilderness Medicine Student Interest Group (SIG) was founded in 2022 with hopes to foster a commun

Let's Dig Into the Supplemental Application

You have successfully conquered the hurdle that is CASPA; now what? Most schools have a supplemental or secondary application that asks for additional information. Every school wants to get to know the “real you,” and supplementals go a long way towards filling in the blanks that standardized applications cannot.

Second Year Student Blog: Liz Shipman

Called Up to the Big Leagues

My journey to the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) House of Delegates started last year, when I was elected to our PA program student government. I served as one of Duke’s representatives for the AAPA Student Academy with my classmate Chris Marshall. The Assembly of Representatives (AOR) mimics AAPA’s House of Delegates (HOD) and introduces student leaders to our profession’s governing structure.