Duke Physician Assistant Program News

Janelle Bludorn, MS, PA-C, joined the faculty of the Duke Physician Assistant Program on September 7, 2021. She earned her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2010.  

The Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program held its graduation and certificate ceremony on Aug. 6, with a hybrid in-person and live-streamed event. After managing a difficult course of study for two years, most during the COVID-19 pandemic, 89 students were awarded their diplomas at Duke Chapel.

June 23rd, 2021 was a regular day for some, but for me, it was a day full of bliss and excitement! It was the last day of my didactic year and I could officially say had made it to clinicals!

“You’re just a nurse.” A statement made by a colleague, forever stained in my memory. “You’re just a nurse.” As if to assume my chosen undergraduate degree placed a glass ceiling on my knowledge and expertise in regards to the healthcare of my patient.

This past year, members of the Duke Physician Assistant (PA) Program community, like so many of us, faced immeasurable challenges. The increased visibility of racially-targeted crimes and the subsequent protests and reckoning, police inquiries and trials added a thick layer of extra stress to an already distressing time. Political tension and a prolonged election season depleted our emotional reserves and increased the risk of anxiety, depression, and workplace stress.  

Relaxing on my much-awaited spring break after completing two semesters of pre-clinical year, I am still in a state of disbelief that I am part of Duke University’s Physician Assistant (PA) program. If anyone had told me a few years ago that I would become a PA student at Duke University, I would have thought the person was making fun of me. It is a surreal journey that has brought me to this stage of my life. I think sharing my journey would be helpful to at least a few like me who would never dare to dream of this.

What comes to mind when you think of Physician Assistant (PA) school? For many pre-PA students, images of donning a white coat with a stethoscope neatly placed over their shoulders fill their imagination. This narrative quickly changes for students accepted into a PA program with illustrations of a never-ending stream of exams. I don’t want to downplay the rigor of PA school because the hours of studying are all too true, but this does not mean you need to sacrifice other aspects of your life, such as your health.