School of PA Studies celebrates 15th annual white coat ceremony

June 7, 2022 — Applause and cheers erupted from the audience as students from the University of Florida School of Physician Assistant Studies crossed the stage one by one to receive their new uniforms: UF Health white coats inscribed with their names.

The 15th annual white coat ceremony, which took place Friday at the Health Professions, Nursing & Pharmacy Building, marked the transition from didactic to clinical training for the 61 members of the class of 2023.

“The moment you receive your first white coat is a memory that will stay with you throughout your career,” UF College of Medicine Dean Colleen Koch, M.D., M.S., M.B.A., told students. “Your white coat symbolizes a devotion to practicing patient-centered care with the utmost professionalism and humanism.”

Nina Multak, Ph.D., MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, the associate dean and Randolph B. Mahoney director of the School of PA Studies, encouraged students to find a mantra to carry them through the next phase of their education. Inspired by a recent kickball tournament between students and faculty, she shared a few athletic slogans to motivate the class, from Nike’s “Just do it” to Adidas’ “Impossible is nothing.”

“I think that encourages each of you to chase your dreams, no matter how unattainable they are at first,” Multak said. “During the first couple of rotations, you’re going to say, ‘Wow, this was not what I expected.’ But this is part of your dream. You can do this. Impossible is nothing.”

After spending three years as a speech pathologist at UF Health Shands Hospital, Emily Iler found herself drawn to medicine while working with colleagues in fields ranging from gastroenterology to pulmonology to neurology. Now, the PA student sees the next phase of her education as an opportunity to take what she has learned on the rehabilitative side of patient care and apply it to the diagnostic side. She said having a strong understanding of a patient’s journey outside of the clinic or hospital will help her facilitate their transition to the next level of care and better work with her rehabilitative, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology colleagues in the future.

For Iler, the white coat ceremony means she is one step closer to her dream profession.

“The white coat is a symbol of everything we’ve put forth, not only in this past year academically but also all the training and work hours that went into getting into the program in general,” she said. “It’s accumulated to this point, and now I’m excited for the transition that it represents, going into the clinical year and being able to put everything into practice that we’ve been working on on paper. This past year was the hardest year but the best year, and I would do it all over again.”

Jonathan Ooten most looks forward to practicing as a PA in underserved communities to effect change in areas such as health care equity and access to fresh foods. As a student, he fulfills his mission of service as the diversity liaison for the class of 2023, where he educates his peers on DEI initiatives and ensures every member of the class feels comfortable and included.

Though he spent time as an AP biology and physics teacher before attending PA school, he said he has always known that being a PA was in his future. After graduating from UF in 2023, he will join the National Health Service Corps, a prestigious federal program that connects primary care providers to communities with limited access to care.

“Teaching was the best detour I could have ever taken, but PA school has always been in the cards for me — it was just a matter of when,” he said. “I grew up in a very underserved community without a lot of money, and I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community as well, so I just can’t wait to go out and give back to my community. The white coat is another reminder that I’m one step closer to my dream.”

As a mother of two, Ann Monson Slagle hopes her professional and educational journey serves as a model for her young daughters. Whether the issue is keeping a tower of blocks standing or figuring out a new dinner plan when noodles get burnt, she encourages her children to brainstorm and find solutions they had not yet considered.

Hunting for solutions led her to leave a career as a mental health rehabilitation counselor, where she said she saw the critical need for better access to health care.

“It birthed inside of me this conviction to serve the population and figure out the most basic, foundational ways I can be the change I wish I could see in the world,” said Monson Slagle, who also teaches general psychology at Santa Fe College. “And I was like, ‘You know what, I can do this through medicine, and I can do it faster through a PA program.’ I want to get my feet on the ground; I want to get out there and start helping people, and this is the best way I can do it.”

Photos by Louis Brems