June 24, 2022 ­— With excitement reminiscent of receiving presents on a special occasion, the UF School of Physician Assistant Studies’ newest class of students eagerly opened boxes unveiling brand-new stethoscopes on the second day of orientation Thursday.

“This is a welcome gift from someone who’s walked in your shoes before you,” said Nina Multak, Ph.D., MPAS, PA-C, associate dean and Randolph B. Mahoney Director of the UF School of PA Studies. “It’s a gift from our alumni to you that will help you remember not only to take the best care of your patients as you listen to their lungs and abdomen, but also to listen to what matters to your patients. Listen to their stories, their life circumstances and things that impact them. That will help you treat them as individuals and not just as patients.”

First-year PA student Ramon Ramos smiled as he hung his new stethoscope over his neck. “I don’t even want to take it out of the box, to be honest,” he said. “I’m scared I’m going to drop it. I’m just happy.”

For the class of 2024, whose classes begin Monday, the stethoscopes represent the start of their journey to careers in health care. In keeping with tradition for new UF medical and PA cohorts, the stethoscopes were financed by donations from alumni and other College of Medicine supporters.

Over the next two years, the medical equipment will be part of the students’ uniforms as they are immersed in learning opportunities in the classroom and beyond.

First-year PA student Marisa Butillo of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said she looks forward to studying the human body this year as part of the cadaver lab and learning how to put casts on broken bones by practicing on her classmates.

“My interest in the PA field started with seeing my loved ones struggle with certain aspects of the health care system,” she said. “I think it’s interesting that as a PA, you can branch into different things as you grow as a person and as your interests within medicine shift or your life changes. I am excited to really feel like I’m starting the process of becoming a physician assistant.”

Ramos, who grew up in Lakeland and previously served as a medic in the National Guard, said he is looking forward to the training that will take place in the program’s second year.

“I’m a hands-on learner, so I am looking forward to our clinical year and being able to learn from the faculty here who have been in this field for years,” he said