PA students prepare for PSPA conference

Eva Mihelich, News editor

The Physician Assistant program is fairly new, but it is already mak- ing great impacts on the campus community.

The didactic class will attend the 2022 PSPA (Pennsylvania Society of Physician Assistants) Fall Conference on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Pittsburgh.

Practicing physicians offer useful insights for students through various lectures and presentations.

Christina Waldinger, administrative secretary, spoke about the event and shared her insight on what impact it will have on the students.

“It gives the students the opportunity to attend lectures put on by practicing physician assistants, doctors and community members about a variety of topics such as burnout, injections, mandated reporter training and a variety of medical conditions,” said Waldinger.

Students will also have the opportunity to network with students from other schools and practicing PAs.

In addition to the great benefits students gain from attending this conference, they have been collecting donations to give to others in need.

The location of choice for each conference chooses an organization to donate to, and this year the chosen charity is the Persad Center. The Persad Center is a licensed mental health center that serves the LGBTQ+ and HIV/ AIDS communities in Western Pennsylvania.

Waldinger provided a list of all the donations that are requested this year. Among the list are items such as nonperishable food and beverages, paper toiletry products, clothing of any sort and pet supplies. Consider donating to both support the PA program and a notable charity. Physician assistants are licensed professionals who work with patients of all ages to diagnose and treat common illnesses and work with minor procedures. Students are able to get careers in other specialty areas as well such as dermatology, psychiatry, urology and even emergency medicine.

This is clearly a large task for someone to complete and requires extensive classwork and clinicals, which Mercyhurst is now able to provide. An important part of gaining professional knowledge in the workplace is listening to people with experience in the field, which is exactly what this conference gives students the chance to do. Students will have the chance to ask any questions they may have outside of the classroom and to get real answers from people who have been in their place.