As the two students prepare to graduate on Dec. 12, they reflect on their experience moving through the Accelerated Pathways program to physician assistant studies.
Before embarking on the path to become physician assistants, both Sarah Newman ’24 G’25 and Grace Huisking ’24 G’25 held a deep appreciation for the profession.
“I wanted to be a PA because I had a lot of medical problems when I was younger, in and out of different hospitals,” Newman said. “I remember noticing that the PAs were very involved in the patient care side, which was something that I was really interested in.”
Being from southern California, Newman didn’t initially apply to any East Coast schools. However, after learning about the direct line from undergraduate to physician assistant school through the Accelerated Pathways (AP) program at Elon, Newman jumped on the opportunity, as did Huisking. Both students will be the first to graduate after going through the AP program to physician assistant studies.
“I’ve always had an interest in science, as well as helping others, so this way, I combined those,” said Huisking. “I wasn’t originally sure what I wanted to do in the medical field, but then I saw this program when I was looking at colleges, and I thought it’d be a great opportunity. PAs are so awesome. They work in a collaborative team, expand patient access to care and so much more.”
The AP program helps students fast-track their careers to become a physician assistant or physical therapist. It includes an Elon 1010 course, similar to the design of that for first-year undergraduates, but specifically designated to assist healthcare students in achieving a holistic academic and career plan. Students engage in leadership workshops, local volunteer opportunities and research. Additionally, they reap the benefit of graduating a semester early and entering the workforce ahead of their peers working in healthcare. During their undergraduate years, Newman majored in biology, while Huisking studied exercise science.
“I think one advantage from going straight to PA school from undergrad is that we never really left that sort of ‘study’ mindset. We never forgot how to study,” Newman explained. “A lot of our classmates had to get back into that mindset and re-figure out the best way to study for them, when we never really lost that. I was able to take some of my undergrad study methods and continue that.”
Both Newman and Huisking volunteered with the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County throughout their undergraduate years, as well as completing secondary research required in the AP program. For Newman, this sparked an interest in what may potentially be her specialty upon becoming a physician assistant.
“After that research, I did a subspecialty of women’s health for my elective,” Newman said. “I picked something that I was able to ask my preceptor, and the clinic I was at, about, so that’s kind of a cool thing to pick a question and then actually see a real-world application of it.”
As they reflected upon their time in the program, both Newman and Huisking acknowledged the role that Tracey Thurnes, associate professor of physician assistant studies and director of the AP program, had on their experience.
“Dr. Thurnes has been the biggest influence since my freshman year of undergrad. We’ve been with her for five and a half years at this point,” Newman said. “I can’t even begin to describe the number of ways in which she’s helped us.”
“Whether it was undergrad drama, figuring out classes, or transitioning from undergrad to PA school, she was there,” Huisking added “Feeling a bit younger than everybody else can have its own difficulties, and she helped us navigate that for sure. She’s just there for whatever we need.”
Though the age difference between them and their classmates was an initial struggle, Huisking noted the great impact that other students in the program had on her experience.
“One of my best friends in the program is the oldest person in our program,” Newman said. “Getting to learn with people that have so many different experiences than I have through their previous healthcare and even world experiences, has definitely shaped the way that I hope to practice in the future and has taught me a lot in addition to the books and the clinicals.”
Both Newman and Huisking graduate Dec. 12 and plan to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) a few days afterwards. Upon receiving the proper credentials, Newman hopes to work in women’s health, while Huisking is open to primary care, emergency medicine and other fields before honing a specific specialty.