Graduation ceremony held for physician assistants

By Tina Ray
Paraglide

The fruit of Army medicine was harvested Friday as five graduates from the Interservice Physician Assistant Program received their diplomas during a 10 a.m. graduation ceremony Friday at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.

The graduating members of Class 01-09 were Capt. Christopher Metcalf, 1st Lt. James Gruenewald and Officer Candidates Euclid Cruz, Trevor Dell and Rolands Dale, who all completed IPAP, a two-year course that teaches candidates the responsibility of medically caring for Soldiers, their Families and other eligible beneficiaries.

PAs take an oath, among other pledges, to hold the health, safety, welfare and dignity of all human beings as their primary responsibility and to work with other health care members to provide compassionate and effective care of patients.

According to the United States Army Recruiting Command, they are the primary medical provider to Soldiers in the battalion and division level units and have served the nation in all conflicts and peacekeeping missions since the Vietnam War.

Dr. Young S. Choi, a board certified internist and guest speaker at the graduation ceremony, urged the graduates to do what is legally and morally right and to also rise above where they live and what they know to have a perspective from the eagle’s view.

“Keeping perspective makes you a better Soldier,” said Choi, who has been assigned to Womack Army Medical Center for more than 20 years.

Maj. George Barbee, PA-certified, WAMC, also challenged the graduates to be better than the generation before them and to uphold the highest standards of military medicine.

For Cruz, the ceremony seemed to be the highlight of his career with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

“It’s incredible. I’m anxious to start taking care of the best Soldiers in the world,” Cruz said.

Graduates earn a bachelor’s degree in medical science and a master’s degree in physician assistant science from the University of Nebraska,” said Metcalf. IPAP prepares graduates for practicing medicine at all echelons of care within the military healthcare system, he said.
IPAP encourages integrity, persistence, attitude and professionalism and its graduates earn a first lieutenant’s commission in the Army Medical Specialist Corps.

For more information about the IPAP program, visit its website at www.usarec.army.mil/armypa/.

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