The Physician Assistant (PA) Program at Lincoln Memorial University-School of Medical Sciences (LMU-SMS) welcomed its fourteenth class of students this spring at LMU’s main campus in Harrogate, Tennessee.
The 96 students in the PA class of 2024 will pursue a full-time, 27-month program that leads to the Master of Medical Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. The PA program boasts one of the largest class sizes of PA programs in the southeastern United States. The entering class of 2024 is 74% female and 26% male. The average age is 26 and the average GPA is 3.4. Approximately 49% of the class hails from the Appalachian region, with the majority of those coming from Tennessee, Kentucky, or Virginia.
“This is a group of amazing students with fresh minds and contagious energy,” said Robert Baye, director of the LMU-SMS PA Program in Harrogate. “They are truly motivated learners.”
A PA serves as a patient’s principal health care provider and is educated in the medical model. They diagnose illnesses, develop, and manage treatment plans and prescribe medications when indicated. PAs also order and interpret medical tests and provide counseling on preventive health care. They are nationally certified and work side by side with both osteopathic and allopathic physicians in every medical specialty. Today there are more than 140,000 PAs in the U.S., practicing in every state and in every medical setting and specialty.
“We are excited to have the class of 2024 on campus,” said LMU-SMS Dean Michael Stephens. “Together we are changing the face of health care”
LMU’s PA program was established in 2009 on the main campus in Harrogate, Tennessee. In 2016, LMU launched a unique postgraduate training program for PAs with the Doctor of Medical Science (DMS) program, and in 2020 the University opened its second PA program with an expanded surgical sciences curriculum at LMU-Knoxville. For more information about the LMU-SMS PA programs, visit www.LMUnet.edu/SMS.
Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is located in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423.869.6280 or email at admissions@LMUnet.edu.
