Hayley Griswold to Receive Clinical White Coat at the University of Mount Union

2011 Jun 30

Hayley Griswold of Conneaut, Ohio will receive her white coat on Friday, July 22, 2011. Hayley is a graduate student in the University of Mount Union's Physician Assistant Studies Program.

For 15 consecutive months, students in the Physician Assistant Studies Program have been challenged in the classroom to learn from textbooks, instructors and case studies. They will be rewarded for their diligent study in July when they receive a symbol of clinical service and care – a white coat. Mount Union's white coat ceremony will mark the students' transition from preclinical classroom studies to the clinical phase of their graduate education.

The role of a physician assistant in medical practice is to be a caring, compassionate advocate for the patient and to spend more time with the patient than the physician can in providing patient education. Sharon Luke, director of Mount Union's Physician Assistant Studies Program, associate professor and chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, emphasizes that, to some patients, a white coat means that someone is here who understands science, and it is a person on which they can rely. "To some it's a symbol of power," she said. "And although it does elude to that, we don't want our students to see it that way."

Following the ceremony, students will begin their year of clinical rotations at hospitals, physicians' offices and clinics.

About the University of Mount Union

The University of Mount Union, founded in 1846, is a four-year, private institution grounded in the liberal arts tradition. Mount Union offers an array of broad-based and career-specific undergraduate and graduate programs to its 2,200 students who experience outstanding opportunities for success after graduation. Ranked as one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the University is committed to providing a student-centered approach and an exceptional educational experience, as evidenced by its mission to prepare students for fulfilling lives, meaningful work and responsible citizenship. The University's 115-acre campus is located in Alliance, Ohio, 80 miles of both Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and more than $100 million has been invested in the construction and renovation of modern facilities throughout the course of the past decade. For more information, visit www.mountunion.edu.