October 6th-12th is National PA Week and this year’s theme is “PAs for a Healthy America!” Our PA program has organized multiple activities to promote, support, and celebrate the physician assistant profession during this week! These are some of the things that were accomplished:

PA Free Breakfast

Our class kicked off PA week by putting on a free breakfast in the lobby of the campus library! In order to promote “PAs for a Healthy America,” PA fact notes were given out with the breakfast items, which included bagels, bananas, and granola bars. The students discussed our profession and its significance in healthcare with those stopping by.

College Visits

On Tuesday October 6th and Friday October 9th, representatives in our class volunteered their time to go and speak to interested students at the College of Charleston and The Citadel, respectively.

In these meetings, discussions were held describing what a physician assistant is, program requirements, and overall what a day-in-the-life of a PA student is like!

Visits to a Local High School

Six groups of classmates traveled to Wando High School on Thursday October 8th to speak with students about the PA profession! It was an excellent opportunity to discuss healthcare with teenagers as well as give them guidance on planning their future careers…and of course this included hoping they consider being PAs! Information was provided that explained the physician assistant profession, where they work, their scope of practice, and how to help the students plan accordingly to follow the path of becoming one!

Habitat for Humanity

A group of students went on Friday October 9th to assist in the construction of a home sponsored by Habitat for Humanity!

“The Walk”

On Saturday October 10th, the Arthur C. Hutson Student Society wrapped up PA Week by taking a walk through beautiful downtown Charleston!

The purpose of “The Walk” was to take to the streets and relay information about PAs to the public. Facts about physician assistants were provided on cards that were handed out.

The event turned out being a huge success! The near 400 cards that were dispensed that morning continued to promote the physician assistant profession. Over and over, students were stopped and asked about PAs by people curious of our cause!