Physician assistant students put on ‘game face’ as they begin program

The master of physician assistant studies (MPAS) Inaugural Exercises was an emotional event for Tinu Tope-Awofeko.  

When she recited the Physician’s Pledge alongside her classmates on August 28, she felt the weight of the responsibility she was about to take on.  

“Now people are counting on me,” said Tope-Awofeko, who earned her bachelor of science in British Columbia and returned to her hometown of Winnipeg for the MPAS program.  

“My future patients will be counting on me. My colleagues will be counting on me. It made me feel like – game face, time to make the best out of these two years and make myself the best physician assistant I can be.”  

Tope-Awofeko is one of 24 MPAS students who make up the Class of 2028. The Inaugural Exercises, held in the Brodie Centre atrium on the Bannatyne campus, welcomed students into the profession and included the Stethoscope Ceremony.  

First-year MPAS student Carlos Rios Giraldo said that having a stethoscope placed around his neck during the ceremony was a surreal moment.  

“Having it placed on me was just a milestone and a testament to the importance of health care, especially physician assistants in the health-care system,” said Rios Giraldo, who grew up in London, Ont., and comes from an immigrant family from Columbia.  

Rios Giraldo wants to become a physician assistant (PA) because he said they are uniquely positioned to help increase accessibility in the health-care system.

“I’m super grateful that today I was welcomed into the PA profession,” said Rios Giraldo, who worked as a genetic counsellor in a Hamilton, Ont., hospital before entering the MPAS program.  

‘We believe in you’  

Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean of the Max Rady College of Medicine and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, gave a welcoming address and told the students that he knew how hard they worked to get into the competitive program.  

“We had over 257 applications, and 24 of you make up the class of 2028. And I want to congratulate you on reaching this important milestone,” Nickerson said.

Rebecca Mueller, program director of MPAS, addressed the audience and told the Class of 2028 that they belong in the program.

“You are carefully considered,” Meuller said. “We chose you because we saw something in each of you – not only intelligence, but resilience, curiosity and leadership potential, with the ability to contribute something larger than yourselves. We believe in you, and we believe you can make that difference.”  

With seven physician assistant programs in Canada, UM’s was one of the first two programs in the country to launch in 2008. It was the first at the master’s level.

Celebrating the journey  

During her bachelor of science studies, Maki Matsuura worked as an ophthalmic technician at an ophthalmology clinic in Hamilton, where she worked alongside physician assistants. They inspired her to pursue the profession.  

“I just love that you can be a jack-of-all-trades. You get to do a little bit of everything,” said Matsuura, who grew up in Toronto.  

Matsuura said the Inaugural Exercises were an exciting experience.  

“It felt official. Today it really felt like we were celebrating our journeys, and also our accomplishments and our accomplishments ahead,” Matsuura said.