Community Life
When you're a part of the community that makes up the University of Dayton Department of Physician Assistant Education, you're more than just a student in a classroom. You're part of a team that's committed to the service of the human person through the skillful, compassionate, and ethical provision of health care within the context of the Catholic Marianist tradition.
Our program utilizes state-of-the-art technology blended with traditional hands-on experiences to provide you with the best possible experience to prepare you for clinical practice.
Explore highlights from our community:
In March 2019, our students participated in National Nutrition Month by visiting Miami Valley Child Development Centers and donating 50 books about nutrition and exercise. To help educate and excite the preschoolers about the importance of healthy habits, UD students read the preschoolers books, discussed healthy eating habits and engaged in physical activities.
The Healer's Art has been implemented at more than 90 medical schools across the country and around the world and has been adapted for other healthcare professions, such as nursing and veterinary care. The University of Dayton was the first program to offer The Healer's Art course to Physician Assistant Education students. The course explores the "art of medicine" via reflection and discussion of such topics as self-care, grief and loss, healing lineage, courage, and service as a way of life. This course has allowed our students to make stronger connections with their classmates, reaffirm their calling to the physician assistant profession, gain tools to avoid burnout and strengthen their commitment to the compassionate care of their patients.
We partnered with Child Family Health International to offer a wider variety of international elective options for our students in various countries and specialties. Our program offers opportunities for global health electives during the clinical year. In 2017 and 2018, one of our faculty members led a 4-week elective in Swaziland, in which groups of our students worked in a local hospital, as well as rural clinics and home visits.