At the recent Education Forum by the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) in Washington, DC, two UNMC PA students joined the inaugural class of Future Educator Fellows. Kim Sullivan and Mason Van Nostrand joined the first group of 25 PA students selected from PA programs across the country, assembled to participate in the forum and join advocacy teams that met with legislators at the nation’s Capitol.
(photo credit: Danielle Di Silvestro/PAEA) The Future Educator Fellows and members of the Student Advisory Task Force. Cody Sasek is on the far right, and Kim and Mason are the fifth and sixth individuals in the back row from the left.
Through a two-day, fellow-specific, education track, the students received a well-rounded orientation to the role of PA educators. Topics discussed included research, academic life, the transition from clinic to classroom, and the importance of advocacy. They had the opportunity to meet and network with PA leaders and get a sense of the culture of PA education.
Mason said, “It gave us a glimpse of where education is at now, where it is heading, and what we can do to be a part of it.”
Kim added, “The experience only strengthened my interest in pursuing opportunities as an educator.”
Cody Sasek, MPAS, PA-C, Assistant Professor in the Division of PA Education, serves as the Graduate Advisor to the PAEA Student Advisory Task Force.
Submitted by Michael J. Huckabee, PhD, PA-C