FORT BRAGG, NC-- A group of medical professionals celebrated a major milestone, graduating from the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) with master’s degrees in physician assistant studies during a ceremony on June 12 at Womack Army Medical Center.
The five graduates will step into multifaceted roles, serving as primary care providers for service members and their families, acting as medical advisors to unit commanders, and supervising training for combat medics.
According to Maj. Jamie Mueller, IPAP Phase II Director at WAMC, this accomplishment is massive. “They have gone through 29 months of training starting with their didactic education at Fort Sam Houston, before completing Phase II at WAMC—13 months of rigorous clinical rotations, patient care, testing, and balancing real-world work requirements.”
Guest speaker Timothy Phillips, a Physician Assistant (PA) with the WAMC Orthopedic Spine Service, reminded graduates that there are two more phases they were not told about during recruitment. “Phase III is passing the national certification, and Phase IV, the most important is taking what you have learned and putting it into practice effectively.”
Phillips urged the new PAs to celebrate their daily medical victories. “We get to see patients succeed and share in that success,” said Phillips. “We birth new life; we find cancer early enough to be treated. Revel in those successes, and don’t forget to take care of yourself physically, spiritually, and professionally.” Balancing the highs of these medical victories with the inevitable challenges of the profession, Phillips offered a final piece of grounding advice. “Be humble,” he said. “When difficult times come, and they will, remember why you chose this path and let that renew your passion.”
The graduates Capt. Samuel Colt, 1st Lt. Thad Dabback, 1st Lt. Jason Daniels, 1st Lt. Gabriel Nickle, and 1st Lt. Matthew Paraf, will be assigned to various units at Fort Bragg and other military installations. The modern role they are stepping into has deep roots in the state. The first Physician Assistant program was developed in 1965 by Dr. Eugene Stead, Department of Medicine chairman at the Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina.
The event concluded with the time-honored commissioning ceremony for the former Officer Candidates. As they transitioned to First Lieutenants, they participated in the silver dollar tradition. In this historic practice, a newly commissioned officer hands a silver dollar to their enlisted advisor in exchange for their first salute. This coin serves as a token of profound gratitude for the mentorship, military professionalism, and tactical knowledge imparted by the non-commissioned officer corps, symbolizing a bond of shared respect.