Erin Jones (seated) collaborating with fellow DPAS classmates
After practicing clinically in family medicine for the past eleven years, PA Erin Jones (DPAS ‘23) recognized that to continue practicing medicine at the highest level and provide superior patient care, she needed to expand her knowledge, network and engage with others, gain leadership skills and become a mentor and an educator herself.
“The University of Pittsburgh Doctor of PA Studies (DPAS) program has allowed me to accomplish all the above,” Jones states.
Due to her work in the DPAS program, Jones was recently promoted to Expert PA at her outpatient clinic at UPMC.
“Achieving expert status has helped me professionally in many ways: It’s given me the confidence and spark to get back into precepting prospective and current PA students; I’ve been encouraged to join committees and initiate networking; and I’ve become a mentor and more involved in my profession. I look forward to expanding my ‘expertise’ and beginning a journey into higher-level education.”
Jones notes that the DPAS coursework prepared her by building skills to identify and solve problems, and then learning how to analyze her work to make improvements in her own practice.
“I believe this program is a successful way to promote and advance the PA profession,” Jones begins. “The program, and continued education, is a way to ensure PAs remain competitive in medicine and continually improve the quality of care they provide patients.”
As she prepares to graduate from the program this spring, Jones reflects on the support of the faculty and the program design that have set her up for this career success. “I also had tremendous support from my advisor, Professor Dipu Patel, who saw my potential and encouraged me to be the best student I could be. The cadence of the program makes it achievable for working PAs and the faculty are truly vested in the program and in student success!”
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Visit our website to learn more about the DPAS program and student outcomes. If you are interested in applying for the next cohort, you can reach out to an enrollment specialist at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu today!
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Published March 13, 2023