Photo By Dan Grubb | Graduates (left to right) 1st Lt. Jonathan Cofer, 1st. Lt. Kelli Rousey and Capt. Mark...... read more read more
FORT LIBERTY, NC -- Captain Mark Kobialka has spent the last 29-months training in the classroom and caring for patients for what he states is the start of “exceptionally gratifying and exciting profession.” Kobialka, along with Officer Candidates Jonathan Cofer and Kelli Rousey, make up Womack Army Medical Center’s most recent IPAP graduating class.
The Interservice Physician Assistant Program, or IPAP, affords current military service members the incredible opportunity to become a PA through a rigorous training program hosted by the Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE). Graduates earn a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Nebraska and, if not already, become commissioned as an Officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps.
After completing 16-months of classroom training at Joint Base, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, students are sent to military hospitals across the U.S., such as Womack to complete the 13-month clinical phase of the program. There, they hone their history taking skills, perform physical exams, surgical procedures, and provide patient care under the direct supervision of seasoned physicians and medical providers.
Womack’s Graduate Medical Education (GME)/IPAP coordinator, Nicole Laboy, says it is exciting to see a lot of hard work paying off for the graduates. “I get to see firsthand what these graduates had to go through to get to this point,” she says. “I handle all administrative and testing issues for them as they complete the program and ensure that completion goes smooth as it is supposed to without skipping a beat.”
Hard work continues as graduates must pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE) before they go on to provide world-class healthcare to our Soldiers. Kobialka remarks, “The training is truly first rate. I feel prepared for the PANCE and I’m excited to step into my fist unit as a PA.”
Physician Assistants are important members of the Army healthcare team and provide a broad range of medical services traditionally performed by physicians. They are the primary medical provider to Soldiers in battalion and division level units and provide garrison healthcare to Soldiers, family members, and other eligible beneficiaries. The Army PA has served the nation in all conflicts and peacekeeping missions since the Vietnam War.
Kobialka offers a piece of advice to aspiring military physician assistants. “Don’t self-select!” he says, remarking that many prospective applicants may feel overwhelmed to apply to such a rigorous program. To this, Kobialka recommends to “talk to your unit PA, they are your greatest resource in understanding the program, how to apply, and moreover, ensure it’s the right career for you.”
The Army trains approximately 200 Soldiers a year alongside candidates from the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, U.S. Army Reserve, and National Guard and ranks among the top PA programs nationwide.
Those wanting more information about the IPAP program should visit https://recruiting.army.mil/armyPA/becomePA or https://womack.tricare.mil/About-Us/Academics/Graduate-Medical-Education-OLD/Professional-Allied-Health-Programs/Interservice-Physician-Assistant-PA-Program
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2024 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 482122 |
| Location: | FORT LIBERTY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 447 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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