Dose of DMU blog » Physician Assistant

6 Feb

Unlocking the “Legos” of life

DMU has a new student organization that’s also a feather in the University’s cap: The Genetics Student Interest Group of Des Moines University recently made DMU one of only seven medical schools in the U.S., and the first and only osteopathic medical school, to earn affiliation with the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).

Alisdair “Rod” Philp, Ph.D., a DMU assistant professor of biochemistry and nutrition, was inspired to help students create the group because of student anxiety over genetics questions on medical licensing examinations. He is an elected affiliated scientist of the ACMG, which enabled the student interest group’s affiliation. Philp says the rapid advancement in genetic knowledge and research, along with DMU students’ interest in both, affirmed the idea for such an organization.

12 Jan

Get a head start

by Nicole Branstad

DMU has the perfect way for pre-med students to get a head start…

The DMU Health Professions Advanced Summer Scholars Program (Health P.A.S.S.) gives them a taste of what it’s like to be a student in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physician assistant or physical therapy.

The FREE three-week program takes place at the end of July and is open to college sophomores and juniors who want to get a taste of what med school will be like and pad their resumes with a little hands-on experience. Enrollment is limited to 10 students and applicants must have a minimum cumulative college grade point average of 3.0.

17 Oct

Imitation: not just for vanilla

by Shannon Layton

My first bike was pink with a cute basket, a loud bell, streamers coming off the handles, and of course nice big training wheels. Learning to ride a bike is a milestone that comes with many cuts and scrapes. You have to fall in order to learn how far to lean when making a turn. You fall in order to learn how to stop correctly. Your parents or older siblings might show you how and then you might try to imitate them. After time, you get pretty good at. You get your training wheels off and can ride without having a massive stock of Neosporin and Band-Aids handy. Some people may never ride a bike again after the age of 10. Some people will find that they are really good at bike riding and will go on to do BMX biking and do all those crazy tricks that ensure the ER staff will always have jobs. I like to think that those people started their careers by falling off pink training-wheel bikes as well.

6 Oct

Celebrate PA Week!

by Barb Boose

Today marks the beginning of National Physician Assistant Week, celebrated annually to support, highlight and recognize the significant impact of physician assistants in health care. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the week is “an opportunity to promote public awareness of the PA profession and to salute the outstanding growth of the PA workforce.”

6 Aug

Happy birthday to A.T. Still!

by Courtney Tompkins

Today marks A.T. Still’s 182nd birthday. He is known as the father of osteopathic medicine. Osteopathy is a whole body approach to health that recognizes the integral role in wellbeing played by the musculoskeletal system. We are very proud to be the second oldest osteopathic medical schools in the United States. Learn more about what osteopathic medicine is.

Having the D.O. program at DMU also impacts all our other programs in approach, overlap and understanding and that gives our grads an edge. Wouldn’t you want to know your health care practitioner understood other disciplines and had a whole body outlook on your health?