The 2016 School of Allied Health Sciences commencement took place in early December, with 18 Doctor of Nursing Practice Program students, 19 Orthotics and Prosthetics Program students and 38 Physician Assistant Program students receiving their degrees.
O&P Class President Amandi Rhett at Allied Health Commencement.
Dr. Alicia Monroe, provost and senior vice president of academic and faculty affairs, awarded the degrees, noting that the School of Allied Health Sciences has more than 1,000 graduates providing excellent clinical care throughout the country and around the world.
“You can be confident that your training at Baylor, and in our affiliated hospitals, has prepared you to practice in virtually any healthcare setting,” she said. “As a Baylor trainee, we have challenged you to be innovative in your approach to patient care while always looking for opportunities to link science and research to healthcare delivery. Now is the time for each of you go to out and apply these lessons to big problems. There has never been a greater opportunity to meet our big challenges in healthcare through discovery and innovation than now.”
Ruth Ballweg, professor emeritus in the department of family medicine at the University of Washington gave the commencement address. Ballweg, a physician assistant, reminded the graduates that they had the power to change their workplace and the community around them. She offered the graduates the following advice:
- Take some time to grow into your new role
- Don’t plan anything – roles are changing rapidly and successful people have been the ones that are the most flexible
- Make yourself visible to your patients and your community
- Never say no to a chance to represent the healthcare professions – people may want to follow in your footsteps
- Accept thanks from patients and save their notes
- Consider leadership
– by Dipali Pathak
BCM Family 