JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Langley Air Force Base hospital is one of seven facilities chosen for the clinical phase two of the Interservice Physician Assistant Program, due to its steady pace of patients and size of the military treatment facility.
The IPAP is a course for prior enlisted, newly commissioned and previously commissioned officers. It’s open to all branches of service in the military, and teaches future PAs what they need to know to enter the force and succeed. This training began at Langley back in 1997.
“One huge benefit to Langley compared to other Air Force Medical Centers is that while we do have a dental residency program, there are no other full time medical residencies at Langley,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Jennifer Middlebrooks, 633rd Medical Group, IPAP program director. “This means, the Physician Assistant students do not have to compete with other medical students, interns and residents for training time.”
The 29-month long program includes two phases. During phase one, which is 64 weeks long, students are taught at the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. This is the didactic phase, which prepares students with the essential cognitive foundations to function as PAs. This includes written and practical exams.
Phase two is 57 weeks long and is called the clinical phase. During this phase, individuals already in the field actively educate and supervise the students learning both inpatient and outpatient procedures. There are 11 medical specialty rotations, plus four electives.
According to Middlebrooks, Langley is also very close to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) and Fort Eustis, which are available for any potential gaps in training due to deployments or Permanent Change of Station of the IPAP staff.
Every year in October, National Physician Assistant (PA) Week is recognized, aligning with Langley’s recent graduating class, Class 17-2. Langley’s graduates were U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Jessica-Nicole Grogan, 1st Lt. Carmen A Maffucci and U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Christopher Perkins.
“[The week] recognizes the PA profession and its contributions to the nation’s health,” said Middlebrooks. “This week is also an opportunity to raise awareness and visibility of the profession.”
According to Middlebrooks, being accepted into the program for some is a long-term goal. For others, it was presented as an opportunity they took advantage of.
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Cindy Yie, Air Force Academy graduate is one of those Airmen who took advantage of the program.
“I was lucky enough to have mentors that pushed me into things that I liked to do as I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do,” Yie said. “I think I knew I wanted to pursue a medical field, but I didn’t really have a big desire to go to medical school.”
Prior medical training isn’t necessary to apply for the IPAP.
“I came into this program basically having zero medical experience, and I think that’s how it is for most of us,” Yie said. “A lot of us leave here being like ‘Oh yeah, I think I know what that is.’ There’s still a lot to learn, but to even get to say I’m comfortable with walking in and talking to a patient and giving them a diagnosis and prescription is really cool.”
The IPAP is available to military applicants under the age of 42 who are compassionate and strive for leadership excellence, model integrity and are committed to continuous learning. For more information on applying for the IPAP and requirements, visit the Interservice Physician Assistant Program tab on the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence website at https://www.cs.amedd.army.mil/.