WELCOME TO THE LMU-KNOXVILLE PA PROGRAM

Welcome to the Lincoln Memorial University Physician Assistant Program, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. We are glad you chose to be a part of our program! Our mission, which is consistent with the mission and purpose of LMU, is to train future physician assistants to provide high-quality, patient-centered care in the Appalachian region and beyond by providing a rigorous educational experience with expanded training in surgical sciences, which supports each student’s academic success and professional development. For us to complete that mission, we have developed a 27-month curriculum supported by experienced faculty and staff committed to preparing future colleagues who are regarded as highly knowledgeable, skilled, and professional.  

Over the course of 27 months, our students complete four semesters in the classroom (Didactic Phase) and three semesters in the clinical setting (Clinical Phase). Instruction during the Didactic Phase includes a blend of learning activities, including traditional lectures, small group discussions, laboratory sessions, and simulated patient encounters. In addition to providing a solid foundation in primary care medicine, the curriculum includes three (3) semesters of Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Dissection in a donor laboratory where, in addition to the use of prosected donors, our students complete dissections and practice clinical procedures. During Supervised Clinical Practice Experiences (SCPEs) in the Clinical Phase, our students apply concepts learned in the Didactic Phase to patient encounters in primary care and surgical disciplines.  
  

The curriculum will be challenging and require personal sacrifices and high levels of determination. Each student will have a faculty mentor assigned to them during Didactic Phase Orientation who will be there to help develop an academic plan for success and professional development as well as a resource for academic concerns. I encourage all students to share in each other’s academic and personal successes and to lean on classmates and program faculty when challenges arise.  

Again, we are excited for you to be a part of this program and look forward to your growth and development in becoming a well-respected physician assistant in the Appalachian region and beyond. 

 
Professionally, 
Dustin Bates, DMS, PA-C 
Assistant Dean and Program Director
LMU-SMS-Knoxville PA Program