Almost 200 nursing and physician assistant studies students at UT San Antonio graduated in December commencement ceremonies that highlighted their hard work and dedication to patient care.
Taking care of patients is life-changing, Senior Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Health System Francisco Cigarroa, MD, told the 53 members of the Master of Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2025 during their ceremony at the Holly Auditorium on Dec. 12.
“Your life is going to change because of the great privilege of taking care of patients and their loved ones,” Cigarroa said, encouraging them to stay humble, to be good listeners, to embrace teamwork, to work hard and to keep learning. “Patients remember how you made them feel far more than the complexity of your treatment plan.”
The School of Nursing celebrated 144 graduates during its commencement ceremony on Dec. 14 at the St. Mary’s University Bill Greehey Arena. The school conferred 133 Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees and 11 Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees.
The future of the nursing profession
Both ceremonies focused on the promise the new graduates bring to their respective healthcare careers.
“This graduating class represents the strength and future of the nursing profession,” said Sonya R. Hardin, PhD, MBA, APRN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing. “Our graduates leave prepared with
the clinical expertise, resilience and compassion needed to care for patients, support families and lead through the evolving challenges of healthcare.”
The School of Nursing commencement address was delivered by Jimmie O. Keenan, MSN, RN, FACHE, FAAN, a retired U.S. Army major general who previously served as deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Command and chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Keenan, who retired from the Army in 2016, established a healthcare consulting firm in order to help nonprofit, federal and local organizations navigate the complexities of various healthcare environments.
PA graduates receive reminders about the importance of empathy
The focus on the graduates’ future patients was a powerful theme in the PA ceremony’s speakers’ remarks.
“I challenge each of you to keep an open heart and an open mind as you work with the patients who rely on you,” said School of Health Professions Dean David Shelledy, PhD, RRT, FAARC, FASAHP. “Show your compassion by carefully listening to them, talking to them in language they understand and taking the time to provide them the care and attention they need.”
Keynote speaker Kristopher Richardson, DMSc-Psychiatry, PA-C, shared advice gleaned during his career as a physician assistant and urged the graduates to proactively choose to practice
with empathy.
“Treat your last patient of the day like you treated your first,” he said.
The trust patients place in their healthcare providers is precious, graduating PA student Adrian Landstrom told her classmates in remarks on behalf of the class.
“In the coming years, we will meet patients on some of the hardest days of their lives,” Landstrom said. “They will sit across from us scared, uncertain, grieving, in pain — and in those moments they will give us something extraordinary: permission to walk with them through it.”