The class of 2023 has officially started their clinical rotations. In August, we all spread out amongst the Mayo Clinic Health Systems; some of us are in Eau Claire, WI, some in Mankato, while others stayed in Rochester. Each rotation is four weeks long, with a total of 12 rotations. We have nine core rotations and three elective rotations. Some of the chosen electives are orthopedics, rheumatology, dermatology, Critical Care, gastroenterology, and surgical specialties. This next year includes four cycles of completing three rotations followed by returning to our main campus to sit for end-of-rotation exams. We will repeat this until we graduate in July 2023. 

Some of the highlights from our rotations include: 

• Maria is on her Orthopedic surgery rotation right now. She has assisted with Fasciotomies for compartment syndrome and performed reductions in the emergency room for open radial fractures. 
• Ellie was on her ED rotation in August. She had a patient present to the ED in a rural county for chest pain with very mild ST elevation on the ECG. She and her preceptor advocated for the patient to be transferred to a facility that had a Cath lab. The patient was airlifted where the patient received by another student in our program who was completing her cardiac rotation. The patient ended up with a 100% occlusion of his LAD. How amazing to see our class involved in every level of care for our patients, even at different hospitals in different rotations. 
• Kholood is in her family medicine rotation. She had a patient in atrial fibrillation with multiple compensatory pauses that required an ICD placement. She was able to sit in on the ICD placement in order to get a comprehensive understanding of the patient’s care. 
• Mollie is currently in her Sports medicine rotation. She is up in Minneapolis, working with several big-time athletes! 

Seeing the diversity that my class is getting on their rotations is amazing! The clinical year truly applies the material we learned in our didactic year and builds a strong foundation. While it has been an adjustment for all of us, we all love our experiences! 

I would also like to take a moment to recognize the class of 2023 for all that we have accomplished. All of us participated in the Mayo Clinic Academy of quality improvement. Several of us received Silver status at the July conference. In addition, one of our groups (Saturday Pap Smear clinic) presented at the internal medicine conference and received earned a poster of distinction. What a fantastic accomplishment!

The class of 2023 also would like to present that we have adopted a highway! It has been a long process through last year, but we have officially had the sign posted on highway 14 between Rochester and Eyota, MN. This commitment is that we will pick up a section of the highway twice a year for at least two years. We have put some days on the calendar for us to pick up highway 14, so if you see us make sure to honk as you drive by!

Lastly, we have the exciting news of welcoming the class of 2024! The class of 2024 is the first class in the 3+2 program. These students have just finished their undergraduate studies at either the University of Minnesota Rochester or St. Mary’s University. They are now beginning the next part of their program, which includes two years of PA school. We are very excited to welcome the class of 2024 to our Rochester Campus and wish them the best in their didactic year.