Northwestern College physician assistant students to graduate Aug. 9

The fourth cohort of students in Northwestern College’s physician assistant studies program will graduate Saturday, Aug. 9. Master’s degrees will be awarded to 29 students during a 10 a.m. ceremony in Christ Chapel. The graduates represent eight states, reaching from California to Illinois.

Dr. Anne (Neerhof) Hellbusch will deliver the commencement address. A 2000 Northwestern graduate and board-certified family medicine physician based in Pella, Iowa, Dr. Hellbusch brings experience in women’s health, obstetrics and pediatrics. She currently serves on Northwestern’s National Advisory Council and the PA Program Advisory Board, as well as on several professional committees at Pella Regional Health Center. In addition to her clinical work, she teaches physician assistant and medical students.

“Commencement is always a special moment, and this year marks an important milestone as we celebrate the achievements of our fourth graduating class,” says Jill Van Otterloo, program director of Northwestern’s physician assistant program. “Our graduates have demonstrated incredible resilience, compassion and clinical excellence, and we are proud to see them join the health care workforce at a time when their skills are needed more than ever.”

Since welcoming the first cohort in 2020, Northwestern’s physician assistant program has played an important role in serving our nation’s health care needs. Northwestern PA students who graduated last year achieved a 97% first-time pass rate on the certification exam administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), with a first-time taker average pass rate of 95% for all cohorts to date. The 2024 national exam pass rate was 92%.

Northwestern's master's degree program in physician assistant studies gives students practice-based training to prepare them to provide exceptional, compassionate health care in a variety of settings.