In what year did the first PA class graduate?

In what year did the first PA class graduate?

• A. 1965
• B. 1967
• C. 1969
• D. 1970

Answer: (B)

Understanding when the first PA class graduated helps you see a key milestone in how the profession started. The physician assistant program began at Duke University in 1965 under Dr. Eugene Stead, selecting a small group—four Navy corpsmen—to train. Because the program was designed to run about two years, that inaugural cohort completed their studies and graduated in 1967. This graduation marked the beginning of formal PA education and set the pattern for the two-year curriculum that expanded to programs nationwide. The later years you see reflect subsequent classes, not this first one.

Understanding when the first PA class graduated helps you see a key milestone in how the profession started. The physician assistant program began at Duke University in 1965 under Dr. Eugene Stead, selecting a small group—four Navy corpsmen—to train. Because the program was designed to run about two years, that inaugural cohort completed their studies and graduated in 1967. This graduation marked the beginning of formal PA education and set the pattern for the two-year curriculum that expanded to programs nationwide. The later years you see reflect subsequent classes, not this first one.