PERSPECTIVES 25th Anniversary - Fall-Winter 2018

Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences 49 “It is definitely a commitment and an individual choice to be a preceptor,” he said. Nevertheless, he has found a system that integrates the PA students into the workflow, giving them maximum exposure to patients. He believes most alumni would get involved in precepting if they had a clearer picture of what is expected of them. Sometimes, the only barrier is simply being asked. One big motivation for Dale is the pleasure of watching a student improve and grow during the six weeks they share. He describes some “proud preceptor moments” when students have helped catch a diagnosis early, or when a patient comments about the excellent care they received from a previous student. He gets frequent requests for letters of recommendation from graduates and enjoys the fact that his opinion of the students is highly regarded. Dale’s vision of PA education in- cludes a true dedication to helping people and treating the student like a customer, giving them an experi- ence that will encourage them to be NSU supporters in the future. He is a great example of the type of physician assistant graduate the Fort Myers program aims to produce. He also is part of a national Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and spent two weeks in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma and Hurri- cane Maria providing medical care in collaboration with the USNS Comfort , the floating Navy hospital. The PA Program, which is extreme- ly proud to call Dale our alumnus, hopes to continue our partnership in education. Over the years, Dale has shown he has many interests and describes himself as some- what competitive. For this rea- son, in the race for most student lives affected, Dale certainly is a champion. ● Top: Dale on a DMAT mission in Puerto Rico Above: Mike Dale, right, speaks with Ricardo Rosselló, the governor of Puerto Rico, while on a DMAT mission. Photo credit: Staff Sergeant Evan Lane