UM Welcomes Inaugural Class of Physician Associates
A UM student receives her white lab coat from PA program director and chair Marci Contreras during a white coat ceremony. (UM photos by Ryan Brennecke)
By Kyle Spurr, UM News Service
MISSOULA – Named after the state she always dreamed of living in, Montanna Zajac was thrilled to be admitted to the University of Montana’s new physician associate program.
Zajac, from Wausau, Wisconsin, studied psychology as an undergraduate but discovered a passion for medicine while working various jobs as an EMT, firefighter and medic for an outdoor wilderness therapy team. All the while, Zajac was interested in becoming a physician associate, an attractive option for healthcare workers to provide primary care and earn six figures after completing the two-year program.
“It’s always been my dream to be a PA and to contribute more to healthcare,” Zajac said. “It’s exciting being a trailblazer of a new program. The professors are so passionate and really want us to succeed, which makes me even more excited to know I will do well here.”
Zajac is one of 24 students in the PA program’s inaugural cohort. The group was selected out of over 600 applications interested in joining the state’s first public PA program.
“Seeing our inaugural students begin their journey is both exciting and humbling,” said Dr. Marci Contreras, director and chair of the PA program. “We now have the responsibility to deliver the exceptional education that our students – and the people of Montana – deserve.”
The students will have the opportunity to fill Montana's crucial need for physician associates. The state has nearly 50 critical access hospitals in rural communities, where PAs often work as the primary care provider and are sometimes the only provider. Because of workforce shortages, those hospitals are at risk of not offering full care to their communities.
“Montana’s geography and healthcare workforce shortages create real access challenges, particularly in rural and underserved communities,” Contreras said. “This PA program is a strategic investment in Montana’s healthcare infrastructure. When communities cannot recruit clinicians, patients face longer waits, greater travel burdens and delayed care.”
The state of Montana needs nearly 20 new PA job openings to be filled each year to keep up with baseline healthcare needs and industry growth, according to data from the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. UM’s PA program will meet the need, graduating students into these communities each year.
Contreras said the goal is to create a pipeline of students who have connections to rural and underserved communities and want to work in those settings across the state. To help meet that goal, 20 of the 24 students in the first PA class are from Montana.
“Evidence consistently shows where clinicians come from and where they train strongly influence where they ultimately practice,” Contreras said. “Our goal is not simply to send students into rural communities for rotation. It is to help them understand those communities, build relationships there and envision a long-term professional life there.”
PA student Tyler Filippini came from Chicago in 2022 to study neuroscience at UM. He earned his undergraduate degree in 2024 and has since worked in UM’s Neural Injury Center. Filippini built a life in Montana and wanted to grow his healthcare career in the state. When UM launched the PA program, he immediately applied.
“It’s a community at UM,” Filippini said. “You can feel community in certain pockets of cities like Chicago, but I’ve never felt a community like I have here.”
After Filippini completes the PA program, he is interested in finding opportunities in clinics across Montana. He and the other PA students understand the need in the state.
“There are communities far and wide that need access to healthcare,” he said. “We are very excited to connect with the people of Montana and give them the care they need.”
At an orientation last week for the PA program, Zajac noticed how close-knit and collaborative the program will be. All the students spent the week together and were celebrated at a white coat ceremony where they put on their physician coats for the first time. Zajac knows it will be a fast-paced program, but she saw how she will have plenty of support from the other students and faculty.
The 26-month curriculum begins with 12 months of pre-clinical instruction with courses like anatomy. Throughout the program, students will benefit from unique resources like the Missoula College Cadaver Lab and access to several clinics, hospitals and healthcare settings across the state.
Zajac feels almost destined to be in the program, serving the state she is named after. Her name honors her mother’s best friend who died in Montana. Zajac said her name Montanna is spelled with an extra “n” to help her stand out and be a little different. She jokes having a name after a state is different enough. But she is proud to carry it with her.
Finally being in Montana, Zajac already feels at home.
“I feel really blessed and lucky to be selected,” she said. “I’m excited to prove I’m meant to be here. I feel like this is the greatest place to learn and grow.”
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM vice president of marketing and communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu
