Despite the truncated time frame in the undergraduate portion of the program, Brenau students still will be exposed to the university’s expanded liberal arts curriculum that requires them to pass through the “four portals of learning” – appreciation for arts and culture, expanded world view, broadened communication skills, and scientific and analytic curiosity...
Addressing the chronic shortage of primary care health providers in North Georgia, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Brenau University today will sign an agreement to create a five-year accelerated Bachelor of Sciences/Master of Sciences degree in physician assistant studies.
The program, which prepares health care professionals to perform many of the patient-related tasks doctors perform, involves three years of specialized studies on the Brenau campus in Gainesville, Ga.; two courses at GA-PCOM between their third and their fourth years; 14 months of professional studies on PCOM’s main campus in Pennsylvania; and a final year of focused clinical studies in Gainesville under the supervision of both PCOM faculty and doctors affiliated with The Longstreet Clinic and Northeast Georgia Medical Center. The first students will enter the Brenau phase of the program in August. They will begin the 26-month professional phase in the 2011-12 academic year.
“This agreement underscores Brenau University’s commitment to meet its responsibilities in addressing the growing shortage of health care professionals in our community and throughout the nation,” said Ed Schrader, president of the university. “Although the physician assistant profession is relatively new, thousands of dedicated people in that profession have become essential primary health care providers for hundreds of thousands of families.”
Schrader and Matthew Schure, PCOM’s president and CEO, will sign the agreement in the Hopkins Hall Board Room on the Brenau campus at a 2 p.m. ceremony.
"This agreement is the perfect response to our mutual goal of training health professionals to serve in the South,” Schure said. “This innovative partnership takes advantage of the strengths of both institutions to assure undergraduates a path to a career in the health professions and to prepare highly qualified physician assistants for Georgia."
The new program builds on Brenau’s record for graduate and undergraduate education to prepare health care professionals in a variety of disciplines, including nursing, occupational therapy and clinical psychology. Gale Hansen Starich, dean of Brenau’s School of Health & Science, said the new program – like the existing Master of Science in Nursing for family practice nurses – could help alleviate the shortage of health care professionals in rural Georgia. “Both PAs and Family Nurse Practitioners are ‘physician extenders,’” said Starich. “They both can work in areas where there simply are not enough physicians to serve the health care needs of people.”
“This is a win-win solution for Brenau University and PCOM," says John M. Cavenagh, PhD, PA-C, professor and chair, department of physician assistant studies, PCOM. "The clinical placements that Brenau has secured at Georgia-based institutions is key to the agreement. Limited availability of clinical placements nationwide is a major factor limiting growth of nearly all PA programs. This agreement offers PCOM the potential for growth subject to accreditation approval."
The physician assistant profession is relatively new, tracing its roots to Duke University in the 1960s when many highly trained military medics returned from the Vietnam War with vital skills that could be put to use helping the civilian population. According to the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), more than 68,000 licensed professionals currently work in clinical settings under the supervision of physicians. They’re empowered to undertake myriad tasks, including conducting physical exams, diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering and interpreting tests, counseling patients on preventive health care, assisting in surgery, and writing prescriptions. About 12,000 students are enrolled in PA programs and the 124 accredited institutions that train them turned out about 4,600 graduates in 2007.
Still, that’s not enough. According to the U.S. Department of Labor projections, there needs to be a 49 percent increase in PA ranks in the next 10 years. With an anticipated 94,000 positions available by 2012, the physician assistant represents the third-fastest-growing profession in the nation.
"This first collaborative program between Brenau University and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine will help address the need for additional physician assistant healthcare professionals in Georgia,” said John Fleischmann, campus executive officer, Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “This agreement between our institutions marks the beginning an era of cooperation and mutual support that over time will result in a higher level of health care for the citizens of the State of Georgia."
And, Starich pointed out, the growth in the profession creates some well-paying jobs. According to AAPA research, the mean income for PAs who work at least 32 hours a week for doctors, clinics or hospitals is about $86,214 annually. The average salary is $73,013 for those who have been in a clinical practice for less than a year.
Despite the truncated time frame in the undergraduate portion of the program, Brenau students still will be exposed to the university’s expanded liberal arts curriculum that requires them to pass through the “four portals of learning” – appreciation for arts and culture, expanded world view, broadened communication skills, and scientific and analytic curiosity.
Following completion of the five-year program, Brenau-PCOM students will have both B.S. and M.S. degrees and will be eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam.
ABOUT PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is dedicated to the education of students in medicine, health and behavioral sciences. The College fosters the growth of the osteopathic profession by training physicians through programs of study guided by osteopathic medical tradition, concept and practice. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine is committed to the advancement of knowledge and intellectual growth through teaching and research, and to the well-being of the community through leadership and service. For more information visit http://www.pcom.edu.
ABOUT BRENAU – Founded in 1878, Brenau University currently enrolls about 2,600 students in graduate, undergraduate and preparatory programs in the Academy, Women’s College, Evening and Weekend College, and Online College. The main campus of the Georgia-based liberal arts institution is in Gainesville with satellite campuses located in suburban Atlanta, Augusta and Kings Bay. Brenau’s 2008 ranking as the 10th-best higher education value in the Southeast by U.S. News & World Report marks the university’s third consecutive year in that position for the magazine’s America's Best Colleges guidebook. For more information visit http://www.brenau.edu.