On August 22, Campbell Collegiettes™ welcomed a new program to the family as 34 students attended their first day of class in the 28-month physician assistant program in the newly remodeled Carrie Rich Hall. The launch of the master of physician assistant practice program coincides with Campbell’s plan to open a School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2013.
These students will no doubt have job placement upon graduation, as experts predict that by 2020 there will be a shortage of more than 90,000 physicians in the United States. The focus of the program will be primary care; training students to practice in medically disadvantaged areas. The program will incorporate students from a variety of health-related fields in an effort to stress interdisciplinary education.
Campbell will be one of the few schools that require students to complete a course in orthopedics in their first year of training. This requirement stems from statistical basis that 20 percent of primary care office visits pertain to musculoskeletal problems.
Campbell Collegiettes™ who become enrolled in the proposed School of Osteopathic Medicine will be trained with the physician assistant students in an effort to learn how to work together efficiently.
Tom Colletti, who has been practicing as a physician assistant for more than 30 years, will serve as the program’s first director.
The addition of the physician assistant program to Campbell coincides with the university’s 125th anniversary as well as the 25th anniversary of the addition of Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.