Brescia University began conducting a feasibility study more than a year ago to examine the statewide shortage of healthcare workers 和 work towards developing a Physician Assistant Program. 目前, there are no Physician Assistant Programs in 肯塔基州西部, 在这个州只有三家. The need for physician assistants is projected to grow by 28 percent through 2031 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This program received startup funding from Healthforce 肯塔基州 to support the new PA program. HealthForce 肯塔基州 is an effort to inspire careers in health care by providing wider access to the highest levels of instruction 和 technology. This unique collaboration involves nine colleges 和 universities along with numerous school districts across 16 counties in 肯塔基州西部. 卫生保健专业人员的短缺是一个全国性的问题, 如果不是全局的, phenomenon that impacts the quality 和 availability of health care services. The Commonwealth of 肯塔基州 chose to invest in an initiative to address this crisis, passing legislation to authorize funding of 38 million dollars. 作为合作的一部分, the post-secondary institutions 和 the P-12 districts will work to share instructors 和 resources to provide more offerings among the districts 和 post-secondary institutions to exp和 class availability while also reducing the cost of instruction. As HealthForce 肯塔基州 does not provide any degrees or diplomas, the collaboration with these institutions 和 usage of shared resources is key in reaching more talented 学生 in the 16-county footprint.
巴特达雷尔, 肯塔基州健康部队主席, 谈到拟议中的计划, “The proposed Physician Assistant degree program for Owensboro, 戴维斯县, 和 this region of 肯塔基州 is a groundbreaking advancement in health care quality 和 access. HealthForce 肯塔基州 is proud to be part of this new health care career pathway. This is the first of many new collaborations in which HealthForce 肯塔基州 will be involved as a partner with our postsecondary 和 P-12 education partners, 还有我们的医疗机构.” He continued to say, “There is an abundance of talent within our region. HealthForce 肯塔基州 will partner on initiatives like this first ever Physician Assistant program in Owensboro, to ensure that we keep as many of our best 和 brightest ‘at home’, so that the region offers a broad range of health care with quality second to none.达雷尔还提到, “访问, high quality health care also provides benefits to the region far beyond a healthier population. 它还能刺激健康的经济增长, 公民参与, 文化增强, 和, 很简单, 更幸福的生活. HealthForce 肯塔基州 congratulates all involved in this Physician Assistant initiative.”
The University is currently conducting a national search for a physician assistant program director 和 is pursuing provisional accreditation, 授予新的私人助理项目的地位, from the 认证 Review Council for Physician Assistants (ARC-PA). Provisional accreditation lasts no less than two years 和 more than 5 years. Brescia University will be able to accept 学生 during the provisional status.
作为他们综合职责的一部分, 医务人员进行身体检查, 诊断和治疗疾病, 安排和解释测试, 关于预防性保健的咨询, 协助手术, 而且几乎在所有州都可以开处方. Because of the close working relationship PAs have with physicians, PAs are educated in a medical model designed to complement physician training. PA 学生 are taught, as are medical 学生, to diagnose 和 treat medical problems. 执业医师在不同的医疗和外科环境中工作, 包括家庭和内科, 应急部门, 儿科, 妇产科, 普通外科和外科亚专科, 以及心理和行为健康护理.
Education consists of classroom 和 laboratory instruction in the basic medical 和 behavioral sciences (such as anatomy, 药理学, 病理生理学, 临床医学, 和物理诊断), 接下来是内科的临床轮转, 家庭医学, 手术, 儿科, 妇产科, 急诊医学, 还有老年医学.
PA项目预计为期27个月, with the hope to accept the first cohort of 学生 in the Spring of 2026. Brescia University will work closely with Owensboro Health for clinical site rotations 和 staffing.
Brescia University Executive Vice President, Lauren McCrary, Ed.D. 谈到了PA计划的进展, “获得认证的道路必然是艰难的, 但我们准备好迎接挑战了. We hope to get on the first available slot of the accreditors in summer 2025 和 start accepting 学生 soon after the site visit. 这给了我们大约一年半的准备时间. Our next step is to work to get a program director hired as soon as possible to start developing the program.麦克雷还说, “这对欧文斯博罗将是一笔巨大的财富, 肯塔基州西部, 和 the entire state as Brescia joins the efforts to make sure every Kentuckian has reliable access to healthcare.”