University of the Cumberlands begins Physician Assistant Program

A new cohort (class) of students began the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies Program Jan. 12, 2015, at University of the Cumberlands.

The first graduating class of the PA program will be March 2017.

“We have a three, two, plus track,” said Lesley Tipton, program director and certified physician assistant. “It allows students to come in as a freshman in undergrad and complete the program quicker. You can go straight from undergrad into the PA program in three years versus getting a four year degree and applying [to another PA program].”

The PA program’s first semester is an introduction to the field. The program lasts for 27 months. Fifteen months are in-class work and12 months are for clinical rotations, including core rotations in family medicine, internal medicine, women's health, pediatrics, surgery, emergency medicine, psychiatry and then an elective rotation that the student gets to choose.

                        Photo provided by University of the Cumberlands
Lesley Tipton teaching a physician assistant class. 

“PAs are very important due to the high demand in the medical field,” said Grahm Smith, December 2014 graduate of UC with a Biology major and Chemistry minor. “Doctors are not as abundant and training for a PA is only two years, so more can be produced at a faster rate. This allows more needs to be met.”

            Glassdoor’s “Best Jobs in America” 2015 featured Physician Assistants as the number one best job in America. PAs are becoming an important part of the health care team because they are mid-level providers, medical professionals that provide patient care under the supervision of a physician. As Smith said, they are able to undergo quicker training and do similar work as that of a doctor, which is a current need in the medical profession.

 “We were looking for medical programs to start up in this region,” said Tipton. “We wanted to look at a field that was growing nationwide and there’s definitely a need in the Appalachian area for health care providers.”     

Tipton encouraged anyone who’s interested to contact her or any of the other faculty members of the PA program for more information.

“The PA profession is a great field to go into, if you really want to make a positive impact on people’s lives and give back to your community,” said Lyndsay Collette, 2014 graduate of UC with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. “PAs are really making an impact on the field of medicine and as a PA to know each and every day that you go to work you are actively making a difference in someone’s life, there is nothing more rewarding.”