The Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences Anniversary Highlights
Physician Assistant–Jacksonville
THE JACKSONVILLE Physician Assistant (PA) Program opened its doors in May 2009. This was made possible thanks to the guidance of Richard E. Davis, Ed.D., PA-C, dean of the College of Allied Health and Nursing at that time, and others who saw the benefit of starting a PA program in Northeast Florida.
The program admitted 40 students initially; however, it currently admits 60 students. Throughout the years, the Jacksonville PA Program has encountered various challenges and claimed numerous achievements. It also continues to make strides toward becoming an exemplary PA program.
One of the ways we are accomplishing this is by incorporating interprofessional education (IPE) into the clinical year of the program as part of ongoing simulation activities. The focus of IPE is to provide collaborative learning opportunities among various health care professions. A minimum of two students from different health care professions work alongside each other to promote exposure to other professions—and to learn from and with each other.
Since PAs work in a collaborative manner to provide patient care, incorporating IPE into the curriculum gives students an opportunity to interact with other health care professions in a safe environment. The use of IPE also aligns with the pro-gram’s mission statement—to prepare physician assistant students to provide high-quality, patient-centered care.
You may read more of the starting of the PA program in Northeast Florida and look for the brief YouTube video of the simulation event in the current 2018 Perspectives Summer/Fall issue on page 50 and 51 by visiting healthsciences.nova.edu/studentaffairs/messenger.html.