03/28/2024

PA Program Spotlight: Ashland University

Ashland University is working to grow and develop our Physician Assistant program every day. We are excited to have the opportunity to share what we have been working on and what we are planning for the next few months. Follow our program’s Instagram, @ashland_paprogram, to see pictures and more!

On March 16th, we were excited to be the host site for the OAPA Challenge Bowl. We had nine Ohio PA Programs come to our campus and challenge their knowledge and compete. The winner of the event was Mount Union’s PA Program. Additionally, this month, we hosted Dr. Evangeline C. Andarsio to guide us through the RISHI Art of Medicine- Tending the Flame workshop. We brought the clinical and didactic students together with faculty to reconnect the meaning of medicine with the focus of service, resiliency, and oath. This was a day-long retreat that sought to bring the students and faculty back to the “why” of medicine. Over spring break, 3 of our didactic year students, Ciara Janssen, Bethany Graham, and Heather Guiley, and faculty member Amity Arnold PA-C, attended a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic in Juan Thomas. On this trip, they saw nearly 1,000 patients over a weeklong trip and treated conditions including hypertension, parasites, influenza, provided mental health counseling, and more. Student Ciara Janssen shared, “We got to learn how to do knee injections in patients with arthritis which was very rewarding!”

At the beginning of April, we have our second interprofessional event (IPE) for the didactic year students. Our first of three IPE events occurred in February, in collaboration with nursing, exercise science, and dietetic students from the Ashland University College of Nursing and Health Sciences. For the IPE, two PA students get to work with Ashland nursing students on a case scenario in the simulation lab. It is a great learning opportunity for students to work together on a real-life scenario and learn how to work as a team with other healthcare professionals. In April, our OAPA Representative, Sara Berkland, and director of our program, Melissa Irwin, who also serves as the secretary and treasurer for the OAPA, will be attending the OAPA Pharmacology Conference! We look forward to seeing you all there.

As the Ashland University PA program looks ahead to the summer semester, we are excited to welcome Brian Wallace PA-C to campus in May, and again during the summer semester, for multiple workshops to support the success of the AU PA students during the program and their PANCE exams. He will work with clinical and didactic year students on test taking tips and how to pass the PANCE. In August, we will have a graduation ceremony for the Class of 2024 and the White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2025. We look forward to honoring the hard work of the students, and celebrating our program’s progress, while graduates look forward to their future as providers.

Submitted by Sara Berkland, PA-S

Ashland University PA Program by the Numbers: