Clarkson introduces new physician assistant studies degree

POTSDAM — It didn’t take much to realize that a new master of physician assistant studies program was a healthy choice for Clarkson University.

“All one has to do is look around to see the shortage of primary care providers,” said Michael B. Whitehead, the chairman of Clarkson’s brand-new department of physician assistant studies. “When we talked to the CEOs of area hospitals, they all speak to the fact that they have a hard time recruiting physicians and primary care providers like physician assistants and keeping them.”

Due to this shortage, Clarkson will open the doors to its first physician assistant studies class in January. The new program, which features a 28-month curriculum and offers clinical rotations at six north country hospitals, joins Clarkson’s doctor of physical therapy degree as the only other health science program at the college.

The program is provisionally accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, and the college will be able to apply for a continuing accreditation around the time the first cohort graduates. In addition to an articulation agreement that guarantees spots for two qualified St. Lawrence University graduates each year, Clarkson will also offer a “pre-PA” plan for its own undergraduates who are interested in qualifying for the master’s program.

“One of our mission goals is to not only recruit from the north country but to also have them stay in the area when they finish,” Mr. Whitehead said. “Clarkson’s been wise enough to see a need and is seeking to expand its health science presence, so this makes a perfect program to do that. There’s lots of community interest in the program.”

Ranked second among CNN’s 2010 edition of “Best Jobs in America,” physician assistants are licensed to practice medicine and write prescriptions with limited supervision from a physician. In preparation for the incoming class of students, Clarkson has already hired four professors and renovated Clarkson Hall on the downtown campus to include a state-of-the-art cadaver and anatomy lab.

According to Mr. Whitehead, the program has accepted 14 students for its January 2012 cohort and may accept several more after a final round of interviews, but it will not accept more than 20 students per cohort for the next several years. While the program is small compared to similar ones in Syracuse, Mr. Whitehead noted that Clarkson has already seen a satisfactory pool of applicants for its incoming class.

“We’re going to grow a little bit, but we’ll always be a small program,” he said. “Some of these programs have 45 students or more, but we’ll never grow larger than 30. The biggest thing is to continue to serve the needs of the north country in terms of their health care.”

For more information about the physician assistant program, contact the department at pa@clarkson.edu or 268-7942.