Campus Connections at UDM recently announced that Associate Professor Suzanne York was a key player in helping advance a fourteen-month advocacy initiative leading to the passage of the Michigan Patient Access to Care and Safety Initiative, signed into Michigan Law on November 8. Effectively, SB 384 broadens the scope of practice for Physician Assistants, increasing their contribution to the medical team. The passage of this law holds great impact for the health and wellbeing of Michigan communities in the face of dwindling health care professionals for our communities.
The College of Health Professions’ Physician Assistant Program has over the past 40 years graduated countless numbers of PA’s who are serving Metro Detroit Hospitals, health care facilities and clinics.
Physician Assistants are sometimes referred to as ‘PA’s” for the credential initials that they have earned. PA’s have become an integral component of the health care team for a patient.
Educated in a medical model that complements preparation of medical physicians rather than a nursing model which nurse practitioners follow, they work with the supervision of a collaborative medical doctor or surgeon. They are autonomous and hold the professional credentials to conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and medical tests and interpret them, assist in surgery, and write prescriptions.
At UDM, a student may enter the Physician Assistant Program on a two-year, three-year, or five-year plan. The two-year program is for eligible students who have attained the bachelor’s degree; the three-year program is for field professionals with the bachelor’s degree who are employed in the field. The five-year program makes it possible for undergraduate students to study and graduate with both a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master’s of Science degree.
The course of study is rigorous, and the tuition is steep — more than $13,000 per year. But the rewards in knowledge, skills, service and employability are excellent. However, little supportive funding in the form of scholarships or loans is available to students in the Physician Assistant Program, so often students must defer their education until they have the resources to continue an uninterrupted education.
If you would like to contribute to the Physician Assistant Program to strengthen a Physician Assistant student in pursuing an education, contact the College of Health Professions at the University. Your investment will be returned many times over in the health and wellness of the community, and in the assurance of health care professionals to attend to the needs of Michigan.