The Ursuline College PA program was started in February 2021 by Dr. Ryan Adler who recruited Dr. Douglas D. Long, Erin Basilius, PA-C, and Adrienne Colabuno, PA-C to join the team during the summer of 2021. This group collaborated to develop what they believed would make an innovative program that prioritized student wellness, fostered student growth, and provided high-quality PA education.

 

The program received Accreditation-Provisional status in October 2022 and Professor Colabuno stated, “It is a joy to see how far our program has come since those early days!” Since welcoming the first cohort in January 2023, each professor has been essential in delivering course material, helping teach skills classes, and by supporting students as advisors.

 

The students were busy both inside and outside of the classroom during the didactic year. For a Public and Preventative Health course, small groups of students were assigned cases in which they needed to find local resources to support their specific patients. Each group then volunteered at one of these local resource groups to better understand the resources that they were offering to their patients. Some of these organizations included St. Herman’s Men's Shelter, Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center, MedWish International, and the Gathering Place. It was a very special experience to be able to talk to the people who directly help those in need and to be able to offer personal time to volunteer with these groups.

 

Additionally, students were able to volunteer as a class at places like the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, NAMI Greater Cleveland, helping with a vaccination clinic on the Ursuline College campus, and an extraordinary experience with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) walk at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The JDRF is very special to Professor Colabuno and her family since it has given her son the opportunity to “have the freedom to do so many things without limitation.” The Ursuline College PA program will continue to work with the organizations that they have collaborated with and is always looking forward to more opportunities and will continue to work with the community to enhance the PA presence and support for the profession.

 

Interprofessional Education activities within the inaugural didactic phase included a Community Action Poverty Simulation with Ursuline College nursing students and a Healthcare Team Communication Seminar with a focus on empathy and vulnerability with NEOMED pharmacy students. These Interprofessional Education opportunities aimed to develop an appreciation for collaboration, whole-person care, and the impact of skilled communication.

 

Exciting additions to the didactic faculty roster and progressive curricular instruction in Point of Care Ultrasound, Telemedicine, and Critical Care Medicine rounded out three semesters of foundational and applied medical learning consistent with our accrediting standards. Didactic Coordinator, Erin Basilius, states “We are so proud of the personal and professional growth that has occurred in the past 12 months. Educating passionate and caring students is an absolute honor to be a part of.”

 

To conclude the didactic year, 29 students received their white coats in December 2023 upon completion of coursework, finals, and the PACKRAT. Professor Colabuno notes “I remember the joy and excitement that I felt when I first received my white coat, and to see students that you have helped teach and watched grow receive theirs is such a true joy and humbling experience.”

 

As a student, I can attest to the excitement and blessings that were felt in the auditorium that day. It was an amazing feeling to not only receive the white coat myself but all the more special to receive it with the most spectacular group of classmates who have all supported and encouraged each other throughout the last year. It marked the end of our days spent in the classroom, and the start of our journey interacting with patients, putting our knowledge into practice, and preparing to graduate, take the PANCE, and become well-rounded providers in the near future. Students are very excited to begin clinical rotations in January, and although they are nervous and anxious to start, they are very ready and prepared to begin these amazing experiences.

 

The new year will bring many exciting events including sending the first cohort to their first clinical rotations and welcoming the second cohort to campus. It will be a great feeling coming back to campus and being able to share our experiences with the new cohort and pass on knowledge, encouragement, and understanding of how the second cohort feels. The program will begin a mentor program with first-year and second-year students in order to offer peer support, advice, and understanding as both groups embark on new and exciting journeys.

 

The first cohort is projected to graduate in December of 2024 in a joint ceremony with a white coat ceremony for the second cohort. The Ursuline College Physician Assistant Program, though new, has already made a huge impact on the lives of many students. I am very proud to be part of this incredible program and I cannot wait to see what 2024 holds for us as students and us as a program.