{"id":2259,"date":"2013-01-08T14:30:14","date_gmt":"2013-01-08T19:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/unc-pa\/?p=2259"},"modified":"2017-11-02T10:33:45","modified_gmt":"2017-11-02T14:33:45","slug":"new-pa-program-geared-for-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/unc-pa\/2013\/01\/new-pa-program-geared-for-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"New PA Program Geared for Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

January 8, 2013 – University Gazette<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

\n
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\u201cWhen is Carolina going to get a physician assistant program?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
It\u2019s a question Lee McLean had heard since becoming chair of the Department of Allied Health Sciences, a division within the School of Medicine, 13 years ago. But, with six physician assistant programs in the state, there was no clear need for UNC to start a seventh.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

In 2009 a group from the School of Medicine was invited to visit the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Team at Fort Bragg. There they observed the Special Forces Medical Sergeants \u2013 or 18 Deltas \u2013 and saw an opportunity to honor these medics who had dedicated their lives to service while addressing the shortage of medical care for the state\u2019s underserved communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen these highly trained Special Forces Medical Sergeants finish their tour of duty, no matter what they\u2019ve done in the military, they\u2019re not licensed to do anything in the civilian world,\u201d McLean said. \u201cWe knew there had to be some way to recognize that kind of service.\u201d<\/p>\n

In December, the School of Medicine announced plans to create a physician assistant master\u2019s degree program within the Department of Allied Health Sciences for veteran medical sergeants. A $1.2 million gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will help the University establish a curriculum and hire full-time faculty in preparation for the accreditation process ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that the majority of our Special Forces Medical Sergeants want to continue their careers in medicine to help improve the health and lives of our citizens, but many are unsure of what path to take when they transition out of the military,\u201d said Army Special Operations
\nCommand Surgeon Colonel Peter J. Benson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program gives our veterans the education and opportunity to lend their unique health-care and leadership skills to benefit citizens across North Carolina.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new paradigm of medicine<\/h3>\n

A 2010 national survey of Special Forces Medical Sergeants revealed that nine out of 10 respondents wanted to pursue a career in health care outside a military setting, and close to half were interested in becoming physician assistants.<\/p>\n

Chuck Cairns, chair of Department of Emergency Medicine, was part of the group invited to Fort Bragg to visit the 18 Deltas and meet with their instructors. Cairns said his first thought was how these medics could translate such special skills to civilian life. His second was that providing a transition for these medics would be a fitting way to recognize their service.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned what these medics undergo, and I was impressed by the breadth of their training and also this new paradigm of medicine called situational medicine, where we\u2019re treating people in very austere environments,\u201d he said. \u201cThis pushed us to see how we could build on that training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Special Forces Medical Sergeants are some of the finest first-response health-care providers in the world, McLean said. Beyond medical care, they must be expert swimmers and parachutists, display incredible endurance and the ability to remain calm in the most dangerous situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have preparation and experience providing care in austere environments and in times of disaster and geographical extremes.\u201d Cairns said. \u201cThey\u2019ve already proven to be dedicated to service. This could provide them a long career in medicine when their tour of duty is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serving where needed<\/h3>\n

When Special Forces Medical Sergeants find themselves in communities like Iraq, Pakistan or Afghanistan, they are responsible for not only the troops, but also the entire village. They become, essentially, the town doctor.
\nA medic might deliver a baby one day and a calf the next, parachute into a village or walk many rough miles to get there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey get training in veterinary skills, pediatrics, obstetrics and more. They have to perform their own labs and imaging,\u201d McLean said. \u201cThere may be no electricity or place to clean a hypodermic needle, and still be expected to deliver the best health care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many see this kind of training as a perfect fit for North Carolina communities facing a shortage of medical professionals. The ability to provide expert care away from many modern conveniences is great training to serve areas of the state that may be far from a major medical center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese sergeants take pride in being a resource for those who need them most, and they have also enjoyed working at a high level with a measure of autonomy.\u201d McLean said. \u201cA physician assistant degree would allow them to practice with the level of responsibility they\u2019re used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

In North Carolina, an estimated 1 million people live in areas that do not have enough health-care professionals to effectively serve their communities, and the gap will continue to grow, McLean said. The impending Affordable Care Act will increase the number of people seeking care, expanding the need for providers. In addition, aging health-care professionals are hitting retirement at an amazing number.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a distribution problem,\u201d she said. \u201dWhere we do have adequate numbers, they are centered around the cities, and what we hear is these medics are interested in going where there is a challenge and where their service is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new class in 2015<\/h3>\n

Though years in the making, there are still a few more to go before students fill the chairs. Once accredited, the program plans to admit its first class in 2015.<\/p>\n

McLean will retire in August. During the next six months, she will be working on a preliminary set of academic and admissions standards for the program and a formal request to plan a new masters degree that must be submitted to the Board of Governors this spring. She also will start to organize the documents that must be approved for national accreditation of the new program. Once a new program director is hired, that person will take over these essential tasks.<\/p>\n

The allied health sciences department houses and administers a number of therapy and diagnostic disciplines related to medicine, offering 13 bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s and doctoral degrees, McLean said. \u201cOur professional degree programs are all very highly ranked nationally because of the excellence of our faculty and our students, and the strong support of our medical school. This degree is a great fit for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timothy Daaleman, professor and vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine, has signed on as medical director, and the search for a program director is under way. With the BCBSNC gift, the processes of hiring faculty and writing a curriculum can keep moving.<\/p>\n

Cairns said the announcement of the PA program was personally satisfying because it shows how far things have come since that 2009 meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the partnership with BCBSNC and UNC\u2019s synergy with the very best in our armed forces,\u201d he said. \u201cUNC has shown it is a leader by putting something like this together.\u201d<\/p>\n

By Courtney Mitchell, University Gazette<\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

January 8, 2013 – University Gazette \u201cWhen is Carolina going to get a physician assistant program?\u201d It\u2019s a question Lee McLean had heard since becoming chair of the Department of Allied Health Sciences, a division within the School of Medicine, 13 years ago. 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