In December, Sacred Heart University fulfilled a goal five years in the making when the first students in the school’s new physician-assistant program graduated.
Twenty-six students were awarded degrees at the conclusion of a 27-month program comprising 12 months of classroom work, followed by a 15-month clinical phase, fulfilling 2,000 hours of experience in medical specialties. The students mainly worked at the newly renovated Tandet Center, adjacent to Stamford Hospital. All students completed clinical rotations at Stamford Hospital and other SHU-affiliated health-care sites.
The 26 graduates came from seven states, including a number with families. Meredith Braga, 33, of East Hartford, wanted to advance her career. While taking courses at SHU, she was also raising three children. Braga said handling that schedule was challenging, but the hard work paid off: Braga has a job lined up at Hartford Hospital.
Graduate and class president Christopher Marks, 28, grew up in Newtown. He didn’t know he wanted to pursue health care until he suffered an injury in high school. “I think having seen things from a patient’s perspective and observing how dedicated clinicians are to their patients, I quickly appreciated what a rewarding field health care could be,” he said.
Since graduating in December, Marks has accepted a job at Stamford Hospital as part of a PA orthopedics trauma team. He said he also will work part-time with an ER team in North Central Bronx (N.Y.) Hospital.
Nationally, more MDs are retired or leaving the medical profession than are graduating med school, spurring the need for more PAs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected job growth of 38 percent for PAs between 2012 and 2022, and according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants, only 22 percent of Connecticut PAs work in primary care. These realities, combined with the country’s aging population, chronic health needs and increasing demand for health services driven by the Affordable Care Act, were primary factors in Sacred Heart’s decision in 2013 to establish its PA program.
Contact Michael C. Bingham at mbingham@newhavenbiz.com
