Dear Prospective Student,
Thank you for your interest in pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant and being part of our ARC-PA accredited Physician Assistant Program.
As Program Director, I want to share some of the many reasons I chose this College. For nearly 90 years PCO has offered nationally recognized graduate level professional degree programs known for their academic excellence. The College was a pioneer in clinical education in optometry and audiology and has now extended this expertise to the education of Physician Assistants. As a small institution with a high faculty student ratio, there is a focus on small group and problem-based learning. Most importantly, the outstanding faculty shares my commitment to educating our students to provide the best possible patient care and ensuring that our graduates will not only care for, but also care about their patients.
The profession is evolving from one of primary care providers and generalists to one of practice in specialty areas. Physician Assistants are assuming more patient care responsibilities. Our program’s goal is to meet these changing workplace demands through high quality teaching so that graduates can work as colleagues with our physician and other health care team partners. In order to address this evolution, our program provides an emphasis on a strong basic science and pathophysiology foundation, and builds an understanding, not just recognition of disease processes and clinical medicine. We teach evidence-based medicine theory and work in small groups to develop critical thinking abilities necessary to address complex medical and surgical patient problems. Patient care is introduced in the first year of the program so that students can begin their clinical year with confidence in their medical knowledge, clinical skills and professional attitude.
Our Program believes strongly in keeping the “heart” in health care. All of our patients need to be listened to, understood and treated unconditionally with respect, empathy and kindness as though they were members of our own family. As we learn about our patients, we also believe in the opportunities created for us to learn about ourselves.
Choosing a Physician Assistant Program is about matching the individual program’s uniqueness to your needs. I would encourage you to read through our website or feel free to call our Admissions Office to ask questions or arrange for a visit and tour of our facilities. We look forward to assisting you in achieving your Physician Assistant career goals.
Sincerely,
George Bottomley, DVM, PA-C
Program Director and Associate Professor
Physician Assistant Studies
Our Physician Assistant Program was granted accreditation status in March, 2007 by ARC-PA. Our graduates are eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for Physician Assistants, a credential required for state licensure. For more accreditation information.