NEW PA school in Georgia

[FNP99]

Brenau College in Gainesville, GA is opening a PA school in coordination with Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Not sure of the details.. was in the paper this week. I think you go to Philadelphia for 14 months then come and do your clinicals in Gainesville.. not sure what the advantage would be over just going to Philadelphia, nonetheless just thought I would pass it along to those interested.

[EMEDPA]

Probably appeals to southerners who can't get into emory....

[John Q.]

Is it a master's program!

[bradtPA]

http://www.brenau.edu/PR/news/PRarticle.cfm?ID=428

Master's program, and its a women's university. Not sure how that affects admissions...

[laughing angel]

I think you go to Philadelphia for 14 months then come and do your clinicals in Gainesville.. not sure what the advantage would be over just going to Philadelphia.

Here's the reason:

The clinical placements that Brenau has secured at Georgia-based institutions is key to the agreement. Limited availability of clinical placements nationwide is a major factor limiting growth of nearly all PA programs. This agreement offers PCOM the potential for growth subject to accreditation approval

[coloradopa]

First off I would point out that its a five year entry level program. According to the handout they do three years at Brenau, one year of didactic at PCOM and one year of clinical in Gainesville. This is a very different model than other programs in Georgia.

Considering the competition for preceptor slots its not suprising that PCOM is looking outside of Philadelphia. PCOM also has a Georgia branch of thier DO school in Suwanee so they already have an in in the area. Even with five programs, Georgia continues to be underserved in the PA area. The Gainesville area is close to Atlanta but you are talking 2 hour drive times (from experience). The real need is for a rural PA program in Southern Georgia.

David Carpenter, PA-C

[just_me]

First off I would point out that its a five year entry level program. According to the handout they do three years at Brenau, one year of didactic at PCOM and one year of clinical in Gainesville. This is a very different model than other programs in Georgia.

Considering the competition for preceptor slots its not suprising that PCOM is looking outside of Philadelphia. PCOM also has a Georgia branch of thier DO school in Suwanee so they already have an in in the area. Even with five programs, Georgia continues to be underserved in the PA area. The Gainesville area is close to Atlanta but you are talking 2 hour drive times (from experience). The real need is for a rural PA program in Southern Georgia.

David Carpenter, PA-C

I wonder if it will be like the other 5-6 year programs and let students transfer in and/or allow you to either apply to the 5yr program OR the profesisonal portion.....

[lkirsch]

Probably appeals to southerners who can't get into emory....

Well probably not because MCG, South, and Mercer exist in addition to Emory, all within GA. Then there's MUSC, UAB, and UF a little further out. Why would they do that?

[Eddie G]

To many schools pumping out more colleagues.. Our salaries are going to go in the crapper..

Ed

[MedProf]

This concern has been expressed by some for years, but remains without merit. Their is a documented, acute, and growing shortage of healthcare practitioners in this country (and the world) and this shortage will be met by NPs, pharmacists who want to practice medicine, chiropracters who want to expand their role, and many other groups. Respectfully, the salary you enjoy is due to the efforts of the PAs before you who created programs to produce PAs that have developed such a strong profession. Our profession could easily have died out due to an insufficient numbers of PAs.

Regards,

[slmack]

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.......Comments like that are so unnecessary!

[AliceNWndrlnd]

PCOM has a branch campus in Suwanee, GA (just outside of Altanta) so you probably have to attend some things there (not Philadelphia, PA).