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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Physician Assistant Students at NSU’s Orlando SEC ALL pass their Board Exams
NSU’s Class of 2012 Physician Assistant students
All 58 of NSU’s Class of 2012 Physician Assistant (PA) students passed their Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE).
The national average for pass rates for all PA programs is 93 percent for this iteration of the exam, which is commonly referred to as the “PA Boards.”
“All of our faculty and staff have been working diligently towards [achieving] excellence with our students,” said Lorilee H. Butler, MPAS, M. Ed., PA-C, Interim Program Director and Assistant Professor of the Physician Assistant Program at NSU in Orlando. “This pass rate is proof of the hard work and gained knowledge of these Physician Assistants.”
Richard E. Davis, Ed.D., PA-C, dean of NSU’s College of Health Care Sciences which oversees the PA program, agreed with Butler. “The Orlando area, Florida and the nation in general has a need for more Physician Assistants,” he said. “Having more Physician Assistants means more people can receive medical attention sooner.”
Physician Assistants practice medicine by working with members of a health care team including physicians and surgeons. They are formally trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventative healthcare services as delegated by a physician. In rural or inner city clinics, they may be the primary health care provider, conferring with physicians as required by law.
“Our Physician Assistant program produces quality health care professionals who have jobs lined up before they even graduate,” Butler said. “Having more PAs in the area opens up more access for patients to get quality health care.”
The Orlando PA Program students complete their clinical rotations locally in many private clinics, the Florida Hospital system, Orlando Health System and the Heart of Florida system.
Additionally, the students often have clinical rotations in the Tampa, and Melbourne areas as well as in other rural communities. After graduation, the majority of students accept positions in the local community. The NSU Orlando SEC’s Physician Assistant program welcomed their first class of students in 2007. The Class of 2012 is the fourth graduating class for the Orlando program.