by Sarah Haley, PA-S, Elon University
It’s been an exciting year at Elon! We have a big upcoming event–and one that the class of 2023 is immensely proud of–the inaugural Great Golf Getaway. This charity golf tournament supports the Open Door Clinic of Alamance County, a clinic providing free health care to county residents who would otherwise have none. The tournament is a four-person scramble, to be held on Sunday, October 9th at the Challenge Golf Club in Graham, NC. You may be familiar with last year’s Great Cape Escape, a charity fun run held for the same purpose. Necessity required reinvention this year, and the class of 2023 is excited to start a new tradition. Be sure to visit the website if you would like to participate as a golfer (click here for $10 off!), sponsor, donor, or simply as a purchaser of t-shirts. Come out and show your support, meet some Elon PA students, and enjoy a day on the green!
The class of 2023 has been diligently studying amidst a flurry of new construction at the Francis Center. The Gerald L. Francis Center is home to the School of Health Sciences, which includes the Physical Therapy and PA graduate programs, as well as Elon’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Accelerated Bachelor of Science (ABSN) programs. Faculty and health science students have witnessed the completion of the second phase of expansion for the new education facilities. Additions include a virtual reality laboratory, a research laboratory, new classrooms, a new student common area, a covered balcony, and a memorial garden for our anatomical gift donor program. Other upgrades include a new roof and a new entry garden.
The class of 2023 is also excited to pick up the baton and carry on the second year of an important community outreach project called Start Early in Medicine. With the leadership and vision of PA Professor Dr. Alexis Moore, a grant from The Village Project, support from Alamance Community College’s Medical Bridge: Minority Males in Medicine, and the expertise of Elon students from the School of Education, Elon PA students will teach foundational anatomy and physiology to middle and high school students this Fall. Start Early students will participate in hands-on, interactive learning opportunities which are guided towards introducing students to careers in medicine and other STEM fields. PA student participation is built into the curriculum via the Underserved Populations unit within their Special Populations class.
In other news, the class of 2022 began their clinical year in January and have returned to campus in between rotations for their call back weeks. Call back weeks encompassed a variety of activities including OSCEs, case-based learning, professional development lectures, and continued work on master’s projects, as well as participation in a unique pilot program for point-of-care ultrasound. This optional course was developed by faculty member Dr. Cindy Bennett to provide Elon PA students foundational POCUS skills with academic rigor. Students who successfully complete the training are awarded a certificate of completion at the time of graduation. As POCUS use continues to expand with improved technology and portability, the need for skilled clinicians to perform bedside ultrasounds increases as well. Elon PA students will be ready to employ this new technology.
The Elon University PA program is incredibly proud of our continued commitment to “Learning. Caring. Serving. Leading” and look forward to the incredible opportunities that lie ahead.
