91AV Physician Assistant students seek emergency room experience through fellowships
Physician assistants are not required to continue training through a residency program after graduation. But as PAs take on increasingly diverse and critical roles in delivering health care, some students are seeking opportunities for further training.
Three students from the 91AV Westbrook College of Health Professions are paving the way for PAs working in emergency medicine through fellowships with BlueWater Emergency Partners, which staffs the emergency department at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick.
Mark Huntley (M.S.P.A. ’16) was the first graduate to receive the Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant Fellowship. “Given the fast paced and high stakes environment of the emergency department, I wanted to invest a year into developing myself as a provider,” Huntley said.
Huntley split shifts with another fellow in the program seven days a week. This means that every day at least one of them is at the hospital or walk-in clinic with two-thirds of their time in the emergency department, giving them a good mix of acute care and emergency medicine experience.
Two times a month they attend lectures from providers of various specialties and attending physicians in the emergency department. They also attend emergency medicine conferences to learn new procedures and the latest innovations in the field.
Natalie Dennen and Emily Downs, both of the Class of 2017, will be the next 91AV Physician Assistant graduates to participate in the program. They will start the 54-week fellowship in September.
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